It is easy in a world full of takers to “run out of gas” or get “burnt out.” The solution therefore lies not in the fuel, not in the fire, but in the…spark! What and where do you get this spark to maintain longer, sustain stronger, and finish well?

Deeper than Energy

When you are unmotivated it is not your energy level, your enthusiasm or your passion that needs to be examined. It is something else, something deeper. Thus, to motivate by definition means “to provide (someone) with a motive for doing something,” therefore, that which is deeper is in fact your actual motive—your reason. It’s what I call your “why?”

Answer Your “Why?” Question

Your reason is the answer to your “why” question: Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Why do I want to keep doing this? We don’t have to go to exhaustive levels of why, but establishing the reason behind the action is critical to staying motivated, when all the factors say to become demotivated.

Anchor Answers vs. Fishing Line Answers

Too many people never discover a tangible anchor answer to their “why” question. Without an anchor, a ship is prone to drift—no amount of wishful thinking will change a drifting ship. An Anchor answer is a personal answer that satisfies at the deepest level of the individual—the heart. For example, a young person may ask “why am I working for ‘xyz’ company? They answer, ‘because I believe I am supposed to be at ‘xyz’ company’ …for lack of a better term, I am called to be here.” Another’s anchor answer may be, “because I at this point in my life this opportunity presents me with the best opportunity to develop my skills and be a part of a fantastic organization.” These are relatively good anchor answers.

Those anchor answers are not the fishing line answers of “because I think I can become the highest paid one day,” or “I really want to be in charge one day” or even worse, “this job will look really good on a resume for my next job one day.” Fishing line answers are those that are thrown out to catch something or someone for a time, hoping for a big payoff, and if it doesn’t come, you simply return to another fishing hole or a new type of bait. Too many young leaders are giving fishing line answers where anchor answers are needed.

Motivation Emanates from Deep 

Rewards must be viewed as incentives. Goals must be milestones along your journey. Success must be a marker. These tangible products can demotivate you if the situation and circumstances change. Therefore, your motivation stems from your heart. Motivation emanates from the essence of “who you are” and “why you do what you are doing.” This explains why some people can stay motivated longer, maintain better discipline, and actually encourage others along the way, all while, doing some of the most mundane and seemingly boring activities or jobs. Many people never come to peace with (a) who they are and even more so (b) who they are not and probably never will become.

Sparks Start Fires Not Sustain Them

Your motive is your spark. It is not the fuel that sustains your fire. It is not the accelerator that gets your fire roaring into an inferno. It is a simple spark that when needed can relight your fire. Like a spark plug it can fire whenever needed. The spark is the deep set motivation that is the genesis of your journey! Re-ignition of motivation requires a spark…your spark!
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1. Do you have a “Why?” answer to what you are doing?

2. Why is the “spark” so hard to find sometimes?

3. How good are your motives for doing what you do?