Find What Fuels You

 When you ask yourself: “what motivates me?”, do you have a response? It seems so easy, yet I have lost count of how many people whom I’ve asked this, that don’t have an answer. I mean, a real answer! Something that you can see really lights them up and their response is reflective of the motivation they receive when thinking about…well, what motivates them.

Throughout my career, or at least the last decade, I would have responded to the question with only one thing: “money”. You might have caught me on a day where I answered with something more profound that would inspire…but I thought that was the right answer. Though, money wasn’t really the motivating factor. It was finding solutions and being seen as a thought leader that motivated me at the height of my career – to an extent it still does.

For the purpose of this article, try to responding to this question with something that has NOTHING to do with your career. Think of what you would do if you were financially free and had nothing but time to utilize as you saw fit. What would be something that fuels you? Something that lights you up, that you get completely lost in the creative process, that you alchemize something or multiple things into a greater entity. It could be writing, mowing lawns, painting, woodworking, crochet, music, debate (for the joy, not the argument). Some creative endeavour that really, only needs to matter to you.

When you think of retirement, we often tell ourselves that we’ll “do whatever I want when I don’t have to work!”. This construct is severely flawed, because you can do that now! There is no merit in waiting until your 60’s to “do whatever you want”, especially since it’s likely to be something you enjoy doing. So, what keeps us from starting right now? Simply put – FEAR!

Being afraid of falling out of line or off track by chasing ‘play’ is an all too typical narrative in our society. The idea that I could use my interests and passions NOW to fuel everything else in my life doesn’t even enter the chat, so to speak. What if it did? How would you answer?

Think about how you feel when you’re excited about something. There’s no anxiety, there’s no panic, there’s no fear of failure, shame or judgement – just happiness, joy, eagerness. Now imagine how using that energy can propel you in other areas of your life. Better yet, how can you use aspects of your passion in other areas? Can you apply something from woodworking to anther task – “measure twice, cut once”? Could a photographer apply the patience required to wait for the perfect light or the perfect moment in capturing an image, to other activities or relationships?

What are ways that you can apply your hobbies, passions, interest to other aspects. Keep in mind, this exercise itself is a creative endeavour. Simply by leveraging constraints like having to apply an element of your passion(s) to an activity that you may not have thought to apply it to before, we’re having to think and work differently.

Consider the following exercise:

1.        Ask yourself: What motivates me?

2.        Reflect on what elements energize you the most

3.        Consider how these elements could be applied to other activity

a.        Eg: If you meticulously manicure your lawn, what drives you to do so? Is the visual effect, the time it takes to be precise about every line, the accomplishment in taking something from nature and alchemizing it to something you deem beautiful?

b.        Eg: If you play golf, tennis, cycle, what is it that you get from practicing that? Is it the gradual improvement, the art and science in trying new techniques or sampling new equipment and environmental shifts?

Even more simply: What is the creative craft that can be brought to another aspect of your life that immediately excites you?

For me, I love driving. Being behind the wheel has been a therapeutic experience since I was 16. It’s not as much about the car, or even the location (though these are two important factors); it’s about being present. Driving something older, analog, and requires your active engagement means I’m focused while also being in the moment. It has made me want to apply the same presence when I’m working – whether I’m coaching a team, an individual 1:1, creating content, recording a podcast, or writing this. The conscious feeling of being here and now that I get while driving, absolutely works to my benefit in other aspects I apply it.

Find what fuels you – Identify it, Reflect on it, Integrate it! 

M.