I am an avid believer in the power of focus. As I’ve listened to speakers from Jim Rohn and Brené Brown to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Glennon Doyle, and Tony Robbins (just to name a few), two—there are many, but we’ll focus on two today—through lines have stood out most. Those throughlines are motivation and vision.

The two great throughlines.

Jim Rohn talks about how goals magnetize; Brené Brown speaks on how each of her achievements happened on the other side of fear. Arnold Schwarzenegger held a powerful daily vision for each new phase of his life’s accomplishments (from bodybuilding as a young boy in rural Austria to becoming Mr. Universe). Glennon held the vision of her untamed self to guide her through healing. Tony Robbins changed his entire world by committing to attending a Jim Rohn seminar because he was so captivated by the motivation to change his life.

Vision is the North Star of our lives. It can be personal, professional, spiritual, or some combination of all three. It can evolve. Vision is the grand idea of a life you want and a world you’re creating. Your vision must transcend the material—it’s not the car you want to drive or the money you want to make—because it’s not big enough if it doesn't.

Motivation drives you toward vision, guiding you to take the next right step and do the next challenging thing.

Vision asks, “What are you ready to create?”

Pull motivation asks, “What are you willing to do to create it?”

Push versus Pull Motivation

I attended Tony Robbins’ annual Time To Rise Summit this year and heard his live Q&A with a fellow attendee. The man was an entrepreneur who’d created success through push motivation. But through his personal journey of self-discovery, the man recognized that most of his success was fueled by guilt and shame. These two push motivators had kept him striving not out of joy but out of anxiety and a deep-seated need to “measure up.” He’d done the inspiring and courageous work of healing his shame and guilt, but it left him wondering, “What now?” His motivation was gone, and his desire to create had dwindled.

Tony responded with the two types of motivation we all experience but that I had NEVER heard of before.

Push motivation and Pull motivation.

Push motivators are the feelings and beliefs that push you toward your goals. They are rooted in fear, anger, shame, guilt, and martyrdom, to name a few. It is motivation based on lack and scarcity.

Some examples:

• You’re pushed to write 100s of cold emails because you’re afraid your business will fail if you don’t.
• You’re pushed to show up endlessly on social media because you feel anxiety about keeping up with the online world.
• You’re pushed to say yes to a project at a lower price point because you feel unworthy of waiting for one that pays you what you’re worth.

(Sound familiar?)

There is nothing inherently wrong with push motivation. It gets us to change and try new things. But these things driving us with no clear direction—head down and nose to the grindstone—have an expiration date. Being driven by something behind you is called being chased. Being chased is called fight or flight. Our bodies and minds are not designed to be in fight or flight 24/7.

When they are, it is called burnout.

Finding Your Pull Motivation

So, what is pull motivation? Pull motivators are the things that light you up so powerfully that you can’t help but go for them. Being pulled is being inspired, connected, engaged, and attuned. It doesn’t mean things don’t get difficult or uncomfortable; they are the correct kinds of difficult.

Push motivation says, “You must.”

Pull motivation says, “You’re ready to.”

Creating your pull motivation starts with defining a vision. It begins with taking the time to slow down, sit back, and assess what all of this is for.

Who you are in relation to your vision is called purpose.

How you’ll bring your vision to life is called mission.

Simple as that.

When you’ve got a crystal-clear vision, the pull motivation springs forth. You discover who you need to become not because you are lacking but because you are prepared to grow. And then you follow your mission(s) to close the gap.

The 'gap' is the distance between who you are now and who you’re ready to become.

Vision asks, “What are you ready to create?”

Pull motivation asks, “What are you willing to do to create it?”

Who are you ready to become? What two things can you do this week to start closing the gap? Hint: they aren’t cold calling, social media, or redoing your website for the 17th time.

Here are mine:

1. Writing a long-form article like this instead of pushing myself to post the latest trendy topic.
2. Heading to a storytelling event tomorrow.

Whether you make it happen through sheer willpower and brute force — or creativity and passion — is up to you. If you’re ready for the latter, though, email me at sayhi@beachbumcreativehi.com with two things you’ll do today that are guided by pull motivation instead of pull motivation.

We can also schedule a 60-minute, no-obligation consultation to find out. Either way, I’m celebrating who you're ready to become.