By ASLAN Training
June 27, 2025
6 min read
It’s the middle of the year. Goals feel distant. Progress is slower than expected. The initial excitement is gone, and all that’s left is the hard part.
If you’re feeling stuck or unmotivated, you’re not alone. In this episode of Sales with ASLAN, Tom and Tab break down how to stay motivated when the work gets hard, especially in sales. You’ll learn why most people don’t have a discipline problem; they have a motivation problem.
Tune in to hear what they’ve learned from decades of helping people and organizations achieve hard things.
Listen to the 40-minute episode below:
If you’ve ever booked a flight, you know you can’t move forward until you pick a destination. The same is true for motivation. Without a clear goal, your brain can’t connect effort to reward. That disconnect leads to burnout.
Instead of setting vague goals like “increase sales” or “get in shape,” define exactly what success looks like. Tom talks about how his high school goal of playing college football motivated him to prioritize weight training over socializing with friends. Clarity made discipline easier.
Less than 5% of people write down their goals—and that’s a missed opportunity. Writing your goal makes it real. Sharing it makes it stick.
Want to stay motivated? Try:
Making your goal public
Setting a deadline
Investing money in your success (training, coaching, equipment)
Partnering with someone who holds you accountable
Motivation increases when there’s more than your willpower on the line.
Not all motivation problems are about laziness. Many are about hidden barriers:
Fear: Afraid of failure or judgment
Confusion: Unclear on what to do next
Belief: Doubting your capability
Discipline: Struggling to follow through
Each barrier requires a different solution. Tom shared how public speaking fear was overcome not with brute force, but by practicing in small, safe environments. Sometimes, solving the right problem is the unlock you need.
You don’t need more hustle, you need more support.
Motivation isn’t a solo sport. Whether you’re leading a team or training for a marathon, surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you can be the difference between quitting and breaking through.
A real example Tab shared was when he hiked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (48 miles). He didn’t finish on willpower alone. His six-person team kept each other going during the most challenging moments. Collaboration made the impossible achievable.
In sales, that means tracking:
Calls made
Conversations started
Proposals sent
Focusing on inputs builds momentum. In the early days of ASLAN when the wins weren't as apparent, Tom and Tab used a simple tick-sheet to track cold calls and measure progress by activity, not outcomes. That system helped create a 30-year sales career grounded in consistent behavior.
Comparison is one of the fastest ways to lose motivation. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses, and circumstances. What works for one person may not work for you, and that’s okay.
-Tab Norris
Beware of what we call “business porn”: the highlight reels of fast success and effortless wins. They rarely tell the whole story. Success is seldom sexy. It’s often quiet, consistent, and unseen.
There’s a reason the quote “If you’re going through hell, keep going” still resonates. Motivation doesn’t always feel good. But if you keep showing up, especially when it’s hard, you’re already ahead of most people.
The truth? Most success comes from outlasting those who have given up.
Most people underestimate what they can do. They set small goals to avoid failure. But your limits are often self-imposed. The key is taking the next step even when you’re not sure it will work, because you’re likely capable of far more than you believe.
The deepest motivation doesn’t come from metrics. It comes from meaning.
When your work is tied to something greater, a mission, a calling, a belief, it changes how you respond to challenges. One ASLAN principle we often discuss is SLF: Seek, Listen, and Follow. Instead of carrying the full weight of outcomes, we focus on showing up, doing the work, and trusting that results will follow.
Listen to the full episode of Sales with ASLAN to explore these strategies in a real-world context. Whether you’re trying to hit quota, build a business, or complete a marathon, the key to lasting motivation is simpler and more human than you think.
Listen Now
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