Molly Fletcher hosts the podcast Game Changers with Molly Fletcher. For nearly two decades, she made a name for herself as one of the first female sports agents, representing some of the biggest names in sports—Hall of Famers, national and world champions, Olympians, All-Stars, and top coaches. She is a World’s Top 50 Keynote Speaker, and her TED Talk, “Secrets of a Champion Mindset,” has more than one million views. Her other books include The Energy Clock, Fearless at Work, and A Winners Guide to Negotiating, and her insights have been featured on CNN, ESPN, Forbes, Fast Company, InStyle, and Sports Illustrated.
Below, Molly shares five key insights from her new book, Dynamic Drive: The Purpose-Fueled Formula for Sustainable Success. Listen to the audio version—read by Molly herself—in the Next Big Idea App.
1. Life isn’t about the drive to achieve; it’s the drive to get better.
When the world sees all the big moments, the trophies, accolades, big contracts—the moments of achievement—I see everything that happened to get there. The relentless grind that occurs when the lights aren’t shining on them. I see the pre-game rituals, the laser-like focus, and the clear and consistent tether back to their highest purpose that make top athletes and coaches the best in their field.
Most people think athletic peak performance is strictly about talent, but it’s really about drive. The top athletes, coaches, and entrepreneurs in my Rolodex all had a different kind of drive: something I call Dynamic Drive.
This way of life isn’t reserved for a special class of people. It’s inside of all of us. So, how do we tap into it?
“Most people think athletic peak performance is strictly about talent, but it’s really about drive.”
Let’s start here…the common definition of drive is “the energy and determination to achieve things.” It’s finite. The word dynamic is defined as “constant change, activity, or progress.” Keyword: “progress,” not a single moment. Dynamic Drive combines the goal-directed, pressing urgency of the typical definition of drive with an evolving nature. It’s about embracing the fluidity of life and the positive energy it can unlock in us. It recognizes that we are always a work in progress.
Dynamic Drive isn’t about achievement but rather fulfillment. True satisfaction in life is about a consistent and sustainable journey toward being better. Fulfillment is prolonged satisfaction. If we focus on achievement alone, it isn’t sustainable. Sadly, we’ve been led to believe that achievement is the goal. I’ve seen it over and over in sports and business, and research supports this: what human beings inherently want is Dynamic Drive.
2. Failure is critical to succeeding at what you want most.
When you put yourself out there to pursue goals, you will fail. That’s ok because it’s part of the process. People with Dynamic Drive respond to failure differently. They view it as fuel. There are seven keys to a Dynamic Drive journey, and it’s not a linear path:
- Mindset. Adopting a limitless mindset is crucial for engaging Dynamic Drive. Where some people see obstacles, others see opportunity.
- Energy. Effectively managing your energy (physically, mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually) is essential for sustained high performance. Choose where your energy goes before the world chooses for you.
- Discipline. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment. It’s necessary to maintain effort and build habits that lead to success. Most people overestimate talent and underestimate discipline.
- Curiosity. Curiosity creates chances. It opens you up to new ideas, experiences, and knowledge.
- Resilience. I don’t mean recover; I mean come back, better. Be more dogged in your efforts, commit mentally to the work, and hold your purpose close as you re-engage at an even higher level. The difference between good and great is recovering from adversity faster.
- Connection. Creating meaningful relationships is critical to joy, fulfillment, and success. Be relational, not transactional.
- Confidence. Confidence doesn’t come from your comfort zone. We need it to take risks, overcome self-doubt, and pursue goals wholeheartedly.
3. Balance shouldn’t be your goal.
Dynamic Drive inherently requires imbalance. Strive for alignment, not balance. Balance is other people’s expectations. Alignment is yours.
Alignment is an internal process ensuring that your actions, decisions, and behaviors are in harmony with your core values, beliefs, and life purpose. It involves being true to yourself, staying authentic, and living in accordance with what you hold dear, not what others expect of you. When you are aligned with your values and goals, you have a clear sense of direction and live life by your own design.
4. Dynamic Drive offsets burnout.
The last few years have been hard. The era of hustle culture has come to an end. Burnout is real. People burn out when they aren’t aligning work with their highest purpose. Dynamic Drive is infused with purpose at its core. This purpose is threaded through all daily efforts, infusing your work, energy, and outputs with a higher calling.
Burnout starts way before feelings of exhaustion and disconnection. It starts in the beginning, with the compulsion to meet external expectations at the expense of your well-being. By aligning with the core values that you hold for yourself, not others, you can combat those external expectations. You’ll be less prone to distractions and more inclined to prioritize tasks that align with your objectives.
“Dynamic Drive is about aligning work (not just career) with our values and purpose.”
When we don’t seek what matters most to us, we can find ourselves wildly off course, chasing achievement for achievement’s sake without clarity of purpose. 15 years into my career as a sports agent, I started asking myself, What am I chasing? Signing more athletes, negotiating a billion plus in contracts? At the same time, I had started sharing (through books and keynotes) many of the insights and experiences from my courtside seat in sports with a broader audience. The impact it had on others felt more in line with my purpose.
Dynamic Drive is about aligning work (not just career) with our values and purpose. Achievement doesn’t bring fulfillment; living to your purpose does. Engaging with purpose and continuing to reevaluate priorities is at the heart of peak performance and Dynamic Drive.
5. Dynamic Drive starts with mindset.
Beliefs have immense power. They dictate where success begins and ends. Research shows that beliefs determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Ruthlessly exterminating any limiting beliefs prevents complacency and prepares us to make the most of every opportunity. A limitless mindset is how I define a commitment to what’s possible.
Athletes who work on strengthening the mental side of their game are more likely to achieve success—research says 80 percent more likely—as they take on challenges, navigate difficult situations, and pursue their goals.
Dynamic Drive begins with a willingness to step into the next thing and a conviction that good will come from taking action. By focusing on what’s possible and harnessing the power of purpose, you can accomplish what you set out to do. A limitless mindset is a crucial first step toward developing Dynamic Drive. It leads to using curiosity, discipline, resilience, and confidence to execute a goal in your own unique way.
“By focusing on what’s possible and harnessing the power of purpose, you can accomplish what you set out to do.”
Your beliefs can shape reality without you even realizing it. Self-talk is the stream of conscious thoughts running through your head as you engage in various tasks. Positive self-talk is associated with a significant reduction in the perception of effort. With the right mental game, you’ll enjoy the daily grind. The incredible thing about mindset is that you’re in control. The view you adopt profoundly affects life. The belief that you have the power to make changes and reach your goals is foundational to a limitless mindset.
Dynamic Drive is the formula for sustained high performance in all areas of life, and it is accessible to all. If there are parts of your life where you are playing small, safe, or dissatisfied, this is the answer. It’s for the fighters, the seekers, the believers, and the doers who know there is more out there for them but need a push to get traction. You can tap into the spark called Dynamic Drive, as a formula and the fuel for a better life.
To listen to the audio version read by author Molly Fletcher, download the Next Big Idea App today:
