Thursday, June 14, 2012

Questions On Motivation

Not too long ago I visited South Korea with my wife and daughter. I stayed three weeks and they stayed five. When I finally arrived at home after several hours of flying (11 from Seoul to San Francisco + 10 hours of layover + 8 from San Francisco to Nashville via Detroit), I was exhausted. Because of the 14-hour time difference I slept all day and was up all night, wide awake!

There is not much on TV during the overnight hours except for infomercials. Luckily, my local PBS was having a fundraiser, and that is when public television stations seem to air premium content.

DR. WAYNE DYER
One of the shows I watched featured author and speaker Wayne Dyer. Over the course of two hours he inspired the audience to make changes in their thinking. What really intrigued me, however, was a story he told about visiting Europe.

Dr. Dyer related that he had visited several places in Europe where miracles had occured, as verified by the Catholic Church. When visiting these places, Dr. Dyer gave talks, and said that he was so moved from being in these "special places" that he delivered inspirational words to others he didn't even know were inside his mind!

FRIENDS vs NO FRIENDS
As I was watching the show, I began to think about motivation and reflected on recent experiences with my daughter. If we go for a walk in a park, and Erika is with her friends, she is able to run ahead and expend energy all day long. If we go for a walk and her friends are not present, she acts like she is walking towards her doom and each step is a painful task. I've told her, "the difference between these situations is in your mind."

LANDS OF THE BIBLE
I know several people who have visited the Holy Land areas around Jerusalem in order to walk where Jesus walked and visit the historical landmarks from Biblical times. Many of these people return with a renewed commitment to deeper spiritual study. However, if you are a Christian, as I am, you believe that Jesus is in heaven, NOT living in Israel! So, why is there a need to visit Bethlehem or Jerusalem to have a stronger spiritual connection?

QUESTIONS
I have been thinking about motivation and inspiration. I jotted down a few questions that I hope will guide me as I begin to explore how to be motivated or inspired to accomplish what you desire without having to visit places of inspiration.

  1. Why do we need to visit special places to be motivated or inspired?
  2. Why do athletes or teams need a coach to motivate them?
  3. How can you motivate yourself to accomplish whatever you want?
Have you visited a special place, and did you come away motivated or inspired? If so, please tell me about it. What motivates or inspires you? Let me know.