The Sticky Note System Part 2: The Fuel List

I remember when I filled the gas tank with my parents' car for the first time. It was shocking. I mean, people had already told me that it was going to be expensive. But actually seeing the price per gallon add up and then realizing that this was a routine payment was quite the experience. People are willing to pay a lot of money for fuel. Why? Well, it gets them places. This story begs the question, how often do you think about the ways that you fill your fuel tank of motivation? For most people, the answer is not often, or even never. Here's a way you can change that. It's the second part of my beloved Sticky Note System: The Fuel List

The Fuel List is something that a good friend of mine introduced me to. It's really simple. You keep a list of names on a sticky note. These names belong to hard-working peers who either compete with you on the daily or are going into the same career path as you. Those two criteria are incredibly important. I have many peers who work incredibly hard but are not on my fuel list. This is because our career paths do not conflict whatsoever. The individuals on my fuel list are those who I compete with in debate and those who have a career path similar to mine.

Here's how you use the fuel list. Whenever you are feeling unmotivated (it happens to all of us), look at that list and confidently say something along the lines of, "I know (insert name) is working hard right now. That person is my competition. Because of this, I too will work hard." I have found this to be incredibly helpful.

Note: you can be friends with the people on your fuel list. One of my best friends is also one of the biggest threats to my career among my peers. That's totally okay.

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