Published Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:25 AM
Updated Tuesday, April 15, 2008 8:26 AM

 

Wise Words from Williams

Seek inspiration, not motivation


As I move around and I talk with people I find that the need to feel motivated is a common one. When people hear that I am a motivational speaker they usually want me to tell them how they can stay motivated. Here is some general advice that might be helpful to you.

Don’t seek to be motivated. Seek to be inspired. There is a difference between being motivated and being inspired.

Motivation, at least external motivation, is a fleeting experience. It lasts only for a brief time. It is like a caffeine boost.

It jolts you with a surge of excitement but after a while it goes away. That kind of motivation is usually external, which is what people often seek.

They want that quick fix, that quick, feel-good feeling. That’s why many people go to church. They want a quick pick me up. But if you want to stay motivated you can’t depend on external motivation because when the thing or person that provides that motivation is not around, you will slip back into the state you were in before.

So by Monday morning many folks who were in church on Sunday have run out of gas because the pick me up they got on Sunday has worn off. External motivation can be addictive. It’s like drugs. We need it all the time.

But it is a short-term feeling.

Being inspired is different. When you are inspired it means you are motivated from within. When I speak to groups I try to inspire them. I present in such a way that what I say and how I say it connects with something deep inside of them that makes them want to make positive changes in their lives. There is nothing as exciting as seeing positive changes in your life. That kind of motivation or excitement lasts and it comes from within.

So, when I speak I want to light a fire under my listeners that will burn on its own without some one having to be there to pep them up regularly. I see myself as the person that gets the pilot light on their mental and emotional stove going, and the individual can light any burner they want and turn the burners on as high or low as they need to.

 When some one is inspired they have their pilot light going. They don’t need some one to light their burner for them to start cooking. They can pep them selves up. They have their own internal flame to set themselves afire.

External motivation is about feeling better. Inspiration is about making yourself better. External motivation helps you to feel good. Inspiration helps you to be good. External motivation will change your emotions. Inspiration will change your life.

With due respect to my fellow ministers and speakers, I must say that we don’t always hit the target when it comes to inspiring others. We provide external motivation that makes people feel good but doesn’t necessarily make them become good. We provide that caffeine boost, that excitement that arouses them but wears off by the time they hit the pavement outside the building; or by the next day. And they come back to us week after week because they need that caffeine boost, they need that boost of excitement or feel good feeling.

 I have seen people at conferences, meetings and in churches get so excited you would think nothing can stop them. After a few days, or hours, or weeks, it all begins to fizzle. The burner burned brightly but their pilot light was not on to sustain them.

With all the things we have to deal with in our lives it is understandable that we often get emotionally and mentally tired. But it is not enough to take people from tired to wired, we must help them get inspired. We must help them get their pilot light going.

Valentine Williams is a motivational speaker, seminar/workshop leader, personal development coach, adjunct instructor and the author of Youth Empowered to Succeed. He is also the president of Williams Speaking and Training Services, a people development organization that conducts professional and personal development training and staff development workshops. You can reach him with your questions or comments at: wisewords@valentinespeaks.com