What Are Your Greatest Motivators?

Carol Graham can be found over at Never…Ever…Give Up Hope where she freely discusses all the things she is passionate about. This post on motivation is similar to many insights that she shares with us in her own space. Do stop by and say hi.

What is it that motivates you to get out of bed in the morning? Is it because you have to go to work? Or do you have a family to take care of? Get the kids off to school? Do you need to go shopping for groceries? Or one of hundreds of possible other reasons.

One of our greatest daily motivators is the huge demand of daily living. This is what gets us up in the morning and propels us throughout the day. Most of us will admit that we feel we “have to,” “should,” “need to,” or are “supposed to” do most of what we do. Too much of that kind of motivation is called stress. These external motivators are usually temporary.

This motivation exists until the demands go away.

Do we feel the need to go on a diet, get healthier, or exercise more? Do we need to get out of debt by finding a new source of income? We often feel overwhelmed by the need to change but not knowing how or where to begin.

We all experience many types of external motivation which can look nothing like a motivational pep talk. Actually, most of the motivation we receive isn’t obvious. We rely on friends, books, family, luck, achievements and social pressures to tell us what to do and to keep us doing it.

You can be your own motivator. You can take charge and put yourself in control. The definition of true motivation, the only kind that lasts and the only kind you can count on, is internal motivation.

Try to imagine having a coach who stayed with you, season after season and every day in between. Imagine not needing to wait for someone else to get you charged up and moving. Imagine being able to rely on yourself to automatically and unconsciously energize your spirit, focus your attention and keep you in tune, on top, in touch and pushing towards your goals – all the time! Can you imagine never again needing someone else to prod or push you into activating your own best efforts? 

Here’s your news flash:

Your own internal coach is waiting to do just that. That coach is your best friend, your closest ally, your strongest believer. That coach will show you the best in yourself and help you achieve it. This same coach will give you direction, put purpose in your stride, strengthen your will and give you unquestionable belief. Most importantly, this coach is loyal to the end and never goes home.

You do not need to look far to find self-motivating resources. We are constantly being bombarded by truisms in social media that encourage us to maintain a good attitude, to look on the bright side, to stay positive and focused and to surround ourselves with like-minded people. We just need to feed on positive input to retrain our thought patterns.

Like many people, I have experienced numerous hopeless situations when I knew that if I was going to make it, it was up to me. I had to believe in myself and my ability to make the necessary changes, no matter how many times I had tried and failed. Even when there seemed to be no way out, I had to pick myself up and give myself that pep talk “You can do it.” Even when I failed miserably, I had to look at it as a stepping stone to change. It is up to me to accept failure as defeat or as progress.

Changing our attitude and focus is what will eventually make us successful. Keeping our focus is the best motivator – hands down!

It is never too late to change.  Your internal coach is your ultimate motivator who will never fail you – because it is you!

How do you motivate yourself?