June 11, 2025

🕹️The lie about willpower and discipline: 8 core drivers from applied gamification to get yourself write books, eat healthy, and overdeliver at work.

18 minutes

Willpower is a lie that's been sold to us for generations.

The truth?

Even Elon Musk doesn't wake up every morning relying on "discipline" to build rockets and trillion-dollar companies. Something far more powerful is at work.

Gamification expert Yu-kai Cho has identified 8 core drivers that move humans to action. This stuff make us want to do hard things consistently without the struggle of forcing ourselves through sheer willpower. When Yukai needed to write his book despite a packed schedule, he didn't set calendar reminders or try to "be more disciplined." Instead, he used used 8 core drivers to make doing irresistible.

The research is clear: willpower depletes quickly.

Even simple choices between cookies and carrots drain our mental resources. But by designing your environment, schedules, and processes to activate your unique motivational drivers, you transform difficult tasks from obligations into engaging challenges you actually want to pursue. This isn't just theory, it's the hidden mechanism behind every significant achievement and consistent behavior change.

Tune in - let's learn to push our buttons to win the game of life 🕹️

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Brought to you by Angela Shurina

Behavior-First Change Leadership & Culture Transformation Consultant
EXECUTIVE & OPTIMAL PERFORMANCE COACH

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