Motivation. Seriously, everybody is shouting from the rooftops that they have it. Â The problem is though, that those very people shouting their motivation are often the least motivated. Seriously, how motivated could someone actually be if the majority of their time is spent trying to convince the world of their level of motivation?
You see, the problem here isn’t motivation, it’s attitude. Anyone, can jump up and down and scream “look at me, I’m motivated.” The key for you though is not to try to convince others of your motivation. It’s better to first try to convince yourself.
But let me back up for a second, I tend to jump around sometimes and get a little sidetracked, but bear with me. I’m gonna try to lay this out in an organized manner.
Your Attitude Sucks, Change It 
Most people are starting off backward when they get up in the morning. They open their eyes after they’ve hit snooze a few times and then they –if they haven’t hit snooze too many times– think about what their life is like right now, but base it all on the past. They think about how their boss pisses them off, or the bills that they have to pay, the weight they have to lose, and so on and so forth. You know what I’m talking about. All that stuff that makes you NOT want to get out of the bed in the morning.
Try this one on for size. Eckhart Tolle wrote in his book The Power of Now about how the future is an illusion because it hasn’t happened, but so is your past. Your past is also an illusion because even though it did exist, the fact still remains that all that really exists now is a memory. Even what you did 5 seconds ago…straight memories yo. Just a story that you tell yourself now.
So where am I getting with all this new agey mumbo jumbo? What do illusions have to do with your attitude? Well my feathered friend, if you aren’t paying attention to RIGHT NOW then you are living in an illusion.  And living in an illusion, for all intents and purposes, is what most would define as insanity, to put it bluntly.
What is most important is what is happening right…NOW…NOW……….NOW…NOW. The point here is that at every moment you have a choice. You can live the world of insanity (which most do, so don’t feel bad) or NOW.
So then how do you change attitudes? You start by first being able to focus your mind so that it doesn’t follow every single thought down a thought train. One way to stop that is to focus on the present. Setting aside some time to meditate is a great way to get practice in staying present to each moment without wandering. And remember, meditation doesn’t necessarily have to be some ritual. You don’t have to lose motivation over a lack of sagebrush in the house. Just check out this method of easy and effective meditation that I use consistently.
Be Strong And Support Others 
The very definition of being strong is to be able to lift heavy things up that others normally couldn’t lift or carry. Some do it with weights, some with money, others emotions, but we all have someone we know that is strong in some area or another and could really help others. On the other hand, it’s often hard to recognize strengths when you are paralyzed by fear.
People are born innocent. We have no hopes, no aspirations, no fears. Nothing, just innocence. Somehow along the way, however, we develop the hopes of doing something grand, and we develop fears. We aspire to be great and then we shoot ourselves down. We shoot each other down. It becomes a perpetual cycle because people have no idea what means to truly be strong.
Now I’m not saying to go out and become and saint and help others at the expense of your own well-being. I mean honestly, if that gets you off, be my guest, but I’m gonna tell you this: the key to building up a solid foundation is to first build yourself up. If your goal is to really have a lasting impact and help others, it can’t be so it can cover up an insecurity that you may have about something else. Like, think of it as help because it feels good, not because you’re trying to cover up something else that feels bad.
It really starts with how you choose to frame the world and what type of language you use in it. For instance, if you constantly see the world as a struggle, you are going to use language that reflects that and that subsequently (nice word) leads you to subconsciously commit to actions that would make your perception accurate.
In essence, if you think like a weak person, you will be weak. But on top of that, you never truly help others. You can’t always be thinking “what about me?” Simply because you can’t possibly have the capacity (empathy) to have the compassion for anyone else and their situations. In other words, practicing authenticity (honesty) gives you the strength to be supportive of someone other than yourself.
Motivation or Master…
Or maybe motivation for masterba…ok never mind. But get this brozilla, sometimes you just don’t feel like it. A lot of people beat themselves up over it. Stop *ahem* beating yourself and maybe join yourself…Ok, that was just weird…
Let’s imagine for a moment, a castle. At the base of the castle, is your attitude. It’s the foundation you build your life on. If that foundation is good, then you can start putting some pretty cool stuff on it. Eventually, that stuff becomes motivation.
Motivation is good, it can help you get stuff done. But that’s not where it stops. Nope, not even. From there you continue building your motivation till it becomes inspiration. Now you go out and crush it and you inspire others to do it as well. Not, because they see you running your head through the walls. It’s because they see WHY you are running your head through the wall and they want to do it with you because they believe in you.
The best way to start the path to motivation is to start the path to health. And I’m not talking about losing 5 pounds in five days. Or the latest cleanse, or tablets, or whatever the hell people are trying to peddle as “healthy lifestyles” these days.
What I’m talking about here is Family, Fitness, Fun, and Fulfillment. Consider practicing making that your frame for your future thoughts. This will lead to actions that ensure that you will ALWAYS be motivated.
Jerry “been working on this one” Washington
P.S. I’ve been thinking about motivation lately. I’ve offered a discussion to my Philadelphia group and we will be meeting at my training studio in Bala Cynwyd. If you’re interested and in the area, I’d love for you to stop by. Click the link to start today Talk soon…
