How-to Find Motivation and Keep Motivated

Motivation  is  what  propels  us  to  the  next  level  of life. Without the strong desire to move forward, most people just sit and wait for life to happen to them. Such people  usually  get  less  out  of  their  lives,  are  unable to  contribute  to  the  well-being  of  humanity,  and  are generally dissatisfied with themselves.

Just hearing the word motivation conjures up visions of  corporate  leaders  trying  to  pump  up  their  staff  or cheerleaders  inspiring  the  home  team  to  “block  that kick,” but the most powerful form of motivation is the type  that  comes  from  within  us.  When  we  have  that drive, and the self-assurance that we can hit the mark, we are almost unstoppable.

For some the vision of the goal is all that’s needed. Others  need  a  deeper  reason  to  become  motivated, and  once  that  is  found,  it  sends  signals  to  your  brain that  you  are  ready,  willing,  and  able  to  take  the  next challenge  head-on.  It  lets  us  feel  our  own  personal power, and that’s a very potent force.

Wanting to have a positive impact on those around you, or the world at large, is a great way to motivate yourself; it is also very life-enhancing. For many, that goal is what gets them out of bed in the morning and puts a smile on their face throughout the day.

For  those  who  have  trouble  finding  motivation, perhaps looking at it in a different light will be helpful. For example, if you heard all your life that you lacked motivation,  you  may  be  rebelling  against  the  people who  told  you  that  and  allowing  it  to  become  a  self-fulfilling prophesy by not doing anything to change it.

The truth here is that you are feeling hurt by someone who didn’t believe in you, and if you give that person free  rent  in  your  head  it’s  going  to  be  very  hard  to disengage the thoughts.

Try blocking out or erasing those old tapes, which may  take  a  few  tries.  For  some,  filling  their  mind with thoughts or affirmations such as “I can do it” or “I’m  good  at  this”  will help. Letting  go  of  unwanted thoughts will assist you in finding the motivation that almost  always  lies  beneath  them.

Look,  if  you  didn’t want  to  feel  better  about  yourself,  you  wouldn’t  be reading this, so you  are motivated, but you may be a little scared to get in touch with it and try because you are afraid of failing.

The truth is that, if you want something, and you can’t  summon  the  energy  to  get  motivated  about getting  it,  then  you  really  don’t  want  it. Whether  it’s self-confidence or a yacht, you have to be motivated to gather  your  forces  together  and  start  moving  toward your goal. What anyone else thinks or does shouldn’t stop you.

Support is great, but success in life requires you  to  sometimes  be  self-motivated  in  order  to  get where  you  want  to  go.  Remember  that  happiness comes from moving toward what you want, not from getting it.

Always Have A Plan B

We all have big changes in our lives that are more or less a second chance. Because many things don’t go as well as we would like them to, it’s a great idea to have a “Plan B.” Having fallback plans can’t help but make you feel better about the  outcome  of  any  situation,  and  it  is  a  common denominator among very self-confident people.

Anyone  who  has  had  more  than  one  failure  in her  life  can  tell  you  that  having  another  path  to  take probably saved her bacon a time or two. I’m a big one for  contingency  plans.  If  you  are  an  entrepreneur,  in the  arts  or  media,  or  you  have  all  your  eggs  in  one basket, a Plan B is essential.

Knowing that if you lose the farm you have a condo you can go to makes you feel safer in the world. I know a number of people who have motor homes, and one of the reasons they do is, as they jokingly say, it’s their “in case” home. During the last big earthquake here in Los  Angeles,  many  people  who  had  them  were  very grateful—and those of us who didn’t were envious.

With the world economy in turmoil, creating some kind of additional income stream is also a good idea. The jeweler who is also a great designer or builder, the computer  geek  who  can  also  teach  school,  or  the  PR person  who  is  a  closet  novelist  can  all  find  a  way  to thrive even if their current position disappears.

Backup  plans  don’t  have  to  be  new  ideas—I continue  to  use  aspects  of  everything  I’ve  ever  done. My days on stage playing guitar have made me a better public speaker, which makes me a good radio host. The energy  I  put  into  songs  and  poems  has  helped  them become columns and books.

The years I spent running my  own  business  give  me  the  insight  to  help  others streamline theirs. 

And all of my experiences have made me  a  confident  and  successful  therapist.  Every  talent and  ability  you  have  can  be  built  upon  and  also  used again.  Not  that  I’d  ever  again  want  to  be  on  a  tour bus with six smelly guys for eight weeks, but if I had to I could still put food on the table by humming and strumming.

There’s  another  potential  upside  here:  Sometimes your  original  plan  and  your  backup  can  work  at  the same time. I still counsel, consult, write, and speak to groups all over the world. In years when the speaking business  got  very  slow  (such  as  after  9/11  and  then the  financial  crisis),  I  spent  more  time  writing  and counseling.

When  there  was  a  lull  between  books, I  put  more  energy  into  my  radio  show  and  business consulting, and did pro-bono events. Having multiple options gives you the sense that, if any one thing went away, you’d have other gigs that would more than fill the gap.

So get a little creative. Look at your past accomplishments and your current talents. A Plan B is only an idea away. By the way, this Plan B thing works in life, but not in relationships. Having a backup mate is only going to erode your current relationship and cause heartache for everyone involved. Enough said.