"We expect more of ourselves than we have any right to." -- Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr.
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"We expect more of ourselves than we have any right to." -- Oliver Wendall Holmes, Jr. |
         
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Alive & Well ArchivesAugust 2006**************************************************** TODAY'S QUOTE: "Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved." -William Jennings Bryan **************************************************** TODAY'S TOPIC: Motivation Did
you ever notice that you achieve goals when you have a compelling reason why you
must achieve them? Whether it’s
conscious or unconscious, I guarantee you had a compelling reason to achieve
every goal you’ve ever accomplished. When
we have a big enough reason for wanting our goal, we will figure out how to make
it happen. Let me give you a very
simple example. My dog, Cooper, is
older and has arthritis. To get
into the house from the backyard, she has to climb two steps.
Most of the time, she slowly walks up the stairs.
Sometimes she needs help, because she often falls.
However, when Cooper has enough motivation, she runs up the stairs.
What
is her motivation? Dinner!
You see, when she has a big enough reason WHY, she finds a way to make it
happen. When she does not have
motivation, she painstakingly climbs the stairs at a very slow pace.
But when she has the right motivation, there is no stopping her.
This
is obviously a small example. But
the same thing happens with us. When
we have enough motivation – when we have a big enough reason WHY – we figure
out how to achieve our goals. When
we do not have enough motivation, our goals merely become things we SHOULD do.
But when we have a big enough reason and enough motivation, they are no
longer things we “should” do. They
are things we MUST do, and we will not stop until we make them happen. The
key, therefore, is to get motivated and find compelling reasons for making our
goals happen. Let me give you
another example. Yesterday, I
coached a client around her business goal.
Though she said she was motivated, I could hear in her voice that she was
not excited about her goal. I asked
her what would happen if she didn’t achieve her goal.
She said she would have to get a part-time job working retail.
She had worked retail in high school and hated it.
So she felt disgusted even thinking about having to do that again.
Very quickly, she became very motivated to achieve her business goal.
Very quickly, her goal became a MUST rather than a SHOULD.
She now has the focus and deep motivation to make it happen.
This is the key. So
how do you get really motivated? First,
you must discover what drives you. For
each person, the drivers are different. Positive
things drive some of us; we’re driven TOWARDS things, such as the ability to
fit in smaller clothes (weight loss), the ability to get a new car (income
goals) or the ability to contribute to society.
Negative things drive some of us; we’re driven AWAY from things, such
as feeling like a failure or perhaps the fear of having a heart attack if we
don’t lose weight. When coming up
with compelling reasons, you want to include both positive and negative things.
Once you have both positive and negative reasons, you can determine what
is the biggest driver; you can determine what will propel you to achieve the
goal. For
this client, the thought of reverting back to her high school job was her
driver. She was driven AWAY from
something. She had other reasons
for wanting to accomplish her goal, such as the ability to pay her bills, buy
new decorations and live without worry. But
those weren’t the main driver for her. For
her, she became very motivated when she realized she’d have to get a job she
would hate. So
what are your drivers? What are the
reasons WHY you should accomplish your goals?
To get started on getting motivated, ask yourself: 1)
Who
can I affect when I accomplish this goal? 2)
Who
can I help that I cannot currently help? 3)
What
will I be able to do when I achieve this? 4)
How
will my life be better when I achieve this? 5)
Whom
will I not be able to help if I don’t achieve this? 6)
What
will I not be able to do if I don’t achieve this? 7)
If I
don’t achieve this, who will be disappointed? 8)
If I
don’t achieve this, what will
happen to my life? 9)
How
will I feel if I don’t accomplish this? 10)
How
will I feel when I do accomplish this? If
you have goals you want to accomplish, I encourage you to join my Success Group.
This group allows you to get weekly coaching and accountability, so you
can stay motivated and take your life to new levels.
I also offer one-on-one coaching, so you get individual coaching to break
through your limitations and negative emotions, allowing you to live the life
you truly desire. ***************************************************** Coaching
Challenge ***************************************************** Answer the questions above to find the compelling reasons why you must achieve your goals.
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