Now, what if I said, “Give me $1,000 today and I will give you $1,000,000 tomorrow.” Would you do it? Why?

In the first example, even though the money will become a million dollars, you’ll never be able to use it. There is no reward for you. However, in the second example, you will have a virtually instant payoff.

This is one of the biggest keys to motivation, whether you are trying to motivate yourself or others. If people do not see the payoff or cannot accept the payoff, they have absolutely no reason to be motivated to action.

So, here are some things to remember:

1. Have rewards. If you are motivating yourself, give yourself a reason to accomplish your goal. Let’s say, for example, you want to lose weight. You’ll have to diet and exercise. Give yourself one day a week when you can eat whatever you want if you did well the other six days. Not only does this create short term (weekly) goals for you, but it also gives you something to look forward to. You will be able to see, touch, smell, and taste your reward every Saturday (or whatever day you choose).

2. Set Milestones. This goes along with number 1. If you need motivation for a large task, make sure there are waypoints. Returning to our weight loss example, if you want to lose 36 pounds in one year, you must lose three pounds per month. Now, every Saturday you have something to look forward to and every weigh-day (the same each month) you can check your progress. Give yourself a non-food prize. Perhaps you want a smaller sweater or want a new painting for the living room. Promise yourself you will not get these things unless you achieve your milestone goals.

3. Get Buy in. While the other two are important, this one is probably the most important–especially when motivating others. Let’s change examples for a moment and say you are a sales manager and want your new salesperson to hit quota. You promise to take him to the new Chinese restaurant if he succeeds. That’s great, but what if he hates Chinese food? In order to motivate others, you must give them something they want. They must have a reason for accomplishing the task. If you can give them something they want that they cannot get themselves, that’s even better. For example, you have an out-of-print book he has been looking for. This principle applies to you as well. They rewards you promise yourself must be worth the investment and come in a timely fashion. Returning to the diet example: if you refuse to go to the grocery store until Saturday and refuse to have junk food in your house, then you can shop on Saturday and reward yourself. In short–rewards are not rewards without buy in.

4. Be timely with the rewards. I used to work for a company that sometimes had some great incentive programs. The only problem was, by the time they got around to passing out the bonuses, people had forgotten about them and why they received them. After a while, many people stopped caring about the contests and such because they knew it would be a while before they ever received their prize. This was intensely magnified at another company where the rewards were small trophies and in-house printed “awards.” No one cared. Sure, management thought they were great, but the salespeople often complained, “Why am I going to bust my tail to get a piece of paper five months from now?”

Becoming and staying motivated is only as hard as you make it. Motivating others is a little more difficult because it requires you to find out what types of things the person desires. People are often motivated by money (material goods), recognition, or autonomy. If you must motivate a large group of others, have a grand prize that covers all the bases. For example, a monthly contest where the winner is presented with a certificate that grants him/her an afternoon off and a $25 gift certificate to their favorite restaurant. Then you can have a couple of smaller prizes in each of the areas so everyone has something to get excited about.

There are several things you can do to keep fuel in your tank to make sure you arrive at your destination.

• Each morning when you wake up, picture yourself when you achieve your goal. Let’s say your goal is to pay off your mortgage within five years. Picture yourself writing out that last check. How does it feel? Can you see the smile on your face? Can you feel the burden of a mortgage lifted from your shoulders? Just think, with the house paid off, even if hard times come, you know you’ll have a place to live. Think of all the extra money you’ll be able to save or the additional things you can do when you aren’t sending off $1,000 or $3,000 to the finance company every month…just to cover interest.
• After you visualize and experience the joy of your final success, ask yourself, “What must I do today to take a step or two or five in that direction?” When you have your answer, go through the same exercise, picturing yourself at the end of that day, having successfully completed all you needed to do to keep you on the path.
• Find blogs, websites, and other success-minded people. Even if it’s only one or two motivational quotes, make sure you put some encouraging words in your head every single day.
• Make little notes with positive messages for yourself. Carry one in your pocket with you so every time you reach in, you have a physical reminder. Tape one to your bathroom mirror, stick one to your refrigerator, put one on the dashboard of your car just below the speedometer, and tack some up around your work space. You get the point. Promise yourself that every time you see the card, you will read it.  Below, you will see a set of cards that are available from Zazzle. These are 1″x3″ and simple. What I like about these (yes, I drew made them) is that the eagle serves as a constant reminder that if we spread our wings, we can soar to the loftiest heights.

