Even if some of us are natural born cheerleaders and others need constant encouragement, we are all part of the motivation cycle in one way or another. There are those who set a vision and those who do the hard work. But how well would we perform if we didn't have cheerleaders?
How can we be motivated to do anything at all, when it's as cold as it has been this past week? Have you cancelled plans because you didn't want to go outside? I certainly did, but not the important ones. I'm from Weyburn, for crying out loud. I don't let arctic winds stop me!
Winter or not, don't we all have those days where, no matter what beckons, motivation is just simply not forthcoming? If you can't empathize, take a humble approach to your obviously purpose-driven life and please be supportive of those who need encouragement and direction.
Most of us have heard of or experienced 'Monday Blues'. When we wake up on a Monday or any other morning, what gets us out of bed, ready to take on the day? Is it courage, will, habit? A sore back? A whining child?
My son had the privilege of never having to be awakened, ever, unnaturally, until school started in the fall. He still considers it a personal insult to be pulled out of his sleep and he has had a particularly difficult time with it during these recent shorter days. Usually we all have an easier time getting out of bed in the summer, because the sun is inviting us to seize the day! Right?
But on a dark and dreary morning, when you've just finished wiping the sleep from your own eyes, it's not so easy to muster the required motivational enthusiasm to rouse a youngster!
Perhaps motivation is simply elusive, just beyond the reach of the immature side of us that still needs to be held, nurtured, indulged. We have a primal right to nurture ourselves. Some of us need to retreat somewhat, in order to regenerate our spirits. We need 'womb days'. If you haven't needed those days, thank your stars and keep nurturing yourself in other ways.
We all know that if we don't go to work, we don't get paid. But if threats of inevitable lifestyle change do not motivate us, what will? Even if we have no logical reason to dread our day, some of us don't have that natural get-up-and-go. In most cases, the reality is not depression but a lack of goals.
The better we know ourselves, the more capable we are of making greater goals and the greater the goal, the more powerful its realization. So many of us, when we were young and lacking wisdom but reeking of enthusiasm, smacked our heads on the first branch on our way into the forest of our goals, because when we are motivated by that which could only ever lead us astray.
A number of years ago, I read Deepak Chopra's book, Creating Affluence. The one quote that has always stuck in my head and still resonates so strongly for me is, "Follow the goddess of Abundance and the goddess of Wisdom will never leave you alone. Follow the goddess of Wisdom and the goddess of Abundance will never leave you alone." Think about it. We can gain more than riches, if we seek that which cannot be measured by anything other than the heart. I don't know of any truly heart-led people who have been held down by hardships.
If we are motivated by materialism, we'll never stop learning hard lessons. This, of course, applies to the entire world's affairs as well as to each and every individual, who is absolutely responsible for his or her decisions and fully contributes to the world's outcomes.
I hope to motivate people to seek wisdom for the sake of knowing their own individual capacity for depth and magnitude.
Ultimately, when we remove the distractions and the 'things', we are all motivated by the same primal needs. We all want security, procreation, accomplishment and usefulness. This is why we can and should be each others' cheerleaders.
Perhaps we won't have to talk someone off a ledge every day, but maybe we need to talk them out of wasting their money on something they don't need or that will waste their time and cause them frustration.
If we're willing to talk about our womb days, others won't feel like they're alone in what they're experiencing.
Most importantly, if you need help, ask someone. You can't motivate others to help you if you don't tell them you need it. As they say, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Believe it and be mindful of the fine line between the squeaky wheel and the whining child.
