Why Motivation Is like Deodorant!

So you like to go to seminars. Are you just a once a year kind of person or a real seminar junkie? Either way what did you really learn, and how much stuck with you after the next week of work? What did you apply to you job, where this new concept really changed you or made you do things differently?

Seminars DON’T work for most people! The average person comes away from a meeting and (hopefully, if it is a dynamic speaker) says “Wow this is great, I’m gonna change this and do that!”. NOT! It is like going to that seminar and then putting the material or workbook on your shelf and never looking at it again.

What happens when you put on deodorant? The stuff wears off, and the next day you smell lousy again! Motivation does the same thing....It lasts about 24 hours.

O.K. now put yourself at any stadium in the country for any Pro football or baseball game. You follow the team into the locker room and the coach is firing up the team saying stuff like “I know you guys can do it, you're the best, I believe in you..etc...." The team heads out to the field and is feeling real good, but something unexpected happens: they lose the game. What a disappointment. Why did they lose the game? SIMPLE. The coach gave a great speech, but where was the practice and making people better at their position by going over the basics?

Have you ever owned a dog? If so, how did you train them? I’ll bet it was first taking them outside, when they did their business you praised them and then gave a little treat! But by constant repetition, and positive motivation the dog now knows what to do and you can throw away the paper or put the cage in the basement. Children learn the same way, in fact; here's an earth shattering fact: so do adults!

So that's the problem with just pure motivation.....where’s the practice and repetition?

When you go the next seminar or retreat you must follow a few certain rules for the information you're about to hear...to become reality.

1. A goal without a plan is a wish. What is your plan on implementation after the seminar? What will you do and in what time frame? Write it out. Imagine going into the bank and asking for a loan without a business plan. You will not get too far.

2. Define your Goals. Goals must fall into four vital areas. First, it must have a specific time frame (days, weeks, or months) Second, it must be measurable ( so you know when you’ve achieved it). Third, the goal has to be realistic, so you do not get frustrated and give up. Lastly, your goal must be challenging, so you will have a sense of accomplishment.

3. Take small steps. If you ever saw the movie What About Bob? with Bill Murray, it said to take Baby Steps. Don’t do it all at once. Do a little bit each day and work to your final goal. You never heard of anyone having a great body by working out just once or going on a diet for one day.

4.Celebrate small successes. Who says that you should only celebrate after you finish the big goal? What about all those steps to get there? If you want to lose fifty pounds, aren’t you thrilled when you lose the first 10, or 20?

5.Practice, practice, practice. After you just changed your old habit into something new, you must practice so you can stay on top of it. Harvey McKay said in his book Swim With The Sharks, "If you are practicing all the time and doing it wrong you are now perfecting an error.”  You must continue to practice all the time.

So the next time you go to a seminar and hear a speaker like myself, don’t just go home and say “This will work, I can do it!” Have a plan, follow your plan and turn your goal into reality by following a few basic steps.

Remember: The IDEA IS 10% and the IMPLEMENTATION is 90%, but YOU CANNOT TEACH PIGS TO FLY NO MATTER HOW LONG THE RUNWAY IS!

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