This makes a good basketball quote but a great Navy SEAL and leadership quote. You can't reach targets unless you have commitment, discipline, and goals.
I can't force players to practice hard, to communicate, to use 'better' technique. They have to want to improve, to follow, to do more to become more. But we can lead positively and urgently.
Today, a colleague told me she can't work out because she has knee pain. My response was that you can't do the SAME workout with knee pain. She can swim and do circuit training or free weight exercises that don't stress those joints. While you recover "don't let the things you cannot do interfere with what you can do." I gave her a small piece of tape with the words, "I can do that" written on the tape.
Our personal and team ability to execute begin with the choices we make. And our choices start with our attitude. We make some progress with external motivation, but our greatest advances happen with internal motivation.
The P2P Foundation describes four kinds of motivation.
There's nothing wrong with extrinsic motivation, but leaders attract us because of their energy and communication stimulating us to either make a better world or a better self.
When we become dissatisfied with our results, have we adequately analyzed why the results occurred. If we didn't lose weight, had we shunned exercise, proper diet, or the combination? If our results at work or an avocation suffered, had we studied enough, prepared enough, and done what was necessary to succeed or just 'get by'?
Do we approach the day with a 'have to' or a 'get to' attitude? It's hard for anybody to 'get up and get in' every day. But the alternative of 'give up' and 'get out' guarantees failure.
