Feeling Burnt out? Here's why

This is a 4 minute read ~

We’re all floating around this earth trying to feel good about ourselves.

It reflects in our actions, conversations, the way we dress and even the way we speak.

We’re trying to find something that makes us feel good and makes us rich at the same time.

We start a business, get a better job, exercise, eat well or at least try to do all of these things to the best of our ability

And then doubt creeps in, we wake up feeling weird or it’s just rainy and we feel “not motivated”

Alright, buckle up! Let’s dive in to what motivation really means

Broadly,, there are two types of motivation

The first is extrinsic- Extrinsic motivation represents all the things that motivate you based on external rewards like money or praise. These types of motivation are more common than intrinsic motivators because they include achieving things due to a tangible incentive, fear, or expectations, all of which depend on factors outside of you. For example, people want to start and grow a business because they want the benefits like money and freedom of time.

But does the old carrot and stick method of motivating people with money or fear still work? You may think that it does and it truly does to an extent but in a world that is now driven my creativity and knowledge we humans seek more than just money, we are slowly moving away from a survival mindset that dominated the North American and the EU continent ( For the most part , prayers towards the citizens who are having to deal with war in this day and age ) .

We want to direct our own lives, we want to work toward something meaningful. We want the autonomy and the freedom.

We no longer are worried about shelter and food so we want to work towards a goal that is larger than just us. Service is the name of the game because less war means that people naturally fall into their true self which is Community and Love.

Let me give you an example, a study by psychologists Harry Harlow and Edward Deci, which is foundational in understanding intrinsic motivation.

The study involved a group of students who were given a puzzle called the Soma cube to solve. The puzzle is moderately challenging, engaging the problem-solving skills of participants.

Participants were divided into two groups:

Control Group: This group was simply asked to solve the puzzle.

Experimental Group: This group was paid for solving the puzzle.

Key Findings:

Initially, both groups were equally motivated, enjoying the task of solving the puzzle. However, the study found that the group that was paid to solve the puzzle experienced a significant decrease in intrinsic interest in the activity once the experiment (and payment) ended. This was measured during a later "free play" period where participants could choose any activity to engage in without any rewards. Those who were previously paid for the puzzle were less likely to return to it compared to those in the control group who were never paid.

The results suggest that external rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation, a phenomenon known as the "overjustification effect." When a task that is inherently interesting is associated with extrinsic rewards, the motivation to engage in the task tends to decrease once the rewards are removed. This finding is crucial as it contradicts the traditional view that adding rewards always positively influences motivation.

My big takeaway: If you do anything just for the money, as soon as the money takes a dip, you’re going to hate what you’re doing and bail immediately.

You may have been building a business for years but only motivated by money and as soon as things got tough or the market changed, you want to get out. And that’s when we feel like we’ve been building a house of cards.

I’m sure you now understand how extrinsic motivation works, now lets talk about intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation represents all the things that motivate you based on internal rewards like self-improvement or helping a friend in need. For example, you may be motivated to start a business because you'll learn valuable skills. Conversely, you might be motivated to succeed because you want to positively affect the lives of the people around you.

Basically, whenever you feel good internally without receiving anything external from anyone is Intrinsic.

Let’s dissect this. Research indicates that intrinsically motivated individuals often perform better than their extrinsically motivated counterparts, particularly in complex or creative tasks. When the motivation comes from within, there is a greater persistence at tasks, even in the face of difficulties. This persistent engagement typically leads to higher quality outcomes and greater personal and professional growth. You see, it’s personal and not business.

Extrinsic motivation is like if a King Hired Mercenaries to fight in a war instead of having it’s own citizens fight for its motherland. Why? Because PAID mercenaries will flee the scene as soon as there are signs of weakness.

Aka money-motivated tasks will have you flee as soon as the “thing” working like it’s supposed to anymore.

This is a reason why people end up building massive mom and pop “businesses” instead of a proper buttoned up business where you can be a business owner and not necessarily an operator.

So when you see someone else doing better than you at something where there shouldn’t be a reason for it, you now know that their intrinsic motivation to succeed at the job at hand is much much higher than yours.

“Okay Sumant I get it!! But how I do change my motivation from extrinsic to intrinsic?”
This question might be popping up in your head.

You see, you DON’T have to always follow your passion to get rich.

But you do have to fall in love with the process of whatever it is you’re doing.

I coach my clients on this exact thing, you could be running a business making plastic bags for dog treats but if you can love the “thing” your intrinsic motivation is automatically going to rise.

Let me explain how, see “Love” is a choice first and feeling second.

I first choose to love my family, my girlfriend, my dogs, my friends and my clients in no particular order btw. Again, I CHOOSE first and the feeling follows after.

If your WHY is big enough, you will absolutely find your way to love the process of whatever it is that you do because it allows you your Freedom and your abundant lifestyle, but that is the RESULT of loving the process first.

Are we tracking?

If your WHY is weak, you’ll be looking for shortcuts and the easy route. So make the CHOICE to love your “thing” first and if you can’t love it, then you know deep down why you can’t and you also know deep down what it is that you are in love with and how to monetize it.

I firmly believe you can love any process if you choose to.

Just be real with yourself, please!

No one becomes an industry leader because they only love the money, they have to love the process. You have to Love the Game baby!

So anytime you feel like you're getting to the point of Burn out, do a self check, see if you still love the process or are chasing arbitrary numbers or keeping up with the Jones' (yes even as business owners)

Announcements:

Season 2 of my Podcast "Yours Trruly" is here and I am beyond excited for what it brings to you. The entire theme is Self development and business development.

Here is a link to the First Episode of Season 2 where my Client Evan and I go over how he went from No deals in Real Estate to consistently doing over 10 deals per month all of which without spending any marketing dollars. I started coaching Evan in September of 2023

Listen to the Episode here

Next, our 90 Day Peak Performance Mastery has been full yet again for the month of May. If you want to join for June, simply respond to this email.

As always, love yourself, you are enough and you are worthy!

Love

Sumant