LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Jim Rohn

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

This is the final post addressing Motivation.

You can read the other posts this month HERE if you missed them.

I'm going to actually give you 2 quotes today, I'll close with one of my favorites...

We've been talking about some different things that might motivate us... we've talk about others, we've talk about God's voice in our life, and we've talked about our own voice.

Motivation is tricky because it will constantly be changing based on the task before you or the goal you're aiming for.

One time in High School, our Basketball Coach gave us a workout plan to do over Christmas Break in preparation for the start of the new season. I went into the break ready to work out every day, but quickly that motivation was lost when I saw the waves of the ocean, tasted the shrimp at our favorite beach spot, and somehow that motivation was lost on me until the day before school started when I finally got through the workout plan one time.

It's the same way with my teeth. If I have a cleaning coming up, I'm even more disciplined in my flossing. I'm motivated to attack these gums, then the day after the cleaning I relax back into a normal routine of flossing.

Motivation provides the SPARK to do something, but as the quote says, it often requires healthy habits to keep moving forward, especially when that motivation slows down, or when we get distracted by something else.

I want to encourage you to take some time to identify the motivating things in your life...

• When my kids and grandkids are coming over, I'm motivated to clean the yard and be ready for them.

• When I'm feeling tired, I'm motivated to change my eating, sleeping and movement activity because I know this affects my energy.

• When my wife asks me to do something, I'm motivated to respond and act in love because I want to please her.

• When I'm distracted, I need to figure out what's going on in my mind and heart and address that before finding a way to focus.

• When I'm stressed out I need to look at the big picture of what I'm doing and remind myself of my purpose and my passion.

Identifying our Motivation helps us to act!

What is it that regularly motivates you to action?

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." *Mahatma Ghandi

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're continuing to explore MOTIVATION this month by looking at some quotes and simply drawing some personal application.

*While this quote is often attributed to Ghandi, there is no reliable record of him saying this, however it aligns deeply with his writings and posture.

Last week I shared some thoughts around motivation and I shared a story of when I had been motivated by others to climb a mountain, and then I pondered the idea of motivation that comes from Jesus' invitation to simple "come to Him". You can read that HERE if you missed it.

This quote is something that I think about often.

Years ago, I can't even remember how long ago, Gina gave me a small metal paper weight with this quote inscribed in it. She gave it to me when I had finished my graduate studies, and it was simply an encouragement to me to invest my life in bringing change to the world.

LEADERSHIP QUOTE:

"I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down." *Abraham Lincoln

A LITTLE BIT DEEPER:

We're continuing to explore MOTIVATION this month by looking at some quotes and simply drawing some personal application.

*This quote is most often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, but it's also been connected to Benjamin Franklin.

When I read this quote, I thought about motivation and realized that often I'm motivated to do things because of other peoples expectations for my life and work.

This isn't bad, and that idea of "not letting others down" is really important, but it can also lead you to do things you don't really want to or don't need to do.

My dad joined our Boy Scout Troupe back when I was 11 years old to climb Mt. Whitney in California. I don't think I had any idea what I was getting into. I thought me and a bunch of my friends were going camping, and that sounded like fun. My dad knew what climbing a 14,505 foot mountain was about because he had climbed it before. This peak is the highest point in the lower 48 states. He joined the trip to help me make it to the top.

Yes it was bad. Switchback trails straight up the front of the mountain for hours, and I've told this story before, my dad just kept telling me to take 10 more steps, then take a break. We inched our way up the mountain and eventually made it.

The motivation for me? Not letting my dad down, and reaching the summit. That motivation kept me moving and led to a moment at the top of celebration, which then turned into a rapid descent to get back to life at a reasonable altitude.

I would have never made it up that mountain had I not been carrying the expectation and the hope from my dad that I could actually do it.

That's motivation. The positive kind.

There's also another kind, the kind that comes with guilt.

I've said "YES" to so many things over the years because I didn't want to let people down, or because I thought that I was supposed to do something. Sometimes this has forced me to let down the people I care about the most in my attempt to make others happy or to meet their often unrealistic expectations.

Think about your story.

How has the idea of "letting people down" motivated you to do certain things been a positive thing or a negative thing?