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The Secret to Motivating Others

Written by: Jim Bouchard

Article Overview: If all motivation is internal, how do you motivate someone else?

The Secret to Motivating Others

I was hoping you could tell me! I’ve got to admit; I’m supposed to be in the motivation business and I don’t know how to motivate someone else…

I’m an extremely self-motivated and driven person. I freely admit that I have very little patience with people who aren’t as self-motivated and driven as I am. In fact; they piss me off!

Worse are out and out lazy people. I can get along with just about anyone on earth, but to me slackers are lepers! I stay away from them! I’m afraid sloth is contagious and I don’t want to catch it! Besides, it seems to me that the people doing the most complaining and having the least amount of fun are usually the slackers. I’ve got no time for them.

Here’s the rub: I’m paid fairly well by people and businesses expecting some motivation. Well, I’ve got to be honest with you; all truly effective motivation is internal. Nobody else can really motivate YOU!

So what good are motivational speakers, pep talks, books and videos? An “external” motivator can help you unlock internal motivation. Here’s how:

You may be inspired by a speaker, a book, an article or movie. That’s great! The next step is to think about exactly what part of the message moved you. Something is touching you in body, mind or spirit and hopefully all three. Why does this message resonate with you?

Motivation is whatever inspires your body, mind and spirit to action. Body, mind and spirit are the sources of all human energy. In Dynamic Components of Personal Power you’ll find a detailed discussion about these components of what I call the “Energy Triangle” and how to nourish and cultivate all three sources of human power. The more a thought, idea, goal or objective resonates in body, mind and spirit the more likely you are to create the motivation and apply the discipline necessary to make that idea or goal part of your personal success.

As a professional “motivator” my job is really to challenge you with ideas and stories I believe will resonate with you. When you’re trying to motivate someone else your job is to find out what will move that person to action by finding out what touches that person’s body, mind and spirit. After years of research, study and practice as a teacher I know of only one technique that can accurately assess what will move another person to action: ASK!

Effective motivating is simply effective teaching and all effective teaching starts with a question, doesn’t it? I can jam a list a facts into your head and hope for the best, or I can ask a question. When I’m trying to motivate someone what could possibly be a more important question than asking what is important to that person? Once I have that information I can decide what, if anything I can do to inspire that person to perform effectively.

Too often people confuse motivation with compulsion. You may be able to compel someone to act in the short term. When you help that person identify internal motivation you’ve unlocked a powerful regenerative process that improves creativity, effectiveness and efficiency. On the job that translates directly to increased production and profit.

Motivation is really an attitude; to effect action you’ve got to create a behavior. Here’s the other side of the process: personal responsibility. You’re the only person who can truly motivate you. When your job is to motivate others the first step is to provide a reflective process to help the other guy realize his personal motivators. Once you identify what moves the other guy in body, mind and spirit then you may guide that person through the coaching process of creating expectations, offering responsibility and providing productive feedback; in a word: teaching.

The most motivating people in my life have always been teachers. Is this true in yours?

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Article Tags: body mind and spirit, discipline, driven person, dynamic components, earth, human energy, internal motivation, job, mind and spirit, motivational speakers, motivator, objective, patience, pep talks, personal power, personal success, slackers, sloth, talks books, triangle



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