What Motivates the Motivator?

Someone wrote me an email a couple of weeks ago and said, "I would love to know what motivates YOU!" So I took them up on it and I want to spend some time telling you how I stay motivated.

It is a valid question, this one of what motivates me. After all, each and every day I have to stay on the top of my game whether it is because I am giving a speech, marketing my materials, writing to one of the subscribers I have in over 100 countries around the world, or just trying to keep my kids energized!

As I thought about it, I realized again just how simple life can be if you put the right processes in place. I realized that me staying motivated revolves around a few basic things that I do. And they are things that ANYBODY can do. So if I can stay motivated, you can too! If you want to stay motivated, try these basics that I use to keep myself motivated:

Read good books and magazines. I am an information junkie! I read all of the time. I don't care what you say; you cannot be successful without reading! I read books, magazines etc all of the time. I read a breadth of information so as to develop myself on a wide variety of topics. Keep reading them on a regular basis throughout the month and not just in reading binges. Listen to good information. Get yourself into some good tapes. Listen to what others have to say. Give yourself a budget to spend on materials that will make you into a motivated animal!

Above all, as you listen, apply the truths to your life in your head and they will become what you live! Maintain a positive group of friends and colleagues. I broke this rule yesterday and went to coffee with a real downer. I am still recovering from him! One of the best things you can do is to surround yourself with positive people who will build you up and encourage you to pursue your dreams. They will be honest with you, yes, but they will also challenge you to shoot for the stars!

Focus clearly on my goals. I know where I am going and what I want to accomplish. They are firmly rooted in my mind and heart. Because of this, my mind and heart are in an attitude of motivation all of the time. I want to hit my goals and since they are present in my heart and mind, I put my energies into them.

Discipline myself to live out my priorities. Most of the time it takes plain old work. We have to discipline ourselves and as we do we find ourselves becoming more and more motivated. If we discipline ourselves, it gives us wins and victories, which makes us feel good, which motivates us for further action. If we don't discipline ourselves, we feel defeated and we fall into a downward spiral of despair. Are you keeping yourself motivated? You can. I know you can because I have seen these principles and actions work in my own life. Take a moment right now and see if you are living out the principles for keeping motivated: Do you regularly read good books and magazines? Do you regularly listen to good material? Do you surround yourself with positive and supportive people? Do you know and focus on your goals? Do you discipline yourself to action even when you don't feel like it? Commit yourself to these and you will find that you become a much more motivated person. This is what I do, and why I can continue to motivate others! Upward and onward my friends!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.


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In The News:


Boston Globe

Atoning for Week 3 debacle vs. Miami should be ample motivation
Boston Herald, United States - 7 hours ago
If the Pats need any more motivation than that, they don’t deserve to make the playoffs. The Pats were flat out humiliated from top to bottom. ...
Patriots Out for Revenge in Miami Sports Network
Miami mouth runs; Patriots pass Boston Globe (registration)
Joey Porter on Pats: 'We don't like them, they don't like us' USA Today
Palm Beach Postall 422 news articles

Bleacher Report

Cal still has plenty of motivation
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - Nov 22, 2008
Cal's preseason goals of winning the Pac-10 title and playing in the Rose Bowl are no longer attainable, so senior defensive end Rulon Davis called a ...
The Big Game will be a big game for Stanford Arizona Daily Star
Cal players motivated to get Axe back San Jose Mercury News
Cal still smarts from '07 defeat Contra Costa Times
Daily Californian - San Francisco Chronicleall 356 news articles

Lowell's Grubbe draws motivation from teammates in football semistate
Munster Times, IN - 4 hours ago
Grubbe said he received motivation from Lowell senior running back Cody Midgett, who ran for a 44-yard touchdown earlier in the third quarter. ...
Saints seek to avenge loss to Devils Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
all 6 news articles

Washington Post

UA/OSU notebook: Motivation present
Tucson Citizen, AZ - 19 hours ago
“He is very confident and very motivational too us. He is an emotional person. We all feed off that,” UA offensive guard Joe Longacre said. ...
Rivalries spice up Pac-10's final weeks Arizona Republic
Oregon State at Arizona Football Odds Locksmith Sports Picks
Gimino: OSU's Rodgers the perfect little guy Tucson Citizen
all 512 news articles

Bombing suspect's ex-wife questioned his marriage motivation
Canada.com, Canada - 8 hours ago
OTTAWA - The American ex-wife of a man accused in one of Europe's most shocking terrorist incidents suspected their marriage may have been a ploy to get an ...

Army football preview: Mooney has plenty of motivation
Times Herald-Record, NY - Nov 21, 2008
But personal achievements aren't Mooney's motivation when he takes the field at Rutgers Saturday. "It's really for the program right now as far setting them ...

Michigan has plenty motivation to beat Buckeyes
Chicago Tribune, United States - Nov 18, 2008
"Our current players have not gotten a win over Ohio State, so that's probably the motivation for us, particularly our seniors. ...
Rich Rodriguez coached by many on OSU-Michigan tradition Detroit Free Press
OSU-UM Rivalry Up Close: Antwerp's Bryan Gray in his senior season ... Defiance Crescent News
OSU chasing Big Ten title Independent Collegian (subscription)
Toledo Blade - OSU - The Lanternall 1,585 news articles

The Associated Press

Oklahoma's Stoops: This game is motivation enough
Dallas Morning News, TX - Nov 17, 2008
"We've got all the motivation you need without having to bring up the fact they beat us a year ago," Stoops said. "It's all about this year and what the ...
Sooners looking for victory, not revenge RedRaiders.com
Big 12 Matchups AthlonSports.com
Oklahoma’s win earns lots of BCS style points Muskogee Daily Phoenix
Protrade - DeathRattleSports.comall 1,369 news articles

Bleacher Report

Oakland Raiders: 41-14 Will be the Motivation for Sunday's Rematch
Bleacher Report, CA - Nov 21, 2008
by greg pitsch (Columnist) When the season was just getting started, the Raider Nation was in full force to deter the haters that always seem to find us, ...

Pitt State running back cites mother as motivation
Pittsburg Morning Sun, KS - Nov 20, 2008
His mother’s motivation does not take away the love he has for his son, who lives in San Jose, Calif. “I always think about him,” Brandon said. ...
motivation - Google News
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