The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win

by Jeff Haden

Choices are a problem, because choices force you to decide what you want to do. What happens when you turn “I want to” into “I have to”? You make it to work on time. Punctuality is nonnegotiable. Getting to work on time is not a goal; it’s a task. So is making dinner; you have no choice. So is taking care of your kids; it’s nonnegotiable. Going to the gym, on the other hand, is a goal. We may want to work out . . . but we don’t have to work out. You don’t make it to the gym because you can negotiate, if only with yourself, and make other choices. That’s why the power of routine, something we’ll look at in detail later, is so important. When you create a routine, embrace that routine, and see the results of that routine, you stop negotiating with yourself. You see your routine as a task, in the best possible way: Your routine isn’t something you choose to do; it’s just what you do. And you stop making choices that don’t support your goals. Best of all, you stop having to look back and wonder why you didn’t follow through on your plans—and why you’re still stuck in the same place you’ve always been.