I will succeed by livesuccess

From my experience, I have seen only a couple of reasons why people lack motivation.

1.  They have no clear goals. Without goals, it is impossible to be motivated. Motivation requires you know where you’re heading. It would be a bit like hopping in a car, cranking the engine, and idling or even revving the engine while the car remains in park. The car doesn’t move and neither do people. Now, some may argue and say they can drive without knowing where they’re going. And while this is true, it is also true that they are making a conscious decision and effort to back the car out of the drive (a goal) and then head down the road (a goal) and then turn (another goal). You get the picture. If your car is moving, you have short-term goals and some motivation.

2. They don’t think they can change anything. As Thoreau once said, many people lead lives of quiet desperation. That is, they want something different, but do not think they can have it. I know many people with this type of defeatist attitude. Sometimes they openly state it, other times they quietly skirt about the issue, paraphrasing it, but the underlying thought process is the same: “What’s the use in trying?” Many times, they add some sort of self-pitying qualifier to it. For example: “What’s the use in trying for that job? I’m not very good at interviews.”

3. They are comfortable where they are. This is probably the worst thing that can happen. Because it means two things: A) they have no goals and B) they have no desire to set goals. But there are remedies for this as well.

So, if you are unmotivated and ready to change your life for the better, let’s get started. The first thing to do is determine which type of person you are. You may fall into more than one category.

Setting Goals

Setting goals is easier than many people think. It is also harder than people think. In order for something to be a goal, it must have at least two pieces to it.

• A time frame
• A measurable result

That’s the bare minimum. Look at the following three examples. They first two are not goals:

1. I will be rich by January 1, 2015
2. I will have $40,000 in the bank
3. By January 15, 2015, I will have $40,000 in the bank

Number one is not a goal because “rich” is immeasurable. What is rich? $1,000,000? Does that mean $999,999.67 is not rich? You cannot quantify an abstract concept. Richness is abstract.

Number two is quantifiable, but it fails to have a designated time. When Napoleon lost at Waterloo, someone asked him how he lost and the little general responded, “The other general lasted five more minutes on the battlefield.” Football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “We didn’t lose the game; we just ran out of time.” Think about these quotes. Football, hockey, basketball all have time limits. Even baseball, which doesn’t have a clock, has a time frame–nine innings (excluding extra innings). The determination of winning and losing–success and failure–is based upon an outcome within a specific amount of time. Winning is a goal. It is having more points than your adversary by th end of regulation time.

Number three is a goal. It give you a specific number so you can measure your progress along the way and it provides a game clock.

Making Change

Every single thing you do changes the world. You may not see it, but it does. Picture something with me for a moment. You are standing beside a wide, deep, and winding river. You pick up a pebble and toss it into the water. You may not realize it or think it, but you have forever altered that river.  As your stone sinks to the bottom of the river, the water will have to flow around it. Not only are the molecules of water touching the pebble affected, but they equally displace every other molecule. You and your tiny stone have changed the course of the mighty river. More than that, though you cannot see it, you have raised the water level the same way dropping an ice cube into a full glass of water causes it to spill over the lip.

Rosa Parks was a pebble that leapt into the river of segregation. Could anyone have thought that one elderly woman refusing to stand could change an entire society and the lives of hundreds of millions of people for generations to come? Remember, it was not just the lives of African-Americans that changed, but whites, Asians, Hispanics, and every single person living in the United States. perhaps, even some outside the U.S., who looked across the ocean and saw a glimmer of hope for non-Europeans.

The world is a river and you hold an unlimited supply of rocks in varying sizes. Everything you do in this life will cause change. Even an act as simple as going to the grocery store changes the world, because as you do, you are using fuel, which means it must be replenished. So, oil must be drilled, gasoline must be produced, gas stations must hire people to take your payment. Tire companies must produce more tires to replace yours which will eventually wear out. The produce manager must replace the head of lettuce you bought. The farmer must raise and sell another chicken.

