Rise and grind. What to do when emotion ends and reality remains.

We've all had those days. The ones when the emotional tank is on empty and the motivation to keep turning the crank of responsibility seems to wane.  Similar to those Hollywood scenes where the spirited rebel gets in their car and drives down the highway to escape the mundane, only to hit reality when the fuel runs out in the middle of the desert with no gas station in sight. Suddenly, the romance runs dry and the dream seems less inspiring since the distance to destination didn't match up with what you originally calculated. For any new venture, or an old one for that matter, a person will surely hit this wall. Whether it be a business person or a romantic relationship, the wall moment isn't a signal of failure, but rather an opportunity for growth. It's in these times when we feel that we've gone too far to go back, but question our ability to get to the other side that our capacity can increase if only we will chew on the fundamentals of work.
While emotions can be our most primal of motivation, they like other human functions, must mature otherwise we become an emotional wreck.  I used to think it was a badge of honor to say that "I wear my heart on my sleeve," however now that I've matured (just a little bit), I come to realize that it was that darn open heart that was working against me all along when the rise and grind of reality hit.

Achievement takes time and fundamentals. A study about achievement, motivation, and emotion found that expectation and affect, will effect our motivation since emotions play a major role in achievement. If we achieve what we expected to achieve or beyond, our motivation stays high because the emotional re-charge has been refilled in a timely manner.  If we do not experience achievement according to the terms or timing that we anticipated, then emotional tank gets drained from the positive and can be left with negative feelings that lead us to dysfunction. Yet, if you ever read biographies of great success stories, the person featured usually experienced the alone moments when motivation slipped out the back door. All that remained was the company of reality. Usually, what happens next is the person gets up and begins to move forward from an indwelling commitment to constructive fundamental actions.

Today, you may be feeling like you need an emotional charge to get through the valley, and you may or may not have someone around you to speak encouragement into your life. Whether you do or you don't, the key is to remember the reasons that originally acted as the spring board for you to move forward in the first place. You may have missed your target, but at least you now have a trajectory to learn from as you prepare for your next shot. As John C. Maxwell puts it, "Fail forward." Think about where you would like to be in year, because that year will come and go whether you like it or not. Get up today, and either start moving for the first time, or begin again for the second, third, or even seventh time. Win today by applying yourself to the fundamentals of life, love, and your work.  I believe everyone hits the wall. You are not alone. We reserve the title of "great" for those who just so happened to keep moving when the band stopped playing.

Win Today!

Victor