Motivation: The Essential Ingredient For New Year Aspirations

“Motivation is when your dreams put on work clothes.”

~Author Unknown

Happy Monday everyone!  It’s almost New Years, a grand time to talk about motivation.  Who better to discuss the subject than the motivation expert, Eric Hamm?  Please enjoy.  I’ll be back tomorrow and through the remainder of the week.

When I started “Motivate Thyself” in late July, I was of the mindset that our lack of motivation was at the core of our societal frustrations.  I thought we were somehow capable of accomplishing our every goal and dream, just not willing enough.  After almost a half year of blogging on motivation, I must admit – this idea is now devout belief.  The difference is now I understand my own struggle with the motivation.  It’s one thing to scream from the mountain tops at a high point in our lives, another to repeat ourselves a week later when we’re not feeling the motivation in quite the same way.

We often ask how to motivate yourself, but the end of the year especially.

As the New Year draws closer to the present, many of us will start thinking about the areas of our lives that need our attention.  Common thoughts focus on exercise, diet, career, etc…  We look at the change in the final digit as a new start, and hope that THIS year will be different.  Thankfully, we often do inch forward by learning from our past, but these changes are often short sighted and quickly fade as the first few pages of the calendar are flipped.

This year CAN be different.  ’09 has the potential to be the best year yet, but it isn’t going to happen unless you manage your motivation, and never lose the hunger for positive change.

The Magic of Motion

In the first month of blogging I found I could keep my adrenaline pumping with ease.  It was the second and third months that threatened to mute my motivation.  I found it impossible to ALWAYS maintain enthusiasm about a project or particular habit, but keeping my wheels spinning was essential.

Let’s use our imaginations:

You are driving to Bob and Betty’s house to celebrate New Years.  You decide to take a shortcut, convinced you know precisely where you’re going.  You veer from the road, but after a few miles you realize the shortcut is nothing more than a path to somewhere OTHER THAN Bob and Betty’s.  You are lost, without a clue how to get back to the beaten path.

What do you do?  Pull over to the side of the road and ponder your bearings?  Do you get angry, yell at everyone in the car, and tell them THEY are somehow to blame?  Or do you keep moving forward, adjusting direction until you find your way back to familiar road?

Motivation is not just a feeling inside us.  It is an ACTION; a verb that translates mediocrity into excellence.  To bring any sort of consistent growth into our lives, we must harness the magic of motion as we seek the correct coordinates.

The Magic of Motivation

Motivation has gotten a bad rap over the years.  Visions of ‘Motivation Gurus’ swinging their fists and screaming, “YOU CAN DO IT!!!” over and over sends shivers down the spine.  Blindly running as fast as we can while never looking back, let alone forward, is not productivity.  Yet, this is what some promote and many attempt.

Motivation is a simple ingredient.  Like salt, it’s purpose is to enhance the flavor of our lives.  Without it, we risk living each day blandly going through the motions.  With it, ANYTHING is possible.

We can…

• Further our education, regardless of age and/or financial situation.
• Start the business we’ve always dreamed of.
• Travel to places that we never thought we’d see.
• Change our lives for the better, each and every day.

Motivation won’t magically make this happen.  We must learn new things, grow more flexible, and put in the time to pay our dues.  Motivation isn’t the engine that propels the car, but the fuel that feeds it.  Without fuel, we have only a capable engine, sitting idle.

Make It Happen In ’09

I don’t question the aspirations of the human race.  I have no doubt we all dream of greatness in our lives.  It’s our lack of resolve to keep putting one foot in front of the other that seems to keep us from accomplishing the majority of our must-dos.

I’m sure there are many of you who have no problem maintaining motivation.  To you, I encourage consistent assessment of your direction.  It’s just as easy to go nowhere when you’re moving as it is parked by the roadside.  To those who struggle with motivation, I’d ask that you take a close look at the fuel you are feeding your engine.  Physical, mental, spiritual, whatever.  Make sure you’re not keeping your foot on the breaks by the habits you hold to.

Whichever camp you tend to live, this can be your year.  We ALL have the potential for great things; our goals, there for the taking.  It is simply a matter of constantly pushing forward, re-dialing our daily direction, and making our motivation a priority.

Eric

Related posts:

1. Happy New Year! “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with...
2. The 40 Year Old Version Today’s “Writer Dad” is Joel Schwartzberg, author of the book...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.