When was the last time you felt really motivated? That feeling of wanting to do something so badly that everything else could wait as you focused on accomplishing your goal? I had one of those experiences a couple of weeks ago when I decided, at the last minute, that the best possible gift for a baby shower the following day was a handmade baby quilt. Everything about the project appealed to me that day ... cutting and handling the silk, piecing it together, making something tangible that would be loved and enjoyed, and being creative. What was my motivation? It came from many things ... the desire to create, avoiding shopping with a cranky 3-year- old, watching the budget, the love of silk, love for the woman who I was making it for, and a distinct lack of time. What I didn't do was focus on all the reasons it was an impractical, crazy, or exhausting idea. I felt great!
How do we get ourselves into that state? Perhaps you're motivated by love, desire to serve, power, recognition, guilt, procrastination, fear, anger, success, money ... the list goes on. (It's worth noting that many of those things probably match up with your values, take a look at them if you haven't recently.) So how do we keep the motivation ball rolling? I believe it's all about balance ... lets take a look at my coaching model (pictured above) to see what I mean.
Take a good dose of desire, add a dash of ability, and glue them together with faith. Voila ... you have growth! Perhaps the trick is to keep all the pieces in play at the same time. Clients that come to me with loads of desire but little belief in their abilities often find that their motivation isn't fired up enough to overcome their fear of failure. We work on defining their abilities, and things start to get moving. For many, fear is a very effectivemotivator. It doesn't have to be that surge of adrenaline coming from a "do or die" situation, but that underlying fear of failure, rejection, lonliness, stagnation ... whatever your favorite flavor is ... that keeps you moving and reaching towards something new.
Looking back to my quilt example earlier, it fits the model well ... it was a true blend of desires, ability, and faith. I hadn't used or stretched my creative abilities in awhile, it fulfilled many desires that I hadn't paid any attention to, and I had faith that it could be done. Another important piece ... I also had the support of my husband who thought it was a great idea ... the belief and support of another person can be key.
Wondering where your motivation has gone? Wake up your desires, inventory and stretch your abilities, and know that you can do it. Bounce your ideas off of supportive friends and family, say out loud what you're going to do, and get out there and get it done!