Ever notice how you get the most motivated when things are falling apart?
Like, you’re running out of money, or a big client just left, or you’re staring at your bank account and it’s not looking good.
Suddenly, you’re on fire.
You’re working late, you’re making calls, you’re doing whatever it takes.
But then, when things are good, when you’ve got some money in the bank, when you’re not desperate... the motivation fades.
You start to coast.
You wonder if you’re getting... complacent.
And maybe you even feel a little guilty about it.
This is an extremely common problem for entrepreneurs.
And as long as you let it be, you'll struggle to grow.
But most advice out there about how to solve this is completely false.
In this letter I'm going to show you what the real problem is, and show you how to solve it.
We’ve been taught that satisfaction is the enemy of ambition.
That if you’re not hungry, you’ll stop growing.
So we chase the next milestone. The next client. The next big win.
We tell ourselves, “Once I hit a million dollars, then I’ll be happy. Once I get 100,000 followers, then I’ll be satisfied.”
But here’s the problem.
That kind of motivation is built on fear.
It’s built on lack.
It’s the energy of “I have to do this or else.”
Or "I'll only be happy once I achieve this goal."
And you know what? It's extremely motivating.
It will cause people to put the pedal to the metal and drive 100mph down the fast lane.
But it’s exhausting. It burns you out.
And that needy energy is actually blocking your growth.
(Your clients can subconsciously sense it and it will actually repel them)
The truth is, you will NEVER find the satisfaction you're looking for at the end of the road with this approach.
You'll just keep moving the finish line.
So what if there was a way to feel completely satisfied with where you're at and ALSO still want to do more?
Turns out there is.
This idea that when you reach a goal or feel satisfied with your progress you'll lose all motivation to keep driving is called complacency.
But complacency is a lie.
Look at the definition:
Complacency (noun): A feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder.
The very definition of complacency asserts that feeling satisfaction will prevent you from trying harder.
It's basically saying: you can either feel satisfied OR want more. You can't have both.
And this is exactly what keeps people stuck in the motivation trap.
Why they operate from "needy" or "have to" energy.
But that’s not real life.
That’s not truth.
Just because you’re satisfied with where you are doesn’t mean you can’t want more.
Those two things are not mutually exclusive.
Fulfillment and ambition can live in the same room.
It's called gratitude.
And gratitude is one of the most powerful driving forces of motivation.
It feels different than the frantic "needy" energy of lack.
But when you learn how to operate from gratitude, that's when you will find success beyond what you ever thought possible.
Nike is one of the most valuable brands in the world.
And their whole brand is built on the notion of winning and success.
They recently posted this carousel on Instagram that absolutely nails this point.
A photo of Scottie Scheffler, pro golfer, with his son reaching for his club.
The caption says, “You’ve already won.”
But then the next slide says, “But another major never hurt.”
That’s it.
That’s the energy.
You can be satisfied and still want more.
You can be grateful for what you have and still build bigger.
You can internalize the fact that you’ve ALREADY won, and still drive for the next win.
So how do you switch from “needy” energy to “having” energy?
Well here’s 2 practical strategies:
Switching to “already won” energy starts with realizing you already have everything you want.
If you’re unhappy at all with your current situation, that’s a symptom that you’re “needing” something else to make you happy.
But what if you could just be happy now?
→ Instead of focusing so much on where you need to be, try focusing on how much you’ve already accomplished.
→ Instead of seeking approval and validation from other people or from business success, start working on approving of yourself.
→ Instead of expecting your next business win to finally make you happy, find that happiness within you now.
Make this a daily practice. Write in a journal 3–4 wins from the day. If you had a hard day, even better. Practicing reframing the hard things as wins.
By putting more of your attention toward the wins, you train your brain to see your life as a success.
And this will completely shift how you show up in the world.
But what about things that you want to achieve in the future that you haven’t yet?
This is where “future pacing” comes in.
Close your eyes and do this:
This is the method used by successful athletes and entrepreneurs to essentially guarantee success.
The way you achieve what you want is by acting as if you already have it.
Your energy will completely shift, you’ll stop chasing success, and success will start chasing you.
When you do these things, you change your fuel source.
Instead of running on fear and panic about getting behind, losing, or not being good enough…
You operate from gratitude and winning.
Gratitude is the most powerful, sustainable fuel there is.
It’s how you grow consistently without burning out.
It’s how you attract the right people, the right opportunities, the right results.
Because with the right fuel, you’ll go further and last longer than anyone else.
Just remember:
You’ve already won.
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