Category Archives: Motivation

When we do what we have to do we are compliant

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“When we do what we have to do we are compliant. When we do what we choose to do we are committed.”

—Marshall Goldsmith, American Leadership Coach

Image from a3carpetcleaning.com

To what degree are you an “extra credit” type of person? Recall your early educational experiences, in which a special teacher or a special subject motivated you well beyond just meeting expectations and passing the course. They motivated you to experience new levels of excellence, achievement, and of course, greater personal growth.

What about today in your vocational and avocational efforts? Where do you choose to go the extra mile and exceed expectations versus simply doing just enough to maintain your employment (for the moment) and get by?

EXERCISE:

To help you make the shift from compliant to committed, consider exploring the work of Dan Pink in his book, Drive, to see how greater autonomy, mastery, and purpose will help you choose and eventually realize a far more fulfilling and rewarding life.

Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas

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“Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas in your mind and water them with belief and action.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a hand tending tiny plants

Image from Unsplash by Joshua Lanzarini

The X Prize Foundation’s tag line is “We Make the Impossible Possible by Incentivizing Great Minds to Make a Difference.”

The Foundation and its supporters believe that the solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges will only be reached through the ideation and realization of critical solutions by pioneering individuals and organizations around the world.

Some of the current projects include:

  • Discovering the mysteries of the deep sea
  • Empowering children to take control of their own learning
  • Transforming the lives of low-literacy adults
  • Transforming CO2 into valuable products

EXERCISE:

What beautiful ideas for a better world inspire you?

Regardless of the size and scope, how can your belief and motivation to act help you and others reap the harvest of a better world?

Men are Not Against You

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“Men are not against you; they’re merely for themselves.”

—Gene Fowler, 20th Century American journalist

Image of Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner

Image from Lesterbanks

Do you have any enemies? Is there an archnemesis in your personal or professional community? What is it like to be around this person, or even to simply think about them?

What have you done to contribute to the rift between the two of you? What have you tried to perhaps mend fences?

EXERCISE:

Instead of being against one another with all the damage it can produce, how would a better understanding of what this individual stands for help?

Once you better understand their motivators and beliefs, perhaps you can break the vicious cycle of making each other wrong.

Friday Review Motivation

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FRIDAY REVIEW: MOTIVATION

Are you self-motivated, situation-motivated, or motivated by others? Here are a few posts about motivation you may have missed. Click the links to read the full messages.

 

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.”

 

 

 

 

“Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it.”

 

 

 

 

“Work for a cause, not for applause.”

 

 

 

 

The Gist of New Years Day

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“The gist of New Year’s Day is: Try Again.”

Frank Crane, 20th Century American Film Director

Image of a woman holding a calendar

Image from Unsplash by Brooke Lark

If you ever established a New Year’s Resolution and came up short, you are not alone.

Statistics show over 90% of people have the same experience.

Studies have shown that even when doctors tell heart patients they will die if they don’t change their habits, only one in seven will be able to follow through successfully.

It appears that desire and motivation aren’t enough, even when it is literally a matter of life or death.

It is also clear that the status quo has a pretty tight grip on what Roger Kegan calls The Immunity to Change.

What patterns of thinking and doing would have your “Try Again” efforts work this time?

EXERCISE:

Beyond limiting your focus on fewer priority objectives, consider adding a wide variety of social and structural supports to bolster your motivation and ability to succeed this time.

Friday Review Motivation

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Friday Review: Motivation

What motivates you? Here are a few motivation-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message:

QC #1055a

 

“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.”

 

 

 

QC #1055b

 

“Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it.”

 

 

 

QC #1055c

 

“Everything will change when your desire to move on exceeds your desire to hold on.”  

 

 

 

 

cause, not applause

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“Work for a cause, not for applause.”

—Author Unknown

QC #1032

Image from Flickr by Jody FaFerriere

I’ve been interested in what motivates people since I was a boy. In my youth, I washed cars, mowed lawns, and shoveled snow—all to earn a buck and purchase things I desired. The Thank You’s I received for a job well done also meant a lot, especially when they were heartfelt.

As I grew and continued to investigate what motivated me and others, it was clear that applause or extrinsic factors still have a hold on many of us. At the same time, the intrinsic aspects of a passionate purpose seem to take things to greater levels of fulfillment and life satisfaction.

EXERCISE:

Examine your own levels of sustainable satisfaction and fulfillment when you work for a cause. How can you capture the best of both motivators?

Move On

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“Everything will change when your desire to move on exceeds your desire to hold on.”

—Alan Cohen, Author of Daily Dose of Sanity

Image from Joomlaworks.net

Image from Joomlaworks.net

The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes once said that if he were given a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, he could move the world.

Consider, today, your most deeply held commitments for a better future as your long lever, and your most important and foundational values as the fulcrum on which to place them.

One of my other favorite quotes is, your commitment supersedes your comfort.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you experience the world-moving changes you desire by living each day more consistently with your most cherished commitments and values?

 

Inspiration comes

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“Inspiration usually comes during work, not before it.”

—Madeline L’Engle, American 20th Century Author

Photo from Flickr by Hector Alejandro

Photo from Flickr by Hector Alejandro

Consider these three definitions of the word “inspiration”:

  • Divine Intervention
  • An instance of breathing in
  • That which brings about creativity or perseverance

I suggest we blend the three together. My reasons will be more readily apparent through the following example:

Imagine you wake up one morning and you are not particularly inspired to go to your health club and work out. The exercise gods simply haven’t infused you with enough energy to leap out of bed and into your sneakers.

In spite of not “feeling it,” you garner the discipline to just do it, and minutes later you are on a bike, a treadmill, or an elliptical machine. You notice your breath growing faster and more pronounced, which increases your mental and physical state, and gives you the energy and momentum you need to gain all the good that comes from rigorous exercise.

EXERCISE:

How can you simply begin a project, motivated or not, and let the effort and engagement of the first few steps energize you so that you keep it up and finish more inspired than you ever imagined?

Do a Little More

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“Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.”

– Lowell Thomas, American journalist

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Image from Flickr by Jessa9

Exploring our limits is a useful exercise in a coaching relationship. By doing more, we usually achieve more.

I attend a local fitness center called Lifetime Fitness – which is a great name and an excellent example of branding. Among the staff are 25 personal trainers who support thousands of individuals to achieve their personal fitness goals. With physical and sometimes mental coaches by their side, people discover that they are able to do a little more each day than they think they can.

Exercise:

In what areas of your personal or professional life are you capable of one more rep, one more mile, or a little more of something than yesterday?

Select a friend, family member, mentor or coach in your life to push or pull you to be your very best each and every day.

You can even be your own coach by establishing a “one more …” Post-it note reminder in strategically placed locations in your environment.