The Motivation to Start

Just got a call from a friend. We met over a year ago when we decided to host a visitor from Uganda. It appears he'll be back for another visit only this time we know who's coming. He sounded excited to come visit and we're looking forward to seeing him.

This leads me to the word motivation. After hanging up the phone, my wife was heard to say that she now has to get some things done sooner than later. If you're like us, there's nothing like an unexpected event to motivate you to a deadline. We've already known there are some unfinished projects that we've been working on. What we didn't know was, how much faster they'd get done once we were promised a visit from a friend.

What is it that changes our energy levels, our creativity, and our motivation? It's usually an unexpected experience. For example, coming across a horrible car accident can cause some people to leap into an unprecedented level of energy and quick thinking. The threat of your mother-in-law coming to visit can spur on some incredible creativity and motivation to get your act together and organize your house.

How about the impetus for the motivation to change our attitude or get rid of a bad habit? What will it take for you to get started on something really important? The answer is this. Most people will not change an unwanted behavior or addiction until the pain to stay there is greater than the pain you will experience to force change. You often hear of a person experiencing a near death becoming much more relaxed about life once they recover. Their attitude about life has changed because a very painful experience gave them a new perspective.

What kind of pain will it take for you to find the motivation to slow down, become more thoughtful, stop a bad habit, or overcome a destructive addiction? Maybe you could try beating a painful experience to the punch. I can speak from experience... "Start today and avoid greater pain."