How to Get Re-Motivated
By Michael Angier
The events of September 11th, 2001 aroused many emotions. In addition
to the feelings of fear, anger and confusion caused by the tragedy, many
folk have lost personal confidence, losing sight of personal direction and
focus.
We must not forget and we must mourn the loss, but it's our moral duty
as citizens of the free world to get on with our lives ... not letting the
terrorists succeed by sidetracking our focus and negatively influencing
our way of life.
So how DO we get motivated again?
Perhaps it would be helpful to take a close look at motivation
itself--what it is, what it's not and how we can increase our personal
motivation.
I do motivational speaking, but I've always had some resistance to
being called a motivational speaker. I don't even think it's possible to
motivate someone other than ourselves. Certainly we can present
information, help others to look at things in different ways, remind them
of what's important to them, tell inspiring stories and help to increase
their belief.
All of these things help. But the truth is we can only motivate
ourselves. We might get pumped up by an inspiring speaker, a
thought-provoking book or a motivational tape. But in order to have
sustained motivation--the kind that will enable us to move past the
inevitable roadblocks or challenges--we must dig deeper.
We must have motivation FROM THE INSIDE OUT. It can't be pasted on the
surface. It must live powerfully and deeply within us.
We're either motivated to move toward something we want or away from
something we don't want. One might think they're motivated by something
higher or better than these two options, but if you examine your
objectives carefully, you'll find that they will fit into one or the
other.
The REASON we want to achieve something is far more important than the
HOW to accomplish it. I often see people getting bogged down in the
mechanics of reaching a goal (the HOW) instead of getting clear and
committed to the why.
If my child is on the other side of a door in a burning building, I
don't need to read a motivational book in order to psyche myself up to get
through the door. The DESIRE to save my child provides the motivation to
do WHATEVER I must do in order to achieve my purpose.
Assuming we're clear on what we want--and this can easily be an
erroneous assumption--it is our desire and commitment more than any other
one thing that determines our success.
Not long ago, a friend of mine shared with me that he always gets his
business and personal income taxes done on the first tax submission
date.Not one to do so myself, I asked him how he did that. He said that
the satisfaction of having this done and out of the way was stronger than
any sense of dread he had about doing the myriad tasks needed to get the
job done.
His focus was on what he wanted where mine had usually been on the
distastefulness of the job. By focusing on the prize--what we want and WHY
we want it, we increase our determination and motivation to achieve our
intended outcome.
The root of the word motivation is motive and means "An emotion,
desire, physiological need, or similar impulse that acts as an incitement
to action." I interpret this as the REASON for doing something.
Motivation also denotes motion, action, doing something based upon a
strong reason.
When I find myself less than enthusiastic about working toward an
objective, I find it helpful to refocus on what I want and especially WHY
I want it. In doing so, I regenerate the drive and dedication to make it
happen and I place myself in a position to enjoy the journey.
The motivation that comes from inside not only lasts longer it produces
a greater resolve and creates a passion that is not only powerful but
infectious as well.
I encourage you to revisit your values, your mission and dreams. Remind
yourself of why you have chosen to achieve your goals--why you are doing
what you're doing. Only you can motivate yourself to action. Only you can
accomplish your dreams.
© Copyright 1995-2001 Success Networks International.
Success Net is a worldwide association committed to helping people become
more knowledgeable, productive and effective. Their mission is to inform,
inspire and empower people to be their best-personally and professionally.
Free subscriptions, memberships, books and SuccessMark™ Cards available
at www.SuccessNet.org
| An error occurred on the server when processing the URL. Please contact the system administrator. If you are the system administrator please click here to find out more about this error. | | | | 
