As a young CEO many years ago, I was given the opportunity to build and lead a new medical center from the ground up. In the beginning the medical center was without funding, property, buildings, medical staff, or patients. Obviously, it was a huge undertaking, and a significant responsibility for a young leader.
In that exciting but challenging situation, I could have easily slipped into survival mode. My drive to succeed could have been based on a desire to prove myself, or based on anxiety and a fear of failing. And at times, those motivating factors likely did play a part in my experience. But above all else, my drive to succeed was based on something I learned from observing one of my early mentors, Max Coppom: always strive for excellence.
When achievement and productivity are driven by excellence instead of anxiety, the experience is exciting and enjoyable instead of intimidating and draining. Michael Hyatt puts it like this:
“It’s like trying to beat a “personal best” on the race track. Instead of running from the wolf, we’re running toward a goal. Anticipation, not anxiety, pushes us forward. To view productivity this way involves a conscious change of thinking—one from scarcity to abundance, from fear to hope. But it’s worth it.”
Thanks to my internal drive and determination to achieve excellence, I successfully built that medical center into a thriving organization, and led it for fifteen very fulfilling years. Without a doubt, I would have never been able to achieve what I did if my motivation had been based on anxiety.
So how can you tell if your drive to succeed is motivated by anxiety—“running from the wolf”—or by excellence—“running toward a goal?” Hyatt offers five penetrating questions for self-evaluation:
- “Do I feel proactive or reactive in this situation?”
- “Do I feel that my self-worth is tied up in the outcome?”
- “Do I dread the outcome, even if I win?”
- “Do I feel like victory will be short-lived?”
- “Do I feel energized or drained?”
Take the time to ask yourself these questions. Think carefully about your answers, and then reflect on what your responses to each question reveal about what’s really driving you.
To achieve true success—and enjoy doing it—your motivation should be excellence, not anxiety. What drives you?
