I once tried to use money as a motivator. It could not help me.
I once tried to use power as a motivator. It could not help me.
I once tried to use fear as a motivator. It helped to control me.
I once tried to use hatred as a motivator. It only served to make me bitter.
I once tried to use women as a motivator. It could not help me.
I once tried to use my parents’ happiness as a motivator. I could not agree with their methods to achieve success.
I once tried to use numbers/statistics as a motivator. I reached my goals, but I never knew what those numbers meant.
I once tried to use indifference as a motivator – in effect, I wouldn’t care about the outcome. I always hit the mark, but you can guess about how I felt afterward.
Now something more powerful than all of these combined motivates me. It’s a culmination of my ultimate vision, my desires, my achievements, my family, my friends, my rivalries, my happiness, my pain, my struggles, my inspirations, my favorite stories, my mentors, my stubbornness, my will, and my faith.
I use passion for the goodness of my life as a motivator. I haven’t regretted anything since.
P.S. For those of you wrote comments, sent me tweets, and wrote me mail…thank you. It helped me.
photo credit: purpleslog
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26 comments to “The Laundry List of False Motivations”
That’s a big list. I guess there are all sort of wrong motivations we can use in life. Then, when they fail to make us happy, we start to become suspicious about them. I think intrinsic motivation is always better than extrinsic, and positive better than negative.
Right you are Eduard. Except, you can’t really say that motivations can be positive or negative – they’re difficult things to group. Different motivations mean different things to different people.
This is an awesome post! Love it!!
Positively Present´s last blog ..make the 3-to-1 ratio of positivity work for you
Thanks Dani!
Very true money could never be a motivating factor, all it does is dilute your posiitve energy.
It can only be a bi-product of your success , none the less necessary, it could never bring love to your work.
The only motivating factor is love of work, not love of money!
Love for work is what drives riches into your reality. As napoleon his listed the necessity for riches, money came last on the list!
Positive attitude or drive i think came first!
Money is a terrible motivator. Some people use it as a motivator and eventually make a lot of it. But are they really happy in the long run?
Makes you think doesn’t it…
So true, so true. We believe all these different things can motivate us, buy only our passion shines through. Excellent, well covered subject.
Erin´s last blog ..Be Strong and Courageous
Thanks Erin, I hope my passion is enough to get me to where I desire to be.
Oh man, that is awesome. So right on, I absolutely love it. Passion for the goodness of my life. That is a great motivator, and that goodness never goes away, so the motivator can remain constant.
Eric | Eden Journal´s last blog ..A Choice and a Purpose; Entering this Earthly Realm
Glad you approve. Nope, that passion’s going to be there until I die.
I really liked this one. It really is all about identifying what can serve as that consistent motivation and finding ways to tap into that passion over and over again. Once we have determined that, we have found a very important piece of the puzzle.
Sibyl – alternaview´s last blog ..How to Immediately Get in a Better Mood…(especially when you are just having a so-so day or someone has upset you)
It’s just as you say – passion will always be there. It’ll drive you to the ends of the earth, to the top of the highest mountain. And in the event your passion starts to waver, it’s onto a new passion that motivates even higher still.
Passion.. wow
Why haven’t I thought about it?
Thank you
I know! Who’d a thunk it….
Welcome to the blog Ana.
Hi John! I think that all of those things do make up some part of life… I don’t know about you, but I “see” people with passion for what they do and it gets me going.
Passion is a very powerful thing and it will serve each one of us well. The next step is knowing what we are passionate about… But that is another story!
Best wishes,
K
Oh right
Seeing people with passion, (so much hope and inspiration) really gets me going as well. The brightness in their future transforms into a brightness for mine. And then…I simply take off.
Hey John,
This is such an awesome post!
Simple powerful and effective. And nothing quite like the ultimate vision huh….Thats my great motivator too…just so simply work!!
So happy you found this ….
Much Love,
Z~
Zeenat{Positive Provocations}´s last blog ..How to Positively handle a Break-Up
Thanks Z, I’m happy too
May passion bring us ever closer to our desires.
Passion you have called it, but I may also call it love.
Love, passion – same difference Walter
I’m right with you John, passion is such a powerful motivator, not easy to find but once you’ve found it it’s like controlled white water rafting.
Powerful post John.
Steven Aitchison´s last blog ..Focus On Your Output, And Restrain Your Input
Thank you, Steven. I only wish that I realized this earlier. Maybe I could’ve started this blog a few years ago.
i believe that the key to motivation differs from one person to another, while someone would be motivated by money the second won’t care about it, its all about finding your key and seems that you did
My point was that there are a lot of motivators, but the most effect ones are those that focus on your internal happiness and not on material possessions or superficial improvements to your surroundings.
My motivations doing well for me so far.