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

by Jeff Haden

Overview

From Inc.com's most popular columnist, a counterintuitive—but highly practical—guide to finding and maintaining the motivation to achieve great things.
 
It's comforting to imagine that superstars in their fields were just born better equipped than the rest of us. When a co-worker loses 20 pounds, or a friend runs a marathon while completing a huge project at work, we assume they have more grit, more willpower, more innate talent, and above all, more motivation to see their goals through.
 
But that's not at actually true, as popular Inc.com columnist Jeff Haden proves. "Motivation" as we know it is a myth. Motivation isn't the special sauce that we require at the beginning of any major change. In fact, motivation is a result of process, not a cause. Understanding this will change the way you approach any obstacle or big goal.
 
Haden shows us how to reframe our thinking about the relationship of motivation to success. He meets us at our level—at the beginning of any big goal we have for our lives, a little anxious and unsure about our way forward, a little burned by self help books and strategies that have failed us in the past—and offers practical advice that anyone can use to stop stalling and start working on those dreams.
 
Haden takes the mystery out of accomplishment, proving that success isn't about spiritual awakening or a lightning bolt of inspiration —as Tony Robbins and adherents of The Secret believe—but instead, about clear and repeatable processes. Using his own advice, Haden has consistently drawn 2 million readers a month to his posts, completed a 107-mile long mountain bike race, and lost 10 pounds in a month.
 
Success isn't for the uniquely-qualified; it's possible for any person who understands the true nature of motivation. Jeff Haden can help you transcend average and make lasting positive change in your life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780399563768
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/09/2018
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	370,839
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jeff Haden is Inc.com's most popular columnist and one of LinkedIn's most widely-followed Influencers. His work has also appeared on Time, The Huffington Post, Fast Company, Business Insider, Entrepreneur, Yahoo! Small Business, MSNBC, and CNBC.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
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Excerpted from "The Motivation Myth"
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Copyright © 2018 Jeff Haden.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction You Can Do-and Be-So Much More Than You Think 1

Chapter 1 Motivation Is Not the Spark 11

Chapter 2 The Greater Your Focus, the Lower Your Chances of Success 39

Chapter 3 Your Goal Must Always Choose Your Process 65

Chapter 4 Happiness Comes to Serial Achievers 97

Chapter 4.5 Wishing and Hoping Is the Most Unrealistic Approach of All 127

Chapter 5 To Gain Incredible Willpower … Need Less Willpower 131

Chapter 5.5 One Question Provides Nearly Every Answer 171

Chapter 6 Why Work Smarter When You Can Work Your Number? 175

Chapter 7 You Don't Need a Coach; You Need a Pro 211

Chapter 8 Do More by Doing Less 235

Chapter 9 The Bottom Line 261

Index 265

Editorial Reviews

Advance praise for The Motivation Myth…
 
“This isn’t just a groundbreaking approach to making millions or melting off extra pounds. It’s a life-changing mental shift toward enjoying the process. Why the f*ck not?”
—Sarah Knight, author of Get Your Sh*t Together
 
“Jeff Haden knows what many people don’t: that success is less about searching for motivation and more about muddling through until you achieve something motivating.”
—Adam Grant, author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg
 
“Sometimes, your computer gets stuck, and the pros know you can press Command+Option+ESC to break out of the loop.  Jeff Haden's book is like that, but for your life. Read it and learn how to break out of your negative loops without needing a complete shut-down.”
—Dharmesh Shah, Co-founder and CTO of HubSpot
 
“A must read for all entrepreneurs, company executives, managers, parents, coaches, and wellbeing hackers.”
—Dr. Dan Reardon, co-founder and CEO of FitnessGenes
 
"Jeff Haden is one of the biggest writers working online today not because he's a genius but because he follows the advice in this book. It's not about motivation, it's about process—and hard work."
—Ryan Holiday, author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego is the Enemy
 
" Jeff Haden takes everything we've been taught about goal-setting and turns it on its head, redefining success in the process."
—Cara Alwill Leyba, author of Girl Code and master life coach
 
"Jeff Haden upends a traditional trope: that motivation breeds success—by showing us that it is success that breeds motivation. Once you understand this, everything changes."
—L. David Marquet, former Navy captain and author of Turn the Ship Around!
 
"Jeff Haden’s writing lives at the intersection of science, emotion, success, and irresistible story-telling. Once you read The Motivation Myth, you’ll never sit around waiting for inspiration or motivation to hit, like some kind of gift from the gods. Instead, you’ll go out to get it."
—Eric Schurenberg, President and Editor-in-Chief of Inc. 

“The whole book is shockingly good. Jeff contradicts common wisdom about how to tackle big goals. He argues that if you wait for motivation to motivate you, nothing will change in your career or life. Go grab yourself a copy of this superb book.”
—Bruce Kasanoff, writer

From the Publisher