When you have discomfort, you are a bit hungry, you're yearning for more, you are uncomfortable with your present success level.
You're not happy with the way things are. You may feel depressed and fatalistic and tell yourself things like, "I just can't make it in Network Marketing. It's the product I'm selling. It's this stupid company. If only my upline would help me more."
You want to make more money to make your goals a reality. The Discomfort is the anxiety and frustration of trying to achieve these goals. You are uncomfortable, because you don't have what you want. The Push of Discomfort urges you to act, to do something about your situation. It's the "stick" that whips us out of lethargy and into activity.
The Pull of Hope
The Pull of Hope is when you know what you want can be accomplished. You want to lose five pounds and you know someone who has lost five pounds, or someone who has a great relationship, or who always makes their sales goals, or who received a high commission check.
You know that it's possible to have what you want. That belief gives you hope.
When Oprah Winfrey lost 70 pounds, she put 70 pounds of lard into a little red wagon and rolled it on-stage during her television program. She did it to show the audience what 70 pounds of fat looks like and to show what she had done. Every overweight person in America could look at Oprah and have hope. If she could do it, so could they.
Steve and his wife are a super sales team in a Direct Selling cosmetics company. He sets high goals for his downline and inspires them through positive beliefs and hope to make it happen. His ability to touch people's hearts and lives gives them permission to make their goals a reality.
But here's the catch. . .
You CAN Have Too Much Hope
Too Much Hope = DeMotivation
When you have too much hope and too little discomfort, your work is too easy and predictable. You sell, but not very much. Every day is just another day. People who have too much hope will say, "Oh well, it's no big deal, it's just a job like any other job." They won't sound depressed, just sort of flat, not excited. You are comfortable and life is okay. You really want to be successful, but you're not motivated to make it happen. Hope does not replace action.
This can be one of the most frustrating things in Network Marketing--the distributor who is just there, okay but not great. Or the one who was great, but has settled into average. When people meet their initial goals and continue to do so easily without setting new goals, they get bored and stale, they reach a plateau. They'll say things like, "It's not fun anymore. I can do it, but do I want to?" "It's too predictable, the same old routine day in and day out."
Too Much Discomfort
We all know this feeling. It's when you have had it with your business or personal life. We feel it's just not worth it anymore. Our negative self talk goes like this, "It's too hard, too many demands, I can't make it. I can't face a day of rejection again."
Our discomfort is too high, it overwhelms all our positive motivation. We feel hope-less, grumpy and victimized. We are having a very bad hair day! What we need at this point is more hope.
Motivation = Getting The Balance You Need
If you were in balance, the Push of Discomfort and the Pull of Hope would work like this:
You're not making enough money, in fact, you want to make $2,000 more every month. You know that Sue, who is a newer consultant than you are, makes the amount you want to make so you know that it's possible.
You have Discomfort (you don't have what you want) and you have Hope (you know it's possible, that you can do it). Now you're motivated.
The way to get Discomfort and Hope in balance is simple--whichever one you lack--that's what you need.
If you have too much Discomfort, you need to go out and get yourself some Hope. If you have too much Hope, you need to get out of your comfort zone and get shaken up, stimulated and excited by some healthy Discomfort.
Mostly, this requires reaching out to others to help you supply what you need. If you are not reaching the sales volume you want or need to be, go to some of the best people you know in the business, take them to lunch and ask them how they do it. Once you know someone else who has what you want and will encourage you, you'll have the hope you lack.
If you are more or less bored and feel you are just coasting, talk to a coach, counselor or someone you trust about the kinds of things you want in your career and how to get new challenges into your life so that you will feel excited again about your work. Goose yourself to greatness!
Meanwhile, it's important to remember that life is front and back pulsation: day, night, hot, cold, off, on. . . . No one is always motivated. You'll have times when you're bored with your work, and other times when you're depressed or discouraged. It's when you go for weeks at a time with too much Discomfort or too much Hope that you need to assess where you are in your business and in your life. Then you need to take stock and make the necessary changes to get motivated again.
The Motivation Test
Take a minute now to think about your sales volume and your life. On this scale from 1 (Discomfort) to 10 (Hope), chart where you are professionally and personally.
Professional
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
Total Motivated Total
Discomfort Hope
Personal
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
Total Motivated Total
Discomfort Hope
Naturally, a motivated life would be a number five in both areas. If one area is out of balance, that's the one that's probably holding you back. Chart your place on the scale, and if you are too far in one direction or the other, reach out to get yourself more of what you need to keep your work and your life as exciting and rewarding as you deserve!
Keep the balance between Discomfort and Hope and you'll be a master of self-motivation.
Pat Pearson
