With some of the negative things going on in life and in the world, it makes some days hard to be motivated.
I know, I know. Motivation is what links us to our successes and we must stay on top of them … I was thinking the other day, “what really is motivation and how is it really defined? What really makes me want to do the things I do?”
Well, motivation is suggested to be an important link to learning and achievement. It is defined as the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.
Motivation is not “WHAT drives you” to behave in a certain way or to take a particular action. It is your WHY. Your WHY is the strongest reason for you to desire something. It is not what you desire, but the strong reason you desire it.
Your WHY has to look beyond the physical. It has to be from deep within. This way when the going gets tough, your WHY will see you through it because it is a strong, burning reason that will look straight into the eyes of opposition.
For example, my big reason WHY I started BGI Systems in 2008 was to create a legacy after we lost our oldest child Bill Gough, III in a tragic drowning accident January 1, 2007 in Palm Springs, CA while our family was on vacation. A year or so later we started a memorial charitable fund with a percentage of the proceeds from BGI Systems revenue funding the project.
Today my big reason WHY for my personal mission today is my wife, best friend, soul mate, and secret weapon Vanessa. The sacrifices she has made for our family and the tragic things that has happened along our journey together including her surviving breast cancer drives me to be a better businessman, friend, husband, and father to our children.
It has often been said that when you desire something strongly enough the whole universe conspires to bring about the circumstances, people, and resources you will need to achieve that purpose. Creating motivation is a lot easier if you know what you want to do in the first place.
Never mind how you are going to get it – decide what you want. Be as clear as possible.
Writing down what you want gets it from the abstract thoughts in your head to something concrete on paper. It is often said that writing something gives it a life of its own and makes it more real to you. It acts as a reference point that you can always refer to.
You must have a definition of motivation that is personal to you.
This is where a lot of people get stuck. They just don’t know what they want. But not YOU. You know what you want and you are ready to work to achieve it. If you know what you want, you are already on your way to being a winner.