Looking for motivation? Go deep.

I’ve always admired motivational experts. They get up on a stage, do their pitch, sell a few books and retire back to their very motivating life.  I heard Yazoo City’s own Zig Ziglar in San Diego back in the 1990s. Wow. The guy was a m a z i n g .

But I’ve always wondered who motivates the motivational speakers?  What gets them out of bed? And then I start thinking about who and what motivates me.

I’ll admit, I’m the kind of guy who’ll move mountains for bosses who believe in me.  I’ve been fortunate that through most of my career I’ve had bosses who truly  believed in me and my talent.  Bob Witty, Glenda Winders, Dan Turner, Chris Eddings, Shawn McIntosh, Bill Hunsberger, David Petty, Ronnie Agnew and even David Hampton are just a few of the folks early on that made my work what it became.  That really makes me want to out of bed and get to work early. And stay late.

But what happens when that dries up? I can also tell you from experience when your boss and company DON’T believe in you, it rocks you to your core. You don’t believe in me — well, I don’t believe in you.  I’ve had it happen a few times over the past 20 years.  It sucks. Even when you know your work is making a difference, you struggle just putting one foot in front of the other. Well, you can use the community’s belief in you as a a motivator.  You can look at the fact that you still have a job and need to keep your house. You can even use anger as a motivator. But that’s like using sugar to give you energy. Eventually you burn out and break down.

This is 2011. If you’re looking for outside motivation, it’s like looking for agreement in Congress. My advice?

Go deep. Deep inside your heart.

Find what you love. Read the Parable of the Talents.  Make your work about a higher purpose. Do what you love and do it often.  Read books on motivation.  Learn from the masters. Your pride in your work will wake you up before the alarm.  It will make you make good choices.  What you once thought was work will dissolve into something you love like sugar in hot tea. Just remember, you have to learn how to motivate YOURSELF. Put what motivates you safely inside your heart.  Those who want to stop you can never get to it there.  It’s something I’ve learned the hard way.

A self-motivated person will never have to look for motivation again.  It’s always right where you need it. Deep inside you. Good luck and go deep.