The Immense Power of Motivation

This week, I had a fabulous time working with members of the EO Group, which Ian Micklewright, the Managing Director of Alps Ltd, runs. The EO group comprises high-level executives who join to experience a leadership journey that results in professional and personal growth.
 
Ian and I met in 2019 when he saw me speak at a Vistage event. He found my session to be extremely helpful and was very complimentary. Because of the success of this presentation, he booked me to run the Mental Resilience masterclass for his senior leadership team at Alps Ltd.
 
He contacted me recently to see if I could run my session for his EO group. We sorted out the logistics, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with his group members this week, sharing powerful mental resilience techniques and practical exercises.
 
The session was brilliant, and I can’t remember having a better time. The interaction and engagement were terrific, and the feedback at the end was wonderful. It made me realise how fortunate I am to be in such a blessed position to share information that can dramatically change people’s lives.
 
I was delighted to give each member a copy of my book 100 Days to Mental Resilience and a detailed Action Plan to help them make the all-important changes.
 
 
Motivation
 
“The state or condition of being motivated or having a strong reason to act or accomplish something.”
 
We all need a reason to accomplish things in life, and the bigger the challenge, the bigger the motivation required. In my Mental Resilience Masterclasses, I often describe motivation this way: if the reason you are doing something is bigger than the pain of doing it, you will do it. If the reason isn’t bigger than the pain of doing it, you will never do it.
 
Making a cup of tea is easy because the pleasure of enjoying it far outweighs the pain of putting the kettle on, brewing a tea bag, and pouring some milk. However, it’s an entirely different kettle of fish when the detailed report needs completing, the weekly sales calls need to be achieved, the bedroom needs decorating, or the tax returns need completing.
 

Motivation in Practice
 
The motivation factor comes into play whenever we have something that needs to be completed or achieved. When I was younger and practising basketball, I needed a reason to shoot the basketball into the basket thousands of times to improve my game.
 
This motivation came from visualising myself playing for the England basketball team. This vision became so strong that it drove me to get up early and stay late to practise. I wasn’t the most talented player but one of the most motivated. I worked harder than the others and put in more hours.
 
As the months and years went by, I improved quicker than the other players because of the work I put in, and I was the only one from Nottingham who made it into the England team. This was not because I was more talented but because my motivation level was higher.
 
On the days when I felt like I couldn’t face another session in the gym, the vision of me in an England tracksuit competing for my country, with the national anthem playing, spurred me on. Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without motivation and hard work.
 
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing.  That’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar
 
 
The Power of the Dream Board
 
Our job is to find the motivation to get the tough things done. This is easier said than done, but it is possible. I have a Dream Board with 34 exciting pictures on it—things I want to achieve before I die. I visualise achieving these in great detail every morning so the images are etched in my mind and have real power.
 
Sometimes, I feel demotivated to do something that is hard work but will help move my business forward. When this happens, I tell myself that taking this action will move me closer to achieving those exciting things on my Dream Board.
 
The detail I go into with each visualisation is why they are so real to me. I can feel the heat when I am on the Great Wall of China and hear the sound of the helicopter blades as we fly over Victoria Falls.
 
When we visit the orphanage we are supporting, I can see the children’s faces. Because these images are so authentic, I take action I wouldn’t otherwise have because achieving these dreams is a big motivation.
 
You must find the right motivation for everything you want to achieve in your business and personal life.
 
 
Final Thoughts
 
Motivation is the desire to do things. It’s the difference between waking up before dawn to go for a run and lazing around the house all day instead. It’s the critical element in setting and attaining goals. 
 
Research shows that you can influence your levels of motivation and self-control, so figure out what you want, grit your teeth through the difficult period, and start being who you want to be.
 
“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.” Ralph Marston
 
 
Action Plan 

1. Visualise in your mind what you want to achieve. Do this with emotion, using all the senses of taste, touch, sound, vision and smell. Experience the feelings of having achieved what you want to do.
2. Ignore any negative voices either from people or in your head. Otherwise, you will give up before you have completed what you want to achieve.
3. Find the reason this is important to you. Ask yourself what you will get out of achieving this. Then, when you have answered that, ask again to go deeper, and then ask again to get to the real benefit to you. This will likely be one of your core values. Write the list of reasons in a document you can refer to later.
4. Write down a list of all your main achievements in life. This is a powerful tool for keeping going when things get tough, reminding you that you are good and have had many successes. 

 
Well, that’s it for this week. Have a wonderful weekend, and stay motivated.
 
Warm regards

John


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