Uncovering Your Motivations

Before you can tap into the power of your most deeply held motivations, you must uncover them. You'd think it would be easy to rattle off the things that motivate you, but in most cases it actually requires a bit of digging. Our busy lives are so focused on the immediate (getting to the next item on the list, finding a way to pay this month's bills, etc.) that we often lose track of those almost primal urges that can truly help drive us toward our greatest successes. Here's a great exercise to help you discover your motivations. Sit down with a blank sheet of paper and a pen or in front of a blank word processing document at your PC and answer the following hypothetical question: "If time, money or other resources weren't an issue, what would you like to accomplish?" Don't spend too much time thinking about your answers. Just let them come naturally and get them out as quickly as possible for several minutes. You'll soon find that you have generated a fairly extensive list of things you would love to do if you weren't limited by outside factors. After you have your list, go through each individual item and note why each individual objective you brainstormed is so appealing. This allows you to start understanding what really motivates you. You might discover that a preponderance of your dream accomplishments related to helping others. Or, you might find that they were motivated by a strong desire to provide security for your family. You could be motivated by almost anything, and this simple exercise allows you to find out what your deepest motivations are. By divorcing your dreams from the limitations of reality, you are able to develop a much clearer picture of what "makes you tick." Knowing your individual motivations is a key to self-improvement. You can't hope to reach your potential if you don't understand why you want to get there in the first place!