I go to a boot camp class during the week. I like the people there and the way that they support each other. My daughter has been with me several times and seems to like the class as well except for one thing, the “high fives”. Yes, I said high fives. In this class, you are encouraged to give each other a high five at the end of a set of exercises or after hitting a goal or just as a way to motivate others.
Personally, I am a fan of the high five. It makes me feel connected to those around me, that we share a common goal. It gives me a sense that we are all in it together. My daughter, however, feels differently. She is totally focused on her workout and prefers no interruptions. She feels that giving a high five is not genuine and is not the way she would typically inspire others.
She pointed out to me that you communicate with others the way you want to be communicated to. For example, if you are motivated by working hard, you will most likely work hard to be an example to inspire others. I hadn’t really considered this before and it made me start thinking about motivation in general.
Motivation is a tricky thing. We spend a lot of time reading articles and watching videos in an effort to find motivation. Reading and learning about something new is great but most of this type of inspiration is short lived. It’s not until we apply what we have learned that we can find true inspiration.
The interesting thing about motivation is that it is a result of action, not the cause of it. By taking action, by creating things and even by making mistakes, we find the momentum to move forward. An object in motion tends to stay in motion, right? Starting is always the hardest part of the process. Once you have started it’s much easier to keep going.
Yes, we may find inspiration in other people’s ideas, but the real power is within your own doing. Combine your ideas with action. Bring your ideas to life and incorporate them into your work. Learn a new skill and then create something with it.
Once you’ve got the motivation going, I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether or not a high five is in order.
