Even before my time in the Air Force, I had a saying, Discipline Beats Motivation. And it’s true. One says “I need to be motivated to (make my calls, go the gym, whatever.)” Motivation needs an outside influence. Motivation is when something comes along and makes you want to do the thing. Discipline gets up, brushes its teeth, and goes to work, even when it doesn’t want to.

It turns out, my personal relationship with motivation stemmed from dopamine levels. Being neurodivergent and an entrepreneur is nothing new or shocking. Fortunately for me, it meant I learned a core for success early in life, because without it I will do shockingly little. Regardless of how crazy your brain is, my crazy brain can help you out when it comes to discipline.

Actually, let’s talk brains. Everyone has a part of the brain called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex. (Don’t worry, this isn’t on the test 😉) It’s activated when you do something you don’t want to do. And when you do that thing, it enlarges. Like a muscle meeting resistance… And just like that muscle, it becomes more capable over time. Soon you can lift heavy objects with your mind – or more accurately, you can push yourself to do the things you need to do. The hard work thing. The scary thing. The discipline thing. Here’s where that matters in recruiting, regardless of your brain chemistry:

Consistency: Business success often requires consistent effort, even when motivation wanes. I would argue anything that requires consistent effort cannot be done through motivation. Habit, maybe. Yet I still hear things like, “I wasn’t motivated to make calls on Monday,” from people we coach. Well, me neither. On Monday, I wanted to sit by the waterside being fed grapes and fanned with large palm fronds. Don’t rely on motivation for the daily stuff. You can wait to clean the garage until you feel motivated.  

Long-term vision: Entrepreneurs must work towards distant goals, which isn’t always immediately rewarding. Recruiting can feel like the opposite of that. We try to quickly fill immediate needs for a big payday. I’d argue your goal is not to actually fill jobs. You didn’t become a recruiter because of the amount of unfilled vacancies and undying civic pride. Motivation is a cheerleader, which is nice. But what are you really working for? Fixate on that. As a young adult, I lost over 100 pounds. I knew what I wanted (dates), and that vision drove the behavior.

Unpredictable challenges and stress: Both are shown to sap motivation. Both are shown to increase the chance of making a poor decision. Recruiting isn’t exactly relaxing. Pick your favorite stress and we have it: financial instability, talking to strangers, public speaking, snakes (metaphoric, but still.)

All of that is controlled by… the anterior mid-cingulate cortex. Sorry, I guess it was on the test. Strengthening the part of your brain which controls your ability to regulate your decisions, thinking, and emotions is as simple as doing the thing you don’t want to do. Consistently. Every time you don’t want to do it. Even if it never becomes “habit.”

You must build the discipline muscle since you can’t always count on external motivation. Want to be able to skip dessert easily? Build the muscle. Make your calls especially when you don’t want to. Need to be able to calmly tell a potential client you don’t work for that little? Do the dishes.

You don’t need motivation. You need discipline.