Motivation

Certain things get me fired up.

Stuff like success stories, underdogs, great quotes, specific music and movies, being told I can’t do something… even rejection.

When I was a teenager, this mindset got me into trouble.

As I got older, I learned how to harness it in a much more positive way.

The #1 motivator in my life is not being where I want to be in terms of my career and accomplishments.

I doubt I ever will be, actually.

And I can accept that, because the chase is what gets me up each morning like a bat out of hell.

Not to mention as I hit goals, I keep raising the bar higher for myself.

At 34, I know I’m supposed to be patient, and I try, but I always feel this incredible sense of urgency…

It’s like the deadline is tomorrow and I haven’t even started the assignment!

Sometimes it drives me a little nuts, but at the same time it’s kind of fun because I have a constant adrenaline rush.

That’s how it is when you love what you do, but it can be hard to stay focused.

To help maintain an even keel, I keep a journal.

It started out as just a “Goals” journal, but my amazing wife recommended I add things I’m grateful for to it, which has made it much more uplifting for me—capping off my daily entry with a dose of gratitude vs. just a list of things I desire but don’t currently have.

In addition to my “Goals & Gratitude” journal, there are some other things that work for me personally in terms of inspiration. I will share some of them here.

Maybe you’ll feel the same way, maybe not.

The fact that you’re reading this means you’re at least somewhat interested in this kind of stuff, so I’ll indulge you 🙂

Eric Thomas & Les Brown: motivational speech compilation (I’ve probably listened to this over 100 times; the audio is what inspires me, not so much the video.)