Here are 4 ways to produce the motivation you need to accomplish your goals. They all begin with the letter C.
#1. Copy
There are people who live or have lived their lives in such a way that we can use them as models for our own lives. I, personally, don’t have one single person after whom I try to model my life, except, of course, Jesus Christ. But I see certain people as models for certain parts of life. For leadership, I want to emulate Abe Lincoln. For business, my father-in-law, George. For commitment to see something through to completion, my wife, Sharlene. For toughness, my brother, Jonathan. For non-fiction writing, Phillip Yancey. For fiction writing, Francine Rivers. For innovation, Steve Jobs. I use my kids, and even my grandkids as models for some things.
These models provide an image to shoot for in some way, and their images are so attractive that the idea of doing what they’ve done, in some sense, excites me. It motivates me.
I’m sure you have your system for using models for motivation as well.
#2. Chip
By chip I mean as, on your shoulder, something that rouses a bit of anger and determination, which serves as great motivation for accomplishment.
The best model I know of for this kind of motivation is Michael Jordan. MJ was famous for using some slight made by an opposing player or coach as motivation to destroy them on the court at the next opportunity, whether that opportunity was the next day after the slight or a year later. Jordan could file these slights away and pull them up when the time came, place them on his shoulder as chips and display a wrathful vengeance that his opponents would rue.
Shaqille O’Neal is another player who motivated himself with opposing players’ slights. He even once made up in his own mind a scenario that David Robinson had refused to give him an autograph when he was younger. Even though the incident never happened, Shaq so convinced himself that it did that he was able for an important game against Robinson’s Spurs to muster up a vengeance enough to play possessed by an intense anger with Robinson. Although I don’t condone taking revenge against other people, I am impressed with Shaq’s use of the chip for motivation.
What’s important for us is that we use this type of motivation for accomplishment without the element of revenge. I’ve had people I respect laugh at me and even falsely accuse me. I try to use these chips for accomplishment, not against anyone. Vengeance is okay, but the Lord says He’s the one who has the right and ability to wield it.
Personally, I use chips on my shoulder to make myself reach writing and ministry goals; this is the best use I can find for them and they help people, rather than hurt anyone.
I encourage you to place a chip on your shoulder, but only for Godly accomplishment, not against anyone.
#3. Confidence
Things happen in our lives that serve as great confidence builders, and it’s next to impossible to accomplish anything without confidence.
In my college freshman English composition class, we were assigned to write a poem in the style of the Romanticism era. I wrote a poem I titled Prelude to Summer Dusk. My professor, Dr. Hayes, called me to his office where he said he suspected I had plagiarized the poem because it seemed like something Emerson or Thoreau would have written. I was both flattered and frightened. Dr. Hayes required me to explain the meaning of the imagery of the poem. Otherwise he’d assume I’d stolen it.
I was able to articulate the meaning of the poem, so Dr. Hayes accepted it and gave me an A for it.
Being a writer wasn’t on my radar at that point in my life, but decades later, when I needed the confidence to believe I could be a good writer, I found it in remembering that experience with Dr. Hayes.
There are a handful of other experiences I remember to gain confidence for achievement. I’m sure yours are there for you, too, so let’s gather them to reach our goals in 2024.
#4. Calling
Knowing our targeted goals are missions for God’s kingdom is motivating in itself.
John 4 tells the story of Jesus speaking to a Samaritan woman at a well. After their conversation His disciples encouraged Him to eat. “I have food of which you do not know,” Jesus told them.
What food was it that He had? He answered that question with the statement, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me.”
I’ve always been intrigued by what Jesus said there. I’ve asked God to allow me to experience that, that I would be so motivated and energized by doing the work God has for me that by doing it I can go without food.
God hasn’t seen fit to answer that prayer completely yet, but I have seen an energy come from working at the things He puts in my heart to do. Coincidently, my need for sleep has decreased over the past couple of years; I’m ok with about five hours per night, and focusing on the tasks He’s called me to seems to be where I get my energy. Unfortunately, my desire for food hasn’t decreased.
Discovering what it is God has called us to do does provide a real boost for us, whereas, expending energy on ungodly pursuits can be extremely exhausting.
I invite you this year to join me in pursuing God’s callings and asking Him for the energy to perform them effectively.
