Self-Motivation: You Knew It Before You Knew It
Motivational speaking and publishing is a multi-billion dollar industry. It seems like every other week I see a new “best seller” proclaiming to hold precious secrets that will change my life. I’ve read a lot of these books and you know what I’ve learned?
That I could have drawn the same conclusions, developed the same goals, on my own had I just given it some thought and looked introspectively. I didn’t need the book.
Self-Motivation: You Knew It Before You Knew It
A motivational speaker or author is successful because they’ve figured out how to awaken and confirm what we already know. Have you ever had one of those moments after you’ve read or heard something that seems to be profoundly life changing and you say to yourself, “That’s so simple! I should have realized this on my own!”
I do this all the time!
Why is that? Well, it’s because it was there all along. Quite simply, you knew it before you knew it. These ideas aren’t really new to us because they are a part of our human nature, built right in, and we connect with them without question.
People fork over mega wads of cashola to have ideas awakened in them that were there all along. They simply never thought to ask themselves the questions that mattered.
I’m not saying the motivational industry is pointless or bogus. I owe a lot of my present thinking and ideals to a number of prolific authors whose books have awakened and inspired me. But I have to wonder why we need someone else to open our eyes and see the obvious.
One of my MANY goals lately is to become a better self-motivator. Have you ever seen a self-motivator in action? It’s always easy to spot one because they tend to stand out.
They have a sparkle in their eye and aren’t afraid to challenge themselves and seek out new ways to develop and improve their character and grow as a person. They identify their own weaknesses and define goals that will help them counter those weaknesses with strengths.
Wouldn’t it be great to be that kind of person?!
So, let’s do this together! I challenge you to identify a personal weakness and then tap into your instinct for the answer. Motivate yourself to resolve it. Open you own eyes. Do it daily. You have the ability to become a better person on your own by asking yourself the questions that matter.
Can you think of some other helpful ideas for becoming a a self-motivator?
This week’s book recommendation was really inspirational for me. I’ve been very introspective lately and one of the things I’ve been trying to get a handle on is my own authenticity. As I mentioned in an earlier post, 
Today, I found myself staring down into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in progress. Two slices of bread lying open on a cutting board, both covered in peanut butter. A spoonful of blackberry jam in my hand. 
One of the many introspective discoveries I’ve made recently is how absolutely fake I can be. The plain and simple truth is that I’m much more likely to hide my true feelings rather than be real about them. 
, Ehrenreich talks about some of the negative effects of positive thinking and how America has been undermined by what she calls “reckless optimism”. 
