Jeff Haden

Probably the biggest gap or the biggest hurdle that people have to cross when you want to start something new is you are starting at a place of no experience, no expertise. You're kind of at the zero spot in most cases. And so if you look ahead to where you want to go, that bridge that you have to cross is incredibly daunting because it's like, okay, I'm just this.

How am I going to get all the way over there? And so if you're constantly focused on that end place, then even little successes that you make early on, which you tend to do because you're new, so you learn quickly and you gain some skill fairly fast, they're meaningless to you because compared to what you think you want to be someday, well, it's nothing. And so...

The biggest thing for me is, you know, because I struggled with the first few things I wrote, but then I thought, and I would think to myself, how am I ever going to be able to do this? Because it takes me way too long. I'm creating decent things, but gosh, it takes forever, and there's no way for me to make this work. And then I thought, well...

Okay, but I can't sit down and think, okay, I'm going to be Malcolm Gladwell tomorrow or something like that. But what I can do is just work really hard on whatever is in front of me. And so I switched over and just said, my goal every time I do something is, all right, I have this to do. I need to do it as well as I can. I need to finish it.

Probably the biggest gap or the biggest hurdle that people have to cross when you want to start something new is you are starting at a place of no experience, no expertise. You're kind of at the zero spot in most cases. And so if you look ahead to where you want to go, that bridge that you have to cross is incredibly daunting because it's like, okay, I'm just this.

I need to get good feedback from it, which means I did a good job. Because whether I thought I did a good job didn't really matter. It's what the client thought. And that's all I can do right now. But that's enough. And so if I stack enough of those experiences up, then the experience kind of comes.

And so by keeping a short time horizon in terms of my inner feedback loop, then if I worked on a project one night and it was a short one and I got it done, That felt really good because I set out to do what I wanted to do. I completed a task. It went well. That was enough to get me to the next one. And so I just fell into this place of all I need is enough motivation to get to the next one.

How am I going to get all the way over there? And so if you're constantly focused on that end place, then even little successes that you make early on, which you tend to do because you're new, so you learn quickly and you gain some skill fairly fast, they're meaningless to you because compared to what you think you want to be someday, well, it's nothing. And so...

The biggest thing for me is, you know, because I struggled with the first few things I wrote, but then I thought, and I would think to myself, how am I ever going to be able to do this? Because it takes me way too long. I'm creating decent things, but gosh, it takes forever, and there's no way for me to make this work. And then I thought, well...

And if I get to the next one and I get to the next one, then suddenly you can look back and go, wow, I'm starting to come a long way because I'm. You know, you pop your head up every once in a while and sort of look at where you are and go, wow, that is really cool. And then you need to put your head right back down again and just focused on next and next and next. And so...

Okay, but I can't sit down and think, okay, I'm going to be Malcolm Gladwell tomorrow or something like that. But what I can do is just work really hard on whatever is in front of me. And so I switched over and just said, my goal every time I do something is, all right, I have this to do. I need to do it as well as I can. I need to finish it.

And then the other part of it is that I'm not particularly smart. I have a college degree, but I'm not particularly educated. I don't have anything. There's nothing. I'm decidedly average. Let's just say that. I would think that's true, but okay. Well, I don't have anything special going for me except for the fact that I realize that if I put in enough effort, there are a lot of things I can do.

I need to get good feedback from it, which means I did a good job. Because whether I thought I did a good job didn't really matter. It's what the client thought. And that's all I can do right now. But that's enough. And so if I stack enough of those experiences up, then the experience kind of comes.

And so I'm very much an effort kind of a person. And so... That actually works really well because I don't think you get motivation from like this. I'm sitting around one day and suddenly I have the lightning bolt that says I want to be a famous writer or whatever it is you want to be. That doesn't work. I don't think that kind of motivation. I don't know anybody that has that.

And so by keeping a short time horizon in terms of my inner feedback loop, then if I worked on a project one night and it was a short one and I got it done, That felt really good because I set out to do what I wanted to do. I completed a task. It went well. That was enough to get me to the next one. And so I just fell into this place of all I need is enough motivation to get to the next one.

All you really need is to say, I'm interested in writing. Let me get started in some fashion. And through effort, if you work hard at it, you improve because we always get better at things we work hard at. It is a natural thing. It's just like taxes. It's a law of the universe. And whenever you get a little better, that feels good.

And if I get to the next one and I get to the next one, then suddenly you can look back and go, wow, I'm starting to come a long way because I'm. You know, you pop your head up every once in a while and sort of look at where you are and go, wow, that is really cool. And then you need to put your head right back down again and just focused on next and next and next. And so.

And so effort equals a little bit of achievement, which feels good, which creates motivation for you to take a little more effort, which means you'll improve a little more, which feels good. And so there's this really cool virtuous cycle of effort, achievement, fulfillment, happiness, motivation that you can spend forever and ever and ever if you focus on doing it that way.

And then the other part of it is that I'm not particularly smart. I have a college degree, but I'm not particularly educated. I don't have anything. There's nothing. I'm decidedly average. Let's just say that. I don't think that's true, but okay. Well, I don't have anything special going for me except for the fact that I realize that if I put in enough effort, there are a lot of things I can do.

If all you care about is this big end result, it's demoralizing and defeating and you have to rely on willpower alone. And none of us have enough willpower to do that. But if you just get that cycle started, there it is. So to me, motivation doesn't come first. Effort comes first.

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