The Power of Motivation

A nice busy week again this week with a new coaching client, a good meeting at Biocity Nottingham, a great group in Manchester for my Mental Resilience workshop and some really impactful coaching in Rotherham. I am motivated by what I do but there are times when I need to find extra motivation to complete certain tasks.

The definition of motivation according to the biggest and most popular dictionary in the world is; ‘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 workshops I often describe it 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.’

It is easy to make a cup of tea because the pleasure of enjoying the cup of tea far outweighs the pain of putting the kettle on and making the tea. However it’s completely different when the bedroom needs decorating or the garage needs cleaning out and the floor painting or the tax returns need completing.

The motivation factor comes into place whenever we have something to be completed or achieved. When I was younger playing basketball, I needed a reason to shoot the basketball into the basket thousands of times in order to improve my game. This came with the visualisation of me playing for England basketball team. I had this vision which I developed using the techniques I have described in previous blogs https://www.jdmindcoach.com/blog  This vision became so strong that it drove me to get up early and stay up late to practice.

I wasn’t the most talented player in England but I was one of the most motivated and I simply worked harder than the others and put more time in. As the months and years went by I improved at a quicker rate than the other players and I was the one from Nottingham who made it into the England team not because I was more talented but because my motivation level was higher.

When those days arrived when I just couldn’t face another session in the gym, the vision of me in an England tracksuit playing for my country with the national anthem playing spurred me on to get into that gym. I have come to realise that nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without hard work. Therefore I suggest that everyone who has ever achieved anything challenging has done it through hard work and high levels of motivation. All the top achievers in the world have used this key principle to succeed.

Our job is to find the motivation to get the tough things done. This is easier said than done but is possible. I have a Dream board with 24 things on it and these are very exciting things I want to achieve before I die. I visualise having achieved these in great detail every morning so the images are etched in my mind and have real power. When I feel demotivated to do something which will help my business but is hard work, I tell myself that if I do this thing in front of me then it will get me closer to achieving those dreams on my board.

The detail I go into with each visualisation is the reason they are so real to me. I can feel the heat when I am on the Great Wall of China. I can hear the sound of the helicopter blades as we fly over the Victoria Falls. I can see the children’s faces when we visit the orphanage we are supporting. Because these are so real to me, I get things done which I wouldn’t otherwise do, because achieving these dreams is a very big motivation to me

You have to find the right motivation for everything you want to achieve in your business and personal life if you want to be successful. There are so many levels and the greater the level the easier it is to take action and the more we get done. Some famous people have said some very interesting things about this:

“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” ~ Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth is the most famous baseball player in American history and he demonstrated how the ‘never give up attitude’ is almost unstoppable. If you’re the type of person that never gives up, you’re going to be really hard to beat. Sticking with things until you get what you want is the mark of a winner not just because it shows an indomitable spirit, but because it represents a powerful intention.

Maybe one of the secrets to success is to find the motivation that’s big enough for all you do. So until next week make it your intention to look at how you can increase that level.

One thing I don’t need motivation for is my marriage to Julie in 3 weeks time! Everything is getting done because it is so high and I can’t wait for the special day!

Have a great week and stay positive.

Warm regards

John