Master Your Motivation

10Beware Fatal Distractions

You are constantly facing distractions from your human potential. Outdated practices in schools, communities, and workplaces—even well-intentioned but ill-advised parenting techniques you experience growing up—can erode your ability to create choice, connection, and competence. But you can avoid many of the most treacherous challenges to your optimal motivation if you are aware of what they are. I call them fatal distractions.

Fatal distractions entice you, lure you in, and cast you into suboptimal motivation day in and day out. If you gravitate toward incentives, bonuses, prizes, rankings, competition, and recognition to feed your motivation, you have surrendered to the distraction of external motivation. If you feel ...