We all have our reasons for going to work
These are two of the reasons I go to work. Samuel is on the left, Caroline is on the right. They’re two of the things in my life that motivate me. I think it’s dangerous to try to “motivate yourself” because frankly motivating yourself for yourself is like a cat chasing it’s tail, it’s not a good thing if you get what you’re after.
How to quit quickly
Owning your own business, building your own brand and growing as a person can fill up every moment of your waking (and a few sleeping) hours. Don’t get caught in the line of thinking that tells you that you have to “self-motivate”. You’ll quit quickly and often if that’s where you’re looking for motivation. You’ll quit because if you’re digging within yourself for motivation then it’s likely you are running low on resources. That’s a bad idea. Try asking a guy panhandling for change for your $20. You’re asking the wrong guy. When you seek motivation from within you’re unlikely to find it.
The world, your world, your kids, yourself
Making the world (planet Earth) better is part of my motivation. Inside of that big world is my world, that’s the connections I have through the internet that have turned into friendships as well as where I live geographically. Providing for my family and making the name “Traub” a good one is the next layer of my motivation. My last source of motivation is myself. I have pride. I don’t want to suck. I don’t want to be embarrassed. I don’t want to lose. I want people to like me, to read my content and to listen to my shows.
Where do you get your motivation? How’s that working for ya?
My name is Andy Traub and I help people tell their stories in a way that maximizes their impact. If you'd like to create your own custom channel to reach the world then I can help. Just 
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Most of my “self motivation” is just me trying to look good for the wrong reasons, to impress the wrong people, or to toot my own horn. No wonder that runs dry so quickly. When I am spurred on by a desire to do good, to help others, to give something good to my family, those are times that I find a deep well of reserves and some real power. I feel a lot more motivated to finish the job when I’m stacking wood for a friend who needs help than when I’m building my own pile. Sure, I should be getting my stuff done, too, but sometimes it is a lot harder. Overall, I think that’s a good thing.
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Great article Andy! You’re right on. The more I look inward the weaker I get. Strength is found outside myself. Through GOD, my wife, my church I can find the right motivation, so why do I keep returning to me for motivation?
Definitely a challenge to keep working on it.
I’m not sure who told me that I was that strong, but they were wrong. I’ll take being motivated through my wife or little ones over my own agenda/plans every time. Thanks for reading brother. have a great Monday.
I think you’ve really hit on something here Andy. Motivation can often be overlooked, but it absolutely has to be there to make things happen. But what is the source? For me, it’s a bit of a moving target and my motivators are a lot like yours. But here is a big thing – where is the motivation come from to continue and persist when everything in you is telling you to slow down, back off, quit, or otherwise meander off the path?
That’s the part that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about lately. I’ll probably end up doing a post on it on my blog, but I’ve really been thinking about visualizing outcomes and engaging the senses to see what a goal/task/project accomplished looks like. It’s actually quite difficult for me because I get stuck in the “here and now” a lot. But I think that accomplishment really comes in pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone to go where few are willing to pay the price to go.
I get creeped out every time I hear about visualizing goals but every time I hear about the idea it’s from someone who reaches their goals a lot more often than I do so I think I need to get over it. Keep me posted on what works for you my friend. Thanks for reading.