Remember: just because you do not see results does not mean they do not exist. If we can return to the example in number two for a moment, the person who says, “What’s the use in trying for that job? I stink at interviewing,” may not get the job, but there are several changes that hve taken place. Foremost, that person has gained more experience at interviewing. If he or she reflects upon what went well and what went poorly, that knowledge will come in handy for the next interview. Eventually, they will do everything right and land the job.

A Comfortable Life

Yes, some people may think they are comfortable, but are they? If you fall in this category, ask yourself–and answer with complete honesty–”Do I have everything I want and need?”

When asked how much money was enough, J Paul Getty–the richest man in the world at the time–said, “Just one dollar more.” Perhaps you attribute that to greed and see it as a negative. Perhaps he was greedy, but the truth is, no one has everything. Let us assume you are comfortable. You make a decent wage. You can cover all your bills. You even squirrel a little aside each month for your retirement. What happens if you take ill? How will you cover the expenses once your savings is drained? Have you gone every place in the world you would like to visit? Have you seen the Mona Lisa or heard the sound of your feet on the walks at Vatican City? And what of those you will leave behind? Will you leave something for your spouse and children? Will your legacy help your grandchildren go to college?

We can be content with our lives, but we are never truly “comfortable.” By that, I mean everyone from the homeless man in the alley to Paris Hilton wants or needs something they do not have. It may be something as basic as breakfast or as invaluable as privacy. If you fall into category three, I encourage you to examine your life. Ask yourself, “If I had a trillion dollars and the vigor of a twenty year old, where would I go? What would I do?” Your answer might be as simple as “I’d spend some time doing nothing but fishing on the river.” Great! You now know you are not “comfortable.” Because in order to spend that time on the river, you must have Time, a boat, and a way of covering your existing expenses. Now, you can set some goals and start working toward them.

If you’re asking this question, rest assured, you are not alone. There are millions of people asking that same question every day.

The first thing you must determine is are you unmotivated or unorganized?  The unorganized person does not know where he or she wants to be a year from now, five years from now, etc. Many people who believe they are “unmotivated” are actually suffering from this sense of disorientation. That is, they do not know where they want to go in life and therefore, they cannot properly plan their trip. It would be like saying, “I’m taking a vacation,” then getting in your car and having no clue as to whether you want to head to the beach, the mountains, or the Big Apple. Unfortunately, many of the people suffering from that malady crank the engine and let the car idle while they sit there in a closed garage. They die in their own indecision.

The unmotivated person is different. She knows where she wants to be, but she either doesn’t know how to begin or doesn’t want to begin. This breaks down again to two categories: truly unmotivated or unorganized again.

If you are in the latter category, the easiest way to overcome your motivational stumbling block is to break your journey into segments. For example, say your goal is to be retired by the time you are 40. You should do the following:

1. Decide what type of life retirement will be. The more lavish the lifestyle, the more money you will need.
2. Have reasonable goals for each year–ie: “By the end of year 1, I will pay off all my credit cards.”
3. Now, break down your first year into monthly segments. As each month comes, divide that into weeks and plan each accordingly. For example, since this would be week 1, ask yourself, “What can I do today that will get me closer to paying off my credit cards?” You might answer, “I won’t buy that necklace I don’t need. I’ll put that extra cash toward my highest APR card.” 

Soon, we will have some lessons on goals and goal setting techniques, so make sure you bookmark this site and come back.

If you are truly unmotivated, all is not lost. The first thing you need to do is sit down and take a breath. Ask yourself a few questions. Why are you unmotivated? Why do you not act upon your dreams? Are you afraid?

Next, picture all the things you want out of life. Imagine how it feels when you are riding in that new Porsche or vacationing on that sandy shore. Let yourself go. Let yourself experience the joy you would have if your life were absolutely perfect. Once you have spent a few minutes enjoying that life, stop. Look at where you are. Remind yourself that you are where you are and lack the things you want because you have not been motivated to chase those things.

Once you have tied all your negative feelings to your current situation and all your positive feelings to the life you want, set some goals for yourself. A little achievement goes a long way, so set a few very short-term goals. Reward yourself when you’ve accomplished those. Then begin planning further and further out, but always keep some short-term goals to keep yourself motivated.

In the near future, I will post some additional things you can do to keep become and stay motivated.