QUESTION:

Hi Scott. I have been reading through all of your posts and your content is really excellent! I do have an issue though. You see, I have no real love or passion for anything. I want to do things in my life. I have always wanted to go and maybe even move to the U.S.A. even though I have never even been there. I also want money and I know this is a big factor in many people’s motivation but I want to use the money to get to America and live “The Dream”. My problem is I just can’t keep motivation for anything, I think I NEED to do this because it will enable me to make my American dream possible but the idea of the dream just isn’t enough to keep me going.

I always have these ideas of ways to make money, sell on eBay, start an online business, affiliate marketing. You see, I have a cousin who started off like me, middle class and by no means “rich” but he is now making 10′s of thousands of dollars per week, this is after 4 years of hard work. I tried to follow his advice but he says I really need to want the money to make it like he did but nothing keeps me working and going.

Thanks,

John, 17, England

ANSWER:

John, thank you for the complement and for your question. There are two kinds of motivation that people commonly try to find–motivation to do something you don’t want to do, and motivation do so something you want to do. In the first case, it’s understandable that you may need to use strategies, tricks, or leverage of some kind to really put the heat on and make you do it. Deadlines, penalties, embarrassment, demotions or getting fired from a job, social accountability…all of these do a nice job of compelling people to take action even when their goal is imposed upon them by a boss, parent, spouse, peers, etc.

Question:

Scott, I often find that when I set goals which involve a routine, I become a bit lazy about sticking to it.

For instance, if I tell myself that I will practice learning a language for 30 minutes each day, I might skip a day, or start doing 20 minutes. And then I think “well, I’ve been rubbish at sticking to it this week… How about I just scrap this entire week and start afresh with the routine next Monday.”

It seems like I get stuck constantly ‘starting again’ because I wasn’t happy with the way things were going. I have my own ways to try and minimize this but I would definitely be interested to hear your thoughts! A sort of ‘continuation methods’ guide?

Thanks once again,

Bobby

Answer:

Bobby, it’s easy to get tripped when we’re trying to develop a new habit, even if it’s a habit we need for only a short-term goal. This is because it often takes thinking ahead and creating a clear plan in order to stay on track, but most people don’t do that. If you’re lacking a solid plan—one that works closely with your present lifestyle—then the simplest thing can send you off course.  That’s why it’s so difficult for people to maintain the motivation to lose weight and exercise or to quit smoking.

The reason you’re having trouble with follow-through in achieving your goals may come down to one or more of these: