The Seven Keys to Motivation

Motivation. It's a complicated subject that is studied by
many and understood by few. Virtually every aspect of
human life -- from the mundane to the life-changing -- is
guided, swayed and altered by motivating factors.

For instance, what to have for dinner may be motivated by a
desire to lose or gain weight. Whether or not to attend a
business seminar may be motivated by the speakers,
location and cost. When and where to buy new clothing may
be motivated by a long list of personal preferences as well
as the changing seasons and weather conditions.

Even reading this article is a motivated behavior. Do you
like the style of writing? Are you curious about the subject
matter? Do you have a desire to learn new information? Do
you have enough time to finish reading? If the answers are
no, you probably won't continue reading!

But since you have continued, you are obviously motivated.
You want to learn more about how to get and stay
motivated, and how this motivation can help you become a
better business owner.

THE BUSINESS OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the most powerful driving forces in the
workplace. It can mean the difference between tremendous
success and failure.

Motivation stems from two sources. The first part of
motivation is external or extrinsic (outside the person)
sources. Other motivating factors come from internal
forces, which are mainly your thoughts, patterns and
collective experiences.

However, humans are unique, so what motivates Jack will
not necessarily motivate Jill. You -- and only you -- will be
able to determine what works.

Take the time to examine what internal and external factors
are motivating you as a business owner. What can you do
to enhance and refine your motivation to make yourself
more productive and more fulfilled?

Here are seven keys to motivation that may prove helpful.

1. INSPIRATION
Inspiration is critical to getting and staying motivated. If you
are not interested in your business, your motivation level will
never be high and you won't be able to sustain interest for
very long.

On the flip side, if you are energized and excited about the
work you are doing, you will have more persistence, energy
and intensity.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you
excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would
be surprised at the number of people who choose a
business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not
interest them in the least. These individuals will grow
weary
and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no
inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult
times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you don't really enjoy your work, then think how you can
re-focus your small business to better match your needs.
Or consider making a change entirely. That's pretty drastic
advice, but inspiration is that important.

2. SETTING GOALS
Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business
owner. If you didn't set goals, you would be adrift with
nothing to strive for and no charted course to follow.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure
about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan
may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than
goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your
own business plan and update it at least annually. Include
"mini-goals" that can be accomplished in a matter of hours,
days or weeks as well as the more ambitious "grand-goals"
that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan
throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Yes!
Written goals will make you feel more professional and
certainly more connected to your business. It will also free
you from having to reinvent your business goals every single
day.

3. NETWORKING
Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is
networking with other small business owners. One person
can't move huge mountains. However, when a number of
people begin working together the mountains are suddenly
only small hills -- simply challenges waiting to be
surmounted.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most
difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. Mutual support is
motivating. So, make it easier on yourself by connecting
with others either in your community or online. Even when
businesses are not related, you will often find common
ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right
networking group was a turning point in the growth of the
business. Working together, a networking group can help
its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve
problems faster and more efficiently. Sharing ideas,
expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of
networking groups. And, don't forget about sharing costs,
possibly by buying in bulk or with joint marketing projects.

Your own personal team of business owners will help
re-energize you when the burdens of running your own
business seem too much. With your networking team to
rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably
have more fun in the process. Certainly, you will feel less
alone.

4. REWARD YOURSELF
Small business owners will always have to work hard, but
all work and no play is a huge mistake. Your motivation will
soon begin to fall if you never take any time away from the
demands of running the business.

So, plan frequent rewards for yourself. No, it doesn't need
to be a trip to Hawaii (although this is a great idea). Your
reward can be as simple as a lunch out with an old friend, a
matinee with your significant other, an afternoon of
shopping or a relaxing massage.

If your budget and time will allow, take a few days off for a
short trip or simply schedule a vacation from work for a few
days. Make it a real vacation -- even if you don't leave town --
so no checking email, voice mail or the fax machine. You
need to get away, unwind and renew yourself. This "down"
time to regenerate will help improve your attitude and
perspective. It sounds corny, but you will come back to your
business with a new sense of motivation.

5. EXERCISE
While it isn't always immediately apparent, there is a
powerful connection between the mind and the body. It is
vital for every small business owner to take breaks and
exercise -- everyday. If your body isn't healthy, your
motivation will certainly suffer.

These exercise breaks don't have to be huge blocks of time,
and you needn't spend money joining a gym or hiring a
personal trainer. Start by walking briskly for 30 minutes
before, during or after work. After you have incorporated a
walk each day, then try doubling the time or doing two walks
each day.

Whatever works for you is best, but the important thing is to
start. You will begin to feel better.

After the walking is part of your routine, add some basic light
weights. Buy a tape or go online to find out how to properly
use the weights so you won't injure yourself.

You can keep the weights under your desk, and use them
for just a few minutes at a time. Buy a timer the next time
you are at the grocery store. Set the timer for for three
minutes to start and then add a minute or two until you're up
to 10 or 15 minutes each day.

Some small business owners have a television at work and
they schedule a CNN break along with their weights. This
way, they are catching up with world and local news while
simultaneously getting some moderate exercise.

8. ORGANIZE
Organization is critical to motivation. How can you feel good
about your work, when you can't find important papers or
you are constantly late returning messages? Your
business will falter and your motivation will suffer.

Some people just can't get organized. If you are one of
them, then consider bringing in someone -- a business
friend, family member or professional -- to help you get the
clutter and mess cleaned up. You will be amazed at how
this one important step will help you get back on the
organizational track. Don't stop there. Now really get
organized by creating business systems that will help you
streamline your operations.

The real challenge will be keeping yourself on track by
maintaining these systems. For many, it is a daily
challenge, but if you use your organizational systems you'll
be free to think about other important issues.

7. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS AND AUTHORS
As small business owners, it seems we are bombarded
with motivational ideas and materials-- tapes, books, CD's,
seminars, workbooks, videos and more. Why are there so
many different motivational products, authors and
speakers? Because people are buying these materials.
Used effectively, they are effective and therefore they sell!

However, there are so many different motivational gurus that
it is often difficult to see through the clutter to find someone
that makes sense for you -- someone who can get you "fired
up" about working and improving your business.

Try talking to your mentor or networking group members to
see who they might recommend. Start being aware of the
motivational industry and how it might help you become
more enthused and positive about your business. Do some
light research of your own to find some authors and
speakers that interest you.

Before you invest in motivational materials, you can probably
find some inexpensive ways to obtain the materials. Check
out your local library, tune into your local PBS station, buy
materials with a networking friend, visit used bookstores or
buy used materials online. Don't make a huge investment,
because you will probably want to sample many different
viewpoints.

But do these materials really work? Yes, but only if you
make the effort. Just like exercise, you have to work the
muscles -- in this case your mind muscles.

It is up to you to take that information and apply it to your own
life and business. Really use the motivational ideas over a
period of time and you will begin to see results.

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING
Motivation is what moves us forward in our daily and
business lives. Take the time to examine your motivating
factors and use some of these keys to improve your focus
and renew your enthusiasm. If you keep on track, the
motivation momentum can't help but carry you forward.

Nancy Wurtzel is the founder and of All About Baby, an ecommerce company that offers personalized and memorable gifts for children. In addition to a wide product selection, All About Baby also featured helpful and interesting site content. In addition to running her own business, Nancy consults with other small business owners providing advice about growing their ecommerce sites.

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Motivation - What Is It Really?

Motivation has been a hot topic for as long as most folks can remember. Some define motivation as a drive or a desire. Others define motivation as they work they do. For me, motivation is neither. Motivation is, in fact, the energy that is "underneath" the drive, desire and work. It's this "energy" that affects the quality of one's motivation, one's motives, and the quality of the action-result dynamic that results from motivation. More than that, this energy called motivation results from the degree one is living a life "on purpose" and the degree to which one is in alignment with one's true and real self, one's heart.

For me, motivation is an energy...a physical, psychic, emotional and spiritual energy. This energy can be described on one end of a continuum as positive, juicy, strong, energetic, adventurous, exciting, playful, healing, etc., and on the other end as stagnant, blocked, stale, stagnant, depressed, negative, killing, etc.

Motivation is a mind-body dynamic, mostly body-oriented. In my experience, few would say "I think I'm motivated." Rather, I usually hear: "I feel motivated," or the converse, "I don't feel very motivated."

In addition, the expressions "fire in the belly", "His/her heart's not in it.", "gut check", and "the mind is willing but the flesh is weak", as well as many other expressions that center around the belly area (the "energy center" of the body in Eastern traditions), also point to the body as the focal point of motivation (as opposed to the mind), the center of this energy that drives one to actions and supports one to maintain a state of motivation. Motivation, for me, is a "felt sense".

So, for me, everyone is motivated....perhaps just not in the way another would like that one to be, or even in a way we would choose our self to be.

So,

When I choose to surf the net, instead of focusing on the task at hand, I'm motivated.

When I choose to see employees as functions, as opposed to people, I'm motivated.

When I choose to gossip, bully and be sarcastic in my speech as opposed to speaking respectfully, lovingly and compassionately, I'm motivated.

When I choose to cut corners and allow greed to drive my business behaviors and processes, rather than follow an ethical path, I'm motivated.

When I choose to view conflict and negotiation as win-lose as opposed to win-win, I'm motivated.

When I choose to cheat on my taxes and my diet, I'm motivated.

When I choose to take my paycheck and only give 75% of my self to my work, as opposed to showing up 100%, I'm motivated.

When I choose to lie, cheat and steal as opposed to coming from a place of honesty, integrity and trust, I'm motivated.

When I choose to act like an emotional child rather than manifest emotionally intelligence, I'm motivated.

When I allow my ego to get in the way, and engage in self-defeating behavior, instead of coming from my real and authentic self, I'm motivated.

When I choose to numb out in front of the TV, instead of enthusiastically diving into my tasks, I'm motivated.

When I choose to have an affair as opposed to working on my relationship, I'm motivated.

When I choose to hate, as opposed to love, I'm motivated.

So, everyone is motivated.

Again, for me, the deal is the quality of the energy of the motivation and, even more, what's "underneath" the quality of that energy.

For me, what drives the quality of the energy I refer to as motivation is: purpose.

For me, purpose is heart-driven, as opposed to being mental-mind-ego driven. Purpose is what gives meaning to our existence. So, again, for me, motivation is related to purpose, and meaning. The difference in purpose as heart driven, and purpose as ego-driven is what determines where folks live, literally and figuratively, in the space between purpose and purposelessness, and meaning and meaninglessness at work, at home and at play.

In much of life, we move from action to result, action to result, action to result. The question is, "What drives my actions? What drives the motivation (energy) of my actions. The direction of one's life is most often judged on this dynamic and many also judge "success" based on this movement from action to result.

In the larger scheme of things, for me, the energy and quality of the action-result dynamic and the energy and quality with which one relates to "success" is related to whether one is living a life "on purpose" and from where one's purpose emanates (ego or heart).

In my experience, for folks at work, at home and at play, the degree of "pain and suffering" (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, social, financial, etc.) one experiences is based on the degree to which one is living out one's purpose.

So, then, for me, directly related to purpose is what we value...what it is we deem important and the degree to which we assign worth and "value" to what we value.

The Japanese have a decision-making process they refer to as "The Five Whys". Essentially, when one has to make a decision, one asks "Why", and to that response, again asks "Why?" five times...the idea being that if one can drill down five levels, then one can be fairly certain the decision has merit, i.e., a sound grounding and foundation and is not, for better words, an emotional, knee-jerk or gut decision.

So, with respect to values, when I work with folks on values, motives, etc., we ask "Why?" five times. In other words, "What does (that value, that action, that decision, etc.) "get" you?" Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

At the beginning of the work, the answers are often insightful...and usually bring one to a conscious self-awareness as to what's really, really, really, underneath their thoughts, actions and activities, i.e., their motives.

Most often it's unconscious ego needs, for example, for control, recognition, and security.

It's when we take this first look at values that folks then get to the "heart" of the matter and move into the process of discovering their (heart-felt) purpose and then come to see often vast differences between their heart-felt purpose and what has been, to date, an ego-driven desire they "thought" was their purpose.

The underlying, and root cause, questions that ultimately define our motives, then, is "What do I value?" And, then, even more importantly, "From where do I get my values?" And, finally, "Do my values bring me a greater degree of inner peace, harmony, and sense of well-being, than they do pain and suffering?"

As this process continues, folks begin to view and approach life with a difference lens; and their internal map of reality begins to change. This change manifests in how they begin to view their world of work (home and play), what's really important to their happiness and sense of well-being.

So, as folks take this conscious journey into exploring their motivation, their values, and their purpose, they often discover there's a vast difference between "striving" and "struggling" as they explore their past and current notions of "motivation" and, relatedly, purpose and meaning of work, of life, etc. They often show up with a new-found "energy" that is positive, juicy, willing, engaging, adventurous, curious, etc.

Assuredly, folks who consciously undertake the requisite deeper purpose and values work, can and will experience challenges, bumps in the road, hurdles to overcome, but now they do so with a sense of striving, with a healthy positivity and energy that, yes, may require sweat, blood and tears, but the energy they expend in the pursuit of their values is positive, disciplined, willful, strong and courageous, exciting and adventurous. They are internally and intrinsically "motivated" and sense an inner peace in their efforts. In this place, there is true purpose and true (not ego-driven) meaning to one's life.

On the other hand, those who find themselves "struggling", usually as the result of ego-driven desires and motives, coming from a "faux" purpose, seemingly are always fighting the good fight, often come from a place of resentment, anger, defiance, compliance, guilt, shame, anxiety, and a sense of plodding. They lack a sense of adventure or excitement; often fail at positive self-management, often live with a "low-grade-fever" type of malaise, sadness, depression, hopelessness, frustration, resentment, jealousy, etc. For them, their purpose and the meaning they effort to experience are often mis-guided, most often externally driven (even though they "think" it comes from their own independent thinking...never having taken the time to go deeper inside and think through their so-called purpose). In reality, most often they are actually living someone else's values (parents, friends, neighbors, reality TV characters...), i.e., someone else's purpose and so it's no wonder they seldom experience true happiness in both the short- and long-term..

So, at the end of the day, yes, both groups of people are, in fact, motivated. Both would say they "have values."

So, concerning their being motivated, and relatedly to purpose and meaning of life, the $10 questions I might pose are:

How might each view their "sense of self?" And from where do they derive their sense of self?

If they made a list of their values and then made another list of their daily do-ings, be-ings and thoughts, would the second list directly reflect the first? If not, what's underneath the disconnect?

What role might ego play in the dynamics of their relationships, with their own self and then with others at work, at home and at play?

Is there a difference in how one feels about one's self when they are alone, at four in the morning, in their own company, as opposed to being in their new car, or in their new wardrobe, or in front of their new plasma TV screen, or at work, or being the life of the party, or the standout at the meeting...? And if so, what accounts for the disconnect? What's the "cake" and what's the "icing on the cake" and why?

How might each view their world of work and their role in it?

Does work, life and play have meaning? How so?

In terms of motivation, how is your energy and where are you generally on the continuum I mentioned at the start of this article?

and,

Why are you on the planet?

(c) 2005, Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D. All rights in all media reserved.

---ABOUT THE AUTHOR---

Peter G. Vajda, Ph.D, C.P.C. is a founding partner of SpiritHeart, an Atlanta-based company that supports conscious living through coaching, counseling and facilitating. With a practice based on the dynamic intersection of mind, body, emotion and spirit - that is, Essential Well BE-ing - Peter's approach focuses on personal, business, relational and spiritual coaching. He is a professional speaker and published author. For more information contact http://www.spiritheart.net, pvajda@spiritheart.net or phone 770.804.9125

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