Why Motivational and Inspirational Speakers and Quotes Don’t Work For Me?
Here’s what works every day of my lucky, happy life.
As I’ve only coached sports, not life, and as my favourite jacket for performing on stage has ‘NOT ANOTHER GURU’ on the back, you may think I’m not qualified to speak on the subjects of motivation and inspiration.
But you’d be wrong.
I first started studying motivation and inspiration in the workplace 46 years ago, when I was completing postgraduate business qualifications.
I’ve studied occupational psychology ever since.
And I know what works for me, and it just may work for you too.
When I say ‘WORKS’, I mean ensuring you have the get-up-and-go to do useful and joyful work every day of your life.
Of course you’ll have to use different actions, triggers and people to inspire and motivate you every day, but you’ll get the general idea from how my actions, triggers and people work for me.
For example, I love live sport, even live sport on the telly. Today at 9 a.m., I watched one of my faves, Sonay Kartal, win a semi-final of the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan. She’s the lowest-ranked player to reach a final at a top tournament this year and the first Brit to reach a WTA 1000 final in 7 years.
It wasn’t the winning that inspired me; it was the process.
To beat a much higher-ranked player with far more weapons, every action, every micro-step, on every point needs to be fab.
Action precedes motivation.
Get started, then repeat.
Practice makes perfect, but you’ve got to start.
As you know from my posts, I regard the worst motivational quote of all as anything with ‘Dream big’ in it’.
That’s not because you can’t achieve your dreams. Of course you can.
I wake up every morning with things I really want to achieve, and I want to do them that day, sometimes that morning or within two hours.
That’s why the greatest athletes focus on the next point or their next action and forget about the overall score.
You need a system; willpower is not enough.
When you get to 74, as I hope you will, you get good at prioritising that day’s actions.
Time flies when you’re having fun.
My priorities are as a writer, performer, Chair of Yorkshire in Business. and being useful to family and friends.
Sticking to what I love doing and do well is motivational in itself and encourages me to take action.
If I feel my energy going low, as soon as I’m able, I go for a run, a walk, or do some sporting activity.
Stop thinking.
The We is more important than the I.
People inspire me
The famous person who has inspired me most was the late Kanya King CBE, Founder of the MOBO Awards.
Something about Kanya’s life or words she said to me may pop into my mind.
Or I remember something from the words of my two fave entrepreneurs; Jenn Crowther. and Tim Campbell.
Or I just chat with someone who makes me laugh.
If I can’t chat, run or walk, I stream performances on video:
Then I DO.
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