This weeks Midweek Motivator is not by the fabulous Lindsey, but same old me 🙂
I’ve been particularly interested in “motivation” the last few months. Why? Because mine has been missing. It seemed to have taken a sabbatical of an undetermined amount of time and calls every so often just to remind me that when it returns I can do great things.
I have enjoyed a naturally motivated personality that has plowed me forward most of my life. There are a few key factors that have always ignited my motivation regardless of age or circumstance. 1. Competition 2. Challenge. Someone telling me that I “can’t” do something. The rebellious , slightly ugly side of me becomes suddenly fired up with an “oh yeah? I’ll show you that I CAN!” attitude that has helped me accomplish quite a bit—despite the less than savory intention.
This was pretty apparent in my younger years as a pianist and musician. I remember my piano teacher at the age of nine telling me that Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” was too hard for me and I was not advanced enough to play it. I came home slightly upset, because I had found the music at home and was determined to play it. And play it I did. I practiced my little heart out the entire week on that piece, completely neglecting all other “assigned music” to show my teacher she didn’t know what she was talking about. I think I progressed a few musical levels in those following weeks because of that motivation.
So why, with a track record of self-motivated accomplishments in my life, with endless determination to prove something, would I now find myself struggling with motivation and confidence? It was as if my motivational fuel tank had sprung a hidden leak, slowing draining itself until I was nearly unable to get anywhere at all.
I actually found some of the answers to my predicament in this book:
I attended the Get Motivated! business seminar last month. I almost didn’t attend because I “wasn’t motivated” to go. Yes, ironic. It was a great presentation with some of the worlds most influential speakers and achievers, including Olympians, Respected Politicians, Athletes, and celebrated motivational speakers. After hearing Tamera Lowe introduce her book, I knew it would hold some of the answers that I was needing.
I LOVED THIS BOOK. I think everyone should own a copy. I finally understood myself better, as well as my husband and other relationships in my life. She points out that there are not “motivated” people and “un-motivated” in our world. EVERYONE is motivated, but they are just motivated by different things.
Similar to different personality types, she says that we all have unique motivational DNA. (Drives, Needs, and Awards). In order for us to feel motivated, our particular needs in all these categories need to be met. Brilliantly, it reveals the idea of setting goals with action steps that fit these needs that we personally need in place to be motivated.
What actually motivates one person can be a de-motivator to another person. (Can I just say that my husband and I are nearly polar opposite on the motivational types? My world finally makes so much more sense now! i.e. I am motivated by working alone (I always hated working in groups during school) and am very task oriented. Ben is motivated by working in teams and is very people oriented. In order for me to flourish I need my own private space and time to work by myself. Ben does better in a team atmosphere. Ben also finds motivation in structure and detailed schedules. I hate schedules. I need variety and flexibility to do things when I want to.
So many other wonderful things that I have learned that will help me better motivate myself, as well as understand other people in my life.
You can find out your particular motivational DNA by taking this free online test.
I’m actually quite excited to not only set some new goals, but completely reassess my “action plan” for what I have already determined as goals. Does my current action plan really fit my needs to be motivated to accomplish them? I can completely abandon the idea of exercising every morning before 8:00 a.m. That doesn’t fit my motivational type 🙂 Instead I need some flexibility to just know that I’ll exercise “sometime” during the day. So far, my friends, its working great!
Has anyone else out there read this book? What are your motivation types?
Brooke Snow is a Lifestyle photographer in Cache Valley, Utah. She grew up on a dirt road on the outskirts of town where her neighbors consisted of wild life…which of course made walking to the bus stop an adventure. She has been chased to school by a herd of 114 Elk, a skunk, charged by a Moose, and they once had a wild mink sneak into the living room. Sometimes life for her can be too exciting. She currently enjoys living in her suburb hundred year old house in a quiet neighborhood where so far the only “wild life” is the neighbors pigme goats that keep escaping.
Brooke teaches private photography lessons as well as monthly photography classes in Logan, Utah.
3 Responses
I attended this seminar as well Brooke. I didn’t purchase this book, but I loved her speech. Maybe I need to take a closer look at the book. Thanks for sharing!
Marvett! How cool to know you were there! I went by myself and sort of felt like a little drop of water in a huge ocean until randomly ran into my next door neighbor who invited me to sit with her! Wish I would have known you were there!
I was there too! What a small world we live in.