Zig
Ziglar writes in his book, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative
World
“Motivation is not permanent. But then, neither is bathing; but it is something
you should do on a regular basis.” “Ability
is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude
determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz
As we begin the new academic year parents have great
dreams to see their children doing better than what they did in the last
year. Children also have great dreams to
do better in their studies, cultural activities, sports and games. For this both parents and their children
should be motivated. Such motivated
person will achieve great things in life.
Make SMART goals - A goal is "SMART" if it is Specific,
Measurable, Ambitious but Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. What do you want to achieve this year? Why do you want to achieve this? Where do you see yourself, ten years from
now?
There is a story of an eagle, which gently coaxed
her offspring toward the edge of the nest. Her heart quivered with conflicting
emotions as she felt their resistance to her persistent nudging. “Why does the
thrill of soaring have to begin with the fear of failing?”
As in the tradition of the species, her nest was
located high on the shelf of a sheer rock face. Despite her fears, the eagle
knew it was time. Her parental mission was all but complete. There remained one
final task- the push. The eagle drew courage from an innate wisdom. Until her
children discovered their wings, there was no purpose for their lives. Until
they learned how to soar, they would fail to understand the privilege it was to
have been born an eagle. The push was the greatest gift she had to offer. And
the decisive moment dawned and the eaglet was gently pushed from the cozy and
comfortable nest into the unknown horizon. It was her supreme act of love. And so
one by one she pushed them, and they flew. Even the eagles need a push.
The difference between achievers and non-achievers
is that the first group is motivated and the second group is not. Most people
are good and qualified. Most of them can do much better than what they are
doing. But they desist and resist change as it would dislodge their comfort
zone and they would prefer to remain where they are and as they are. Fewer
expectations, less demands and less work. And it works, they think. They have
to be shown that the same things can be done in a better way. The missing link
is the spark of motivation. Achievers do not do different things but they do
things differently.
Motivation is everybody’s problem. You are Principal
of a college and you want to motivate your staff. You are a teacher and you
want to motivate your students. Parents want to motivate their children. From
the time when we get up in the morning to time we go to bed at night, we run
into dozens of situations where we need to motivate others. If we’re frustrated in our efforts (and who
isn’t?). We may give up.
Without motivation there is no change. No
learning. No actions. And, most important of all, without
motivation, there are no results. Life can only be understood backwards; but it
must be lived forwards. Pablo Casuals, the great cellist, was asked why, at
eighty-five years of age, he continued to practice five hours a day. He
replied, “Because I think I’m getting better.” Life is about growing; it is
about change. As it is said those who are not busy being born are busy dying.
As said by Henri Bergson in, Creative Evolution, “ To exist is to
change; to change is to mature and to mature is to go on creating oneself
endlessly.”. How true it is that we cannot become what we need to be by
remaining what we are. Motivation accelerates this process of becoming. The
path we shall follow in this article is not one laden with positive platitudes,
but rather it is a quest for insight, wholeness, integrity and better
performance. We shell embark upon a journey of discovery, to reflect upon and
clarify what is truly important and meaningful to you.
Motivation is that invisible force that ignites the
mind, sets your heart with feelings of zeal and zest and propels you into
action. It can persuade, convince, inspire, encourage and lead you into action,
changing your vision and life. It is the driving force in our lives. It comes
from a drive to succeed and have fulfillment in life. One has to cultivate the
right attitude and positive self-talks. Knock off the ‘t’ from can’t and
constantly indulge in auto-suggestion that I can.” “Impossible” has to be
turned into I’m possible. My students have taken “They can because they think
they can”, - to be a magic formula. It has done wonders in the lives of thousands
of students both of St Aloysius Senior Secondary School where I was the
Principal for ten years and the students of St. Aloysius College where I am the
Principal for the last ten years. In many of the human and spiritual resource
development programme I conducted in India and abroad for the last twenty
years, I have witnessed the miracle of motivation. To be inspired and motivated
means to move forward with purpose and enthusiasm. Purpose denotes clarity of
intension while enthusiasm is derived form the Greek entheos, a god or sprit
within. The motivated and inspired person comes to life with the purpose and
passion, with the daily desire to grow and contribute. Only managers who can
deal with uncertainty, with ambiguity, and with battles that are never won but
only fought well can hope to succeed.
Motivation knows your purpose in life, Growing to reach your maximum
potential, and sowing seeds that benefit others, enabling you make your life a
success. Success is a journey rather than a destination. You will never exhaust
your capacity to grow towards your potential or run out of opportunities to
help others. You will never have the problem of trying to “arrive” at an
elusive final destination. The very moment that you make the shift to finding
your purpose, growing to your potential, and helping others, you are on the
path of success. The only true measure of success is the ratio between what we
might have been and what we have become. In other words, success comes as the
result of growing to our potential. It’s been said that our potential is God’s
gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift to him. Our potential is
probably our greatest untapped resource. Henry Ford observed, “There is no man
living who isn’t capable of doing more than he thinks he can do.” Find out what
you are searching that will set your soul on fire and pursue it. And then as
President Theodore Roosevelt said, “Do what you can, with what you have, where
you are.” Never wait for inspiration or permission or an invitation to get
started. That is motivation.
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankel
relates what he learned from his experience as a prisoner in Auschwitz. He
writes, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the
human freedoms- to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to
choose one’s own way.” Again he said, “Everyone has his own specific vocation
or mission in life. Everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demand
fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced nor can his life be repeated. Thus
everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it.” Stop
being a victim and be responsible. Crisis is often what author and psychologist
Dick Leider refers to as one of life’s “wake up” calls. Who we are, implies
responsibility. There is no tougher challenge we face than to accept personal
responsibility for not only what we are but also what we can be. As the Spanish
proverb says, “He who does not look ahead remains behind.” You need to identify
and sail toward your destination. The past lives now only in your memory, but
the future holds a myriad of possibilities. You can renew yourself mentally by
replacing worn out, stagnant thinking with thoughts that simulate a sense of
hope and positive anticipation about your future. Henry Ford asserted, “The
whole secret of a successful life is to find out what is one’s destiny, and
then to do it.
“Get going. Move forward. Aim
High. Plan a takeoff. Don't just sit on the runway and hope someone will come
along and push the airplane. It simply won't happen. Change your attitude and
gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.” - Donald Trump
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