“Desire separated from depth of meaning is just another form of addiction.” ~ Jackie Woodside

“Similar circumstances do not produce similar people.” ~ Jackie Woodside

“Enthusiasm makes life rich and exciting.” ~ Jackie Woodside

“Consider that your attachements are a distraction from your soul’s purpose.” ~ Jackie Woodside

What Drives You?

As I continued to ponder this notion, I wondered what is it that has some people show up as wildly more successful, to push toward producing the results they desire and to stay the course despite setbacks and failures. The fundamental difference is what drives you.

I found an interesting study by Lawrence James from the University of Tennessee that indicates that what drives some toward achievement and others toward stagnation is what he calls “justification mechanisms.” What this means is that everyone wants to believe that their actions are reasonable and well justified, and therefore we spend a good deal of mental energy justifying (often just to ourselves) the rationale behind our actions, decisions and choices. Unfortunately, this mental process is often below the level of conscious awareness until you being to pay particular attention to it.

Go for It and Figure it Out Along the Way

The differentiating factor between those who excel and those who stagnate is that those who succeed over and over again are driven by their desire to produce a particular outcome and to experience the subsequent emotions that follow. People who tend toward stagnation (i.e. “lack of motivation”) are driven by avoiding failure and the emotional “security” that avoiding failure provides. In other words, people who have developed a way of being that says “go for it and figure it out along the way” tend to have that way of being across the board. And those who are more inclined to say “I’d better wait to be sure it is the right time, I have the right skills or that I’m sure I’ll make it work” also tend to bring that reticence to many areas of life. As T. Harv Eker has said in his Secrets of the Millionaire’s Mind book and workshops, “How you do anything is how you do everything!”

As a coach, I train people is to learn how to establish their “ground of being” which means to determine ahead of time how one will interact with a given circumstance. For example, someone starting a new business may take on the ground of being of “unstoppable” in finding solutions and producing outcomes in their new venture. This skill of establishing one’s way of being begins with awareness, and then continued practice with support and accountability. And just like any skill, it can be developed with attention and training. Developing a ground of being that moves you toward creating what you want, rather than avoiding that which you don’t want is one of the most fundamental determinants of your future and ongoing success! So determine who you will be in the face of your next challenge or goal – determine it ahead of time, then consciously live into that way of being, and watch your success level begin to soar!