Motivation is the key to achieving any goal as well as remaining happy and enthused in life. If motive is the impulse that causes us to act, motivation is our mental and spiritual machinery designed to mobilize a person toward a goal. It is our passion to live, and for the goal-oriented person, it is the passion for life.
Personal power sensei Anthony Robbins says, “Giant goals produce giant motivation.” Having inspirational goals motivates us to get out of bed every morning to embrace the greatness we earn by achieving our goals.
Dare I say it, it is nearly impossible to roll out of bed each morning and awaken with a passion for life without motivation. There will be days, alas, when you are despondent. Here, the odds are playing against you. To allow this to persist is to welcome defeat.
Play these odds in your favor by seeking the inspirational. Who or what motivates you? Is it God? Is it a leader like Lincoln, Gandhi or King? Is it civic action like environmental protection or human rights? Is it a brave soldier, social activist, or exemplary athlete? Could it be a book like To Kill a Mockingbird or On the Road? Is it a dancer, artist, actor, athlete? Your spouse? Your children? A clear blue sky? A field of flowers? An iceberg? A mountain? An eagle? A pot of gold? Pot?
We find inspiration in the most peculiar, personal places. Only you know what inspires you. In fact, please take a moment – NOW! – to think about those moments in your life when your heart soared, when you felt 10 feet tall, and when you had the confidence of a lion. What about when you were stirred up emotionally and intellectually?
*DO THIS NOW*
Us the following page write down these moments and influences in your life.
*DO THIS NOW*
Stuff that sizzles my bacon
Now, spend some time contemplating what you wrote down. Can you remember what inspired you? Was it a person, place, thing or occasion? Think hard. Refine it down to a moment of clarity, a “diamond bullet in the forehead” as Colonel Kurtz described in Apocalypse Now.
If you can recall it (that is to say, call upon it) you have your source of inspiration. Having this source of inspiration can be duplicated, replicated, imported and transported. You can carry it with you and channel it whenever you need a lift, whenever you need a reminder of what’s important and why you are passionate about your goal and about life.
As I stated, we all find inspiration in the most peculiar, personal places. Allow me to share with you some of mine:
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| Bully! |
The PBS American Experience biopic of Theodore Roosevelt. What an inspiration. His life was as full as the earth he lived in. I knew very little about the life and enthusiasms of Roosevelt before watching this. This show was followed by volumes of biographies I consumed to learn more about him. Though he lived more than 50 years ahead of my time, Roosevelt changed my life. He is an inspiration, and to remind myself of his life and that which moves me, I keep his portrait near.
Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air. Crazy as it seems, Krakauer’s story of eight doomed climbers on Mt. Everest actually inspired me to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. It wasn’t the story of death and suffering that moved me; rather, it was Krakauer’s very personal autobiography of mountain climbing and how it was his obsession. Mountain climbing to him was practically religious. I felt that while reading the book, and knowing that I had little interest in becoming a technical mountain climber risking life and limb to perch atop Mother Earth’s highest peaks, I was inspired enough to take the challenge to Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro.
Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Is it a coincidence that I read this book cover-to-cover during my 14-hour layover in the U.K en route to my destiny with Kilimanjaro? This Krakauer story tells the true tale of a young man from an affluent family who gave up everything – namely hygiene – to live a life on the road. Another Krakauer tragedy, the protagonist ends up dead in Alaska’s wilderness under curious circumstances. Again, the overall story isn’t what captured my imagination; it was Krakauer’s autobiographical linkage of his life to that of the main character. Doing so he explored the primeval motivations of wanderlust and empathized with the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery in the wild, which so captured my imagination.
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. This book instilled in me a spirituality of adventure. I believe that humans are naturally wild at heart, and when we follow our hearts, we’ll go to wild places. No, I’m not suggesting joining the circus or making your life at the corner of Haight and Asbury. But when you examine your heart and explore its desires you will find yourself in places (see Into Thin Air above), a state of mind (see “beer” below), and a spiritual awareness (see Gospels below) that you would otherwise never find unless by accident. To paraphrase Robert Kennedy, who paraphrased George Bernard Shaw, “There are those who long to find their place in the world and ask ‘Where?’ I prefer to dream of open frontier and ask, ‘Where to?’”
The pitcher of beer prelude to my decision to run my first marathon. What can I say? Liquid bravery.
The pitcher of beer prelude to my decision to skydive. Uhh. What can I say? Oops.
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| Capricorn One |
The Gospels. Hey, Jesus saved my life. I don’t care what they may know. I don’t care what they may do. I don’t care what they may say. Jesus is just all right. Oh, yeah. (with apologies to the Doobie Brothers).
Inspiration can come from watching movies like Dead Poets Society, Rocky and Pre, or whatever fills your pants with ants. Much of my inspiration, as you can tell, comes from books, and occasionally beer. Whenever I feel like I need a pick me up, I look for a biography or heroic story to lift me up. To me, the books are trophies of inspiration that adorn my shelves; a conspicuous reminder of what moves me.
My books are no different than taping a picture to your mirror of the dress you long to fit in or the poster on the wall of the hero you most admire – and seek to emulate.
They are like little monuments. In fact, what is a monument if not a physical memorial (i.e., something designed to make us remember) of an inspirational person, place or event. Ostensibly, the Lincoln Memorial is designed for us to remember the heroic figure of Abraham Lincoln and to find inspiration from his example of heroic leadership during our nation’s lowest moment. Indeed, there’s a reason Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, and it wasn’t merely because of the Emancipation Proclamation. King sought to cast his persona in the mold of America’s greatest, most humble leader. He found inspiration in Abraham Lincoln, and today millions around the globe find inspiration in King.
The point is this: you know what inspires you. You may have to remind yourself. You might even have to leave clues and little monuments and posters and pictures to remain tethered to it. Tap into that resource and make it energize you.
Since this is a book about goal achievement and marathon completion, allow me to refine this in the context of running. To remain focused and motivated on training, I subscribe to emails and magazines about running that share with me techniques on training and tips on eating. There are personal stories of runners who struggle, fail, and succeed. There are how-tos on staying motivated and focused.
The real value, in my opinion, is a regular, frequent exposure to the running life, without which I might be tempted to stray and lose interest. One day of skipped running could turn into several days, perhaps weeks. One unhealthy meal could turn into a saturated fat love affair that could lead to outright nutrition adultery. A day in the dumps could become the pity party that galvanizes into apathy and indifference.
Other helpful influences can be where you run. Perhaps the most motivational place to run is the National Mall in Washington, DC, or the LSU Lakes in Baton Rouge, LA. I am lucky to have trained at both.
You can be inspired by your running partner or from music you listen to while running. I use my running time to think big thoughts, which actually puts the spring in my step.
Staying focused – with the help of outside influences – is key to sustained motivation in training and in life. By surrounding yourself with the things that inspire you, you are playing the odds to your favor.
Paul’s attempt at being profound:
A lump of clay is nothing until it is shaped. If you condition yourself to manage outside influences that help shape you, the source of power available to you is limitless.
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Let me make a clear distinction that – to me – is important. I don’t subscribe to most motivational speakers whose messages are quite simply, “Let a smile be your umbrella” or “smile and the world smiles with you.” There are a lot these motivational speakers and thinkers making a lot of money off depressed, vulnerable people. I’m not saying they’re necessarily wrong or bad. In fact, they might even help some people.
I believe, however, that life is much more complicated and that the forces of humanity and nature are often too powerful to be overcome by a dopey smile or daily affirmation. If life were that easy, people would be happier and alcoholics, drug abusers and smokers could be unshackled from their torture with a mere grin and greeting card.
I think it is wrong to believe that life is as simple as a smile. But, I will go to my grave arguing that a happy life if impossible without it.
Well, what the hell does that mean?
Just like motivation is nurtured in an environment of inspiration, a happy life is optimized when you create an environment of happiness.
How contagious is laughter when you see others laughing? How much harder do you laugh when others laugh with you? It is easy to find joy when the world around you is happy. And, clearly, external influences affect your disposition. Otherwise, how else could you explain why funny people cause milk to come out your nose? So why not surround yourself as often as you can with those people, places, things, and occasions that bring you joy?
