Late one night a young man was walking home. Because of the hour, he opted to take a short cut through the cemetary. He was just about half way when he fell into a freshly dug grave that he hadn't seen. Once he regained his composure, he tried to climb out. And he tried. And he tried.
Every time he thought he'd found a hand and foothold, it would give way and he'd slide back to the bottom of the grave. After many attempts, and being quite frustrated, he settled himself into a corner to wait for the morning work crew.
A short while later, another young man with the same intent headed out across the cemetary. He, too, fell into the freshly dug grave. Unaware that he had company, he tried to climb the steep sides. Like his companion before him, he, too, slid back down. After a few attempts, a voice spoke out of the darkness, "It's no use. I've already tried."
He got out!
What is the difference between these two men? Motivation. The second had just that little extra sense of urgency to get the job done. And it provided for him what his hands and feet could not!
That's right. A sense of urgency.
When we have something that we wish to accomplish, we become active to the degree of the urgency. You know. If there is all the time in the world to do something, we take all the time in the world to get it done. However, put a deadline on the same task and it becomes urgent. We get active because we get motivated; we feel the drive; we feel the burn.
Ever consider how motivation is tied into feelings, to emotions. We become motivated when we feel like it. Have you heard a dynamic speaker and get all fired up and ready to get started. It's all you can do to just sit there and listen because your emotions have been aroused. You're excited and darn it all you just want to get out there and do it! The message had hit a nerve; it's not a brain thing but a heart thing!
Take the young man who was motivated out of the grave. Do you think he used his brain? Imagine this going through his head: "Oh, my. Who said that? You mean I'm not alone down here? Oh, my. I gotta get out of here."
Not on your life! The voice penetrated his ear; fear grabbed hold of his heart; adrenalin surged through his veins and he was out of there. How far do you think he got before his brain even kicked into gear?
Snakes do that to me....uuuggghhhh!
The motivation is obviously fear. It was fear that gave him the power; the emotional power to achieve his immediate goal.
Do you think it's possible to tap into that power without having to experience fear? Imagine that you could draw upon this emotional power whenever you wanted; whenever you had the need to accomplish a goal. You can!
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." What is he referring to? What lies within us?
It is human to achieve what is deeply, desperately desired. For the young man, it was survival. For others, it can be the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, or maybe the recognition of some admired peers. What it is, isn't important.
If you were to read the biographies of accomplished men and women, you would undoubtedly find any number of desires that empowered them to be successful. They became successful because they identified their desires. They were focused on achieving it so they drew upon their emotional power to stay motivated, to achieve their goals. They wanted it that badly.
Knowing what it is that you desperately desire, is the most important step in encouraging your emotional power. When you know exactly what it is that you want, everything in your life will be geared to achieving it. With knowledge comes focus, with focus comes direction, with direction comes the emotional power.
So do you know? Have you stopped to consider what you desperately desire? If not, why not? If so, what are you doing about it?
Merri Macartney - Speaker, Author
LIVE LAUGH LEARN Programs
www.merrimaccommunications.com
merri@merrimaccommunications.com
Phone: 1.519.396.3476 Fax: 1.866.864.7982
116 Jeater Street
Kincardine, Ontario
Canada N2Z 2X3
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