All of us have seen people who are under-motivated, but can someone be over-motivated?
All throughout the latter chapters of Psycho-Cybernetics, Dr. Maltz refers to the dangers, not only of being overly-inhibited in word and deed, but also the pitfalls of being overly-hyped.
Yes, enthusiasm, motivation, inspiration and desire are essential qualities on a successful journey, but too much of any single quality can become a weakness. You can be so motivated to accomplish a goal that you push yourself out of contention. You have trouble relaxing and being natural because you want it sooooo bad.
There’s a fine line between having sufficient enthusiasm to accomplish an objective, and so much that you over-shoot the target.
Here are a few visuals of over-motivation:
1. Picture someone throwing wild haymakers in a fight instead of using short, quick and powerful jabs, hooks and uppercuts. As the fighter rears back with his best John Wayne impression, he gets popped several times.
2. A pitcher in softball or baseball is so determined to throw strikes that he or she cannot find the plate. Even worse, the ball sails over the catcher’s head, all the way to the backstop.
3. In a job interview, the applicant wants to be hired so badly that there is zero calmness under pressure. All the wrong answers are given for simple questions that you could easily handle if you were relaxed and at ease.
Back in my early years of business, the same client, Jack, who recommended Psycho-Cybernetics to me, told me he thought I was over-motivated. Even though I had read the book a couple times by then, I had no recall of the term “over-motivation.” The same is true of almost everyone I meet today and begin coaching.
Where is the fine line that separates having enough motivation and having too much?
That’s something you’ll discover over time, as you zig-zag your way through life. When you succeed, chances are you weren’t over-motivated. When you fail, you may have been lacking in desire. Then again, you might have had too much.
Keep in mind that a burning candle remains lit without you checking on it 24 hours a day. And so it is with a burning desire.
Check in once or twice per day to make sure your inner candle flame is still going. If it is still going, leave it alone.
Most candles don’t last a month. Most need to be replaced within a day. And so it is with your body, mind and soul. They need to be reignited on a daily basis.
When a candle is finished burning, start a new one. This is the same as practicing Theatre of the Mind. You learn to navigate, listen and feel when the light is going out, when the candle needs to be replaced. When it does, get it going. But don’t sit and watch the rest of the day to make sure it stays lit. Once the flame is going, trust the process and move through your day with the Zero Resistance Living mindset.
See it. Feel it. Be it.
Matt Furey
P.S. Interested in being coached by me? Then go here
