Last night I was checking up with a long-time client who I hadn't seen in awhile, she was asking me how things are going, and what I'm up to.
Her question then came up...
"How do you have so much drive?"
Well, I'm always humbled when people say that, I'm not here to talk about me, but instead, give you some suggestions for how to find your drive, using some of my personal examples.
Ultimately, when I think of drive, I think of the motivation to do more, and then the action to actually follow through with those things.
In no particular order, here are six random thoughts on how I find the drive, and maybe one or two of them you can relate to.
1. A very clear vision
Remember all those exercises where I have you write down your ideal day, your ideal life, etc.
Yeah, I actually do those exercises.
I have a very clear vision for what I want to get done in life and what success looks like in all those areas.
What I want to do with my family...
What trips do we want to go on...
What a typical weekend looks like now and what we want it to look like in a few years...
What my finances look like...
How much money I need to save today to make sure my retirement years are stable...
What my fitness looks like...
How do I feel...
What makes me happy...
These are all questions, and more, you can fill out for your personal vision.
I think this is the foundation of everything I do.
Whether it's a family, finance, fitness, or business decision, it always comes back to the question...
Does this move me closer to my vision?
My vision is something that inspires me, motivates me, and I literally can't wake up every day to do things that move me closer to my vision.
Create a vision of all aspects of your life, including fitness, and create it in a way that is motivating, challenging, inspiring, and something you have to work towards every day.
2. We're all going to die
I know it's morbid, but I'm weird, and it motivates me more than almost anything.
I have had the unfortunate/fortunate chance to know way too many people that died around me.
I'm pretty sure I've been to more funerals than most people reading this.
Most of you know my mom died a month after my 21st birthday.
But what most of you don't know is I spent my high school and college years working in a nursing home that specialized in working with Alzheimer's patients.
While there I assisted in CPR with patients that didn't make it, I held the hands of dozens of people as they took their last breath, and washed the bodies of those same people before their family came in.
I also had the great pleasure of getting to chat with a lot of people over the age of 80, and learned that life really is short.
Sprinkle in the need to use my fingers and toes to count the number of kids I went to high school that have past away.
Finally, I take care of my dad every day, he can't do much of anything for himself because he didn't take care of himself in his younger years.
The point is, we are all here for a short time and a good time, and that is so motivating to me.
I want to to be the best dad, the best husband, the best leader, and I want to leave as big of a legacy as I can.
I know it's morbid, but I use our "deadline" as a huge motivator to my drive.
3. Extreme ownership
I am responsible for everything that has happened to me.
Everything that you see in front of you is a matter of choices.
How you react to things...
How you do the small stuff...
I have a famous saying with my team...
"bring me solutions, not problems."
Life will always be full of problems.
Mark Manson says that life is just the exchange of good problems with better problems.
I try not to complain about anything, but instead, find the solution to what I am not happy about.
I take extreme ownership of anything that happens to me.
If I don't like the number I see on the scale, that is my choices, my fault.
If a team member didn't do something they were supposed to do, it's my fault, I didn't train them enough.
It all comes back to me and my choices.
4. Not comparing yourself to others...
My vision is my vision.
Your vision is your vision.
What drives me does not drive you.
You will lose your drive if you're trying to live a life that someone else wants you to live.
Too many of us wake up every day miserable because we're not doing what makes us happy, we're doing what we think others want us to do.
Screw that (see #2).
Whether it's in fitness, finances, family life, or anything, I try to never compare myself to others.
If I'm trying to always do what others are doing or what I think others want me to do, I'll have no drive.
You do you.
Do what makes you happy...
Do things that you can't wait to go to bed only because you know the next thing is waking up and doing that "thing" again.
You know the feeling the kids have the first time they go to Disney?
The morning they wake up at 3am so excited to go see Mickey?
That's my goal....every day.
If you're constantly comparing yourself to others, you will never have that.
5. Everybody is different
This is similar to the one above, but different enough it's worth separating.
A lot of drive is hardwired.
Sure, we can work on trying to find what motivates you, but ultimately, you can't change how you're wired.
I'm a weird individual.
And trust me, there's plenty of negatives to the way I'm wired, but I try to play to my strengths as often as I can.
Your drive may be living a very simple life.
Wake up, take the kids to school, work in a stable job, go home, cook dinner, put the kids to bed, and do it all over again.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with that...
If it makes you happy.
That's my wife.
She has one goal...to be a good mom.
She doesn't want to be involved in the business, she doesn't want to take on any "projects", she just wants to be the best mom possible, and that drives her.
Luckily she knows, that if I'm not moving a mile a minute and taking on one too many things I'm bored and not happy.
That drives me.
Everyone is wired differently, and you have to be self-aware of what drives you.
6. 1% Better
I have to end with this.
It's our famous motto at Spurling, it's the title of my new book coming out (oops, did I just leak that?), and it's how I live my life.
It drives me to just get a little better every day.
I know that I can wake up today and try to be a better father, a better husband, and a better leader than I was yesterday.
That by itself is all the drive I need, just the drive to be better than yesterday.
So, it's all tied together...
Have a clear vision, a clear picture of what success looks like.
Always remember that you have a deadline, we all have a short time left, and I'm driven to make that a great time.
Only good days and great days :)
Take extreme ownership of everything that comes to you.
Don't compare yourself to others.
Learn how you're wired.
What drives you?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling