Most of us have heard an inspiring or motivating speech at some time in our lives. Those types of speeches are great, and they do sometimes get us motivated for a little while, but generally speaking, they don’t change our lives.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons that two people can listen to the same great speech and one of them will leave the venue saying ‘wow, this is really going to change things for me’ whilst the other will say ‘I’ve heard it all before’. The difference is in their expectations. The first person sees the speech as a springboard. He has taken in some techniques and ideas and will now use those ideas for his self motivation plan. The second person expected to have his life changed for him by the speech.
It doesn’t work like that.
A great speaker can certainly help immensely in pointing you in the right direction to improve your life, your income or your lifestyle. The speaker can’t do it all for you though. Self motivation requires action on your part and if you aren’t ready for some activity and discipline then you will likely end up sitting in front of the television for a few hours each night, occasionally wondering what ‘might have been’.
The purpose of a great motivator is to plant a few seeds. Just a few thoughts that take root and then blossom into life changing activity. The speaker is the catalyst that starts you on a new road that could lead to a lifestyle that you only ever dreamed of. It may sound a little far fetched or over the top, but there are many people out there whose stories started with a serious struggle until their course was changed by a few seemingly simple ideas.
Self motivation starts with desire and goals. A desire for something better than what we have now and a destination, or goal, that we need to focus on. Without any goals you are like a ship with no sail – adrift at sea and being pushed in whichever direction the current happens to be flowing. Goals give you your sail back – they give you a direction and a destination. They also provide the motivation.
Goal setting is a skill that can assist your self motivation, or work against it. If you were to say ‘I want to be making $150k per year within the next five years’ and then do nothing toward achieving that goal, then the chances are that by that fifth year your self motivation will be either very low or completely gone. You planted the seeds, but didn’t give them any water – and they withered and died. You can’t just ‘manifest’ a better life by thinking about it. You need to have a plan in place to achieve your goals – and as you approach the achievement of your goals, your self motivation will probably increase exponentially.
Self motivation is a force that has driven many of the greatest achievements throughout the ages. If you can embrace it and apply discipline, study and activity you really can achieve just about anything.
