Fuel for Motivation
How can you stay energized in the face of so many obstacles? Why
do some people look at life from a positive point of view all
the time? What is the formula for success?
The prime ingredient in any success story is motivation.
Motivation is the driving force to keep going, "when the going
gets tough." In order for you to stay motivated about anything,
you must choose something you have a passion for. This will help
you to stay inspired in good, or bad, economic times.
So before you consider motivation, do some self-analysis and
realize your passion. This must be something you would love to
do every day, and don't consider it to be work, because you
enjoy it so much.
How many of us have known an artist or musician that pursued
his, or her, dream. Some make money, and some don't, but all put
a lot of work into their passion. They do this willingly,
because their work inspired them. It wasn't the money that kept
them going. The life of most artists, or musicians, is one of
economic struggle, even in the best of economic times.
Once you have found your passion, make sure it is something that
will help others in some way. This allows you to feel positive
about your work and find solutions for people's problems, which
leads to the first factor needed to stay motivated, all the time.
The first factor is gratification in your work. Without it, why
should any of us want to keep working at a goal every day? So,
you must have a deep feeling of satisfaction from your work.
The second factor is recognition. Everyone wants to be
recognized and be proud of their accomplishments. Look at how a
child glows after getting an award and receiving praise from
his, or her, parents. Recognition makes us all feel worthy.
The third factor is staying positive in the face of negativity.
You can't close your eyes and ears to negative input or a
"doubting Thomas." However, you can use negative energy as fuel
for your own cause. Always look at "the glass as half full," as
compared to half empty.
How is this possible? Use the doubts of others as an incentive
to prove them wrong. I call this "negative motivation."
Teenagers often do this with parents: Mom or Dad says it won't
work, so the teenager works twice as hard to prove his, or her,
parents wrong. Adults can borrow on this method and learn from
rebellious teenagers.
The fourth factor is complete health in mind, body, and spirit.
You need friends in high places to stay motivated and succeed,
so why not take time to pray? I never heard anyone tell me they
felt bad about praying, but I have heard many people say they
don't pray enough.
You have to allow for down time; even the toughest of us need a
break now and then. If you must work hard, due to an impending
deadline, remember Benjamin Franklin's words, "Early to bed and
early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise."
Take the time to sleep, exercise, go on vacation, play with your
kids, show love toward those who love you, and live life as well
as you can. If you follow this formula, you will be motivated
and success will surely follow.