Ask yourself these questions:
How do you behave when you’re happy? I whistle and sing, and to the horror of others, occasionally dance. I believe that if you did these things more frequently, you would find your mood a little lighter, a little more often. Do you whistle and sing when you’re in a good mood. Try it now; see how you feel.
I sometimes whistle and sing to become happy, not necessarily as a passive effect of me becoming happy. In other words, some stimuli like singing and whistling can be as much the cause as the effect.
What things make you happy? Books, as you already know, strike my fancy. Some people find happiness in clothes and jewelry, and while I am loathe to encourage a quest for happiness in material things, it is undeniable that such objects cause some people happiness. So, what is it that appeals to you? How do you feel when you hold these things? When I have a book, I am content, focused, and quite satisfied. Do you like collecting items? Does a vase of flowers cheer you up? If the nouns that bring you joy inspire such feelings, why not cause yourself to be with them and near them often?
Are there places that bring you happiness? One word: BEACH. I looooooove the beach. I want to be there right now! I want to hear the waves crashing, the gulls laughing, the beer cans cracking, and the sunscreen a-slapping. I just love the outdoors. Period. Hiking. Fishing. Walking. Running. I am completely, totally blissful when I’m outdoors, and especially when the outdoors = beach. Do you have similar experiences? Are there places you go that cause emotions to stir? A store? A restaurant? Home? Museum? Another city? Another country? Maybe you like to visit a mentally far away place. Whatever floats your boat is fine. I won’t judge. However, if there is a place or places that bring you happiness, try visiting those places as often as you can. Even making plans to go or flipping through photos and memories of those places can inspire glee. Yes, glee.
What people make you happy? My wife, kids and family. Well, most of my family. And if you are a family member reading this book, consider yourself one of my favs. I might add that I had a dog once that I loved as much as a human family member. He was, I think, my best friend. While his four paws padded this earth, he brought be considerable friendship and joy. Maybe the happy people in your life are pets. Either way, spend more time with both and you’ll find yourself quite the happy camper.
What activities bring you pleasure? I like fishing, reading, playing with my kids and running. I even like working in the yard. I like to travel with my wife and take her to restaurants. My daughter’s soccer games are pretty fun, and going on walks with my little son brings a smile to my face just writing about it. What do you enjoy doing for pleasure? Is there anything stopping you from engaging in these activities more often? If so, finish reading this book, which teaches you how to get what you want. If not, make a point of doing these things more often. You’ll find it is good for your mind and your soul.
As it is with motivation, the key to happiness is not that difficult to find. Sure, life will be hard and surprise us all with unexpected unpleasantness. But those occasions are as rare as they are unavoidable. In the meantime you are the only one who can control how you feel. I believe happiness is a choice – I really do – and if you choose to be happy, it is easy to be happy, particularly if you draw yourself nearer to those things that make you happy.
Think of it this way: you like being comfortable, right? Who doesn’t? You know how to make yourself comfortable by sitting or lying down when you’re tired, and snuggling in a blanket or sweater when you’re cold, and removing your clothes when you’re hot (though that will likely make the rest of us uncomfortable). As simpleton as it seems, the same is true with motivation and happiness. Find what inspires you, find what makes you happy, and wrap yourself in it like a Snuggie.
Play these “happy” odds in your favor by surrounding yourself, or getting yourself near, those people, places, things, and occasions that bring you joy. Who or what brings you happiness? Only you know.
Please take a moment – yes, NOW! – to think what behavior you demonstrate when you’re happy and what things bring you happiness or cause you to be happy.
*DO THIS NOW*
Take a sheet of paper and write down these happy moments and influences in your life.
*DO THIS NOW*
A few of my favorite things
There you have it. There’s your “happy list.” You now have your source of happiness. Choose to be happy and draw on this list to channel its power whenever you need a lift, whenever you need a reminder of what’s important and why you are on this planet.
Remember, you are the source of your own emotions.
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