Impulse Drive

What motivates you?

Fear is a pretty good motivator. Fear of unemployment makes us do a good job. Fear of having no money makes us keep our jobs – no matter how lousy they are - and around it goes.
Some folks are self-motivated. They can do things on their own with little help from others. Other people need to be constantly under supervision, sometimes to the point of annoying their supervisors. Personal trainers and people like Martha Stewart make decent livings off people like this. Not that there’s anything wrong with it.

We all need something to motivate us. I hope that it is a little more than a little poster with a fancy phrase, or a big book full of fancy phrases – like The Bible. Some people read it every day, while others use it to keep their bathroom door from swinging open. It’s very heavy.

One thing that works for me is if I tell someone I’m going to do something. I really want to do it, but the inner lazy-boy would rather not. I tell someone, because I figure that soon enough, they will ask me, "So ... how's that [thing you told me about] going?" I don't want to look like a failure, so generally, I'll follow through.

So, I told someone, “I want to go to college.” Eight years ago, I went into our Human Resources department with a plan and a dream of getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. That motivated me to fill out some forms and start the mission. I set a goal to finish in six years, going part-time, and made it with a month to spare.

Now, I need to tell someone, "I'm going to get a new job, because the one I have now stinks to high Heaven."

So, how do you motivate yourself? Do you get help or do you do it on your own?

As a slight distraction, this is for my readers who somehow don’t find enough time to waste in front of the TV, or are perhaps too motivated to do so, here's the latest Dunkin Donuts commercial: