Our reasons for tapping into freedom or fear are often called our motivation. We can feel motivated to more forward or to halt, to grow or to shrink, to settle or to chase greatness. The actions we take in life are often based on whether our internal logic and impulses lean toward fear or freedom. If we lack compelling reasons to take action, or if our impulses are fearful or protective, then we tend to stay put. But if we have a strong list of reasons to move forward and we’ve conditioned our impulses to support freedom, we are more likely to consistently advance our lives.
The first virtue of the great among us is a remarkable level of sustained motivation. Success and fulfillment in life rests on the unflagging ability to get up, to be ourselves, to chase our dreams with fire each day, to keep willing ourselves to the next level of presence and performance and potential.
The Mother of Motivation
Our first step is to understand motivation’s root, motive, which means a reason for action. It’s the “why” we do something. To develop a motive for action, our mind, with or without conscious guidance, filters through various thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and chooses from them a set of reasons to do or not do something. Our mind’s clarity on and commitment to that choice dictates our level of motivation.
Stages of Motivation
Sparking Motivation = Ambition + Expectancy
Sustaining Motivation = Attention + Effort
Amplifying Motivation = Attitude + Environment
Life Enlarged and Glorified
Life is enlarged and glorified when motivation is alight. So let us once more spark our souls with an ambitious fire. Let us stoke this energy with close attention, constant effort, and positive attitude. Let us act with full efficacy in shaping the social and physical environments of our lives. Should we be diligent and should we succeed, our vitality will amplify, our life will magnify as if a divine light is bursting through, signaling to the world and to destiny that we are here, that it is our time, that we are ready.
* Source: The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard