Staying Motivated and Resolute, no matter what!

Last Thursday I conducted two workshops at the Tulsa World Career Fair (alright, my wife and I did the last one together, so I only did one solo presentation). Those of you who have attended one of my workshops know that they are a study in controlled chaos because I have lots of audience participation. I take this approach because I’ve attended so many workshops that were totally boring—usually because the presenter hadn’t identified areas the participants were needing solutions. By getting feedback from the audience, I uncover those things that my audience perceives as conundrums and allow those things to guide my presentation.

That evening, as I debriefed myself, I realized that whether a person is looking for a better position, selling a product or trying to motivate a group of employees there are two common challenges my controlled chaos approach draws out in workshops. The first is maintaining personal motivation; the second is remaining resolute in the face of opposition or obstacles.

In my talk “The Miracle of Self-Motivation” one of the five principles I discuss is that having not only worthy goals, but goals that you really believe in is key to maintaining enthusiasm and motivation. If, for example a sales person really believes that a specific product will not only put commission dollars in her wallet but help the customer solve a problem, it is easier to maintain/rekindle the motivation needed to keep moving toward her goals. If a person interviewing for a job really believes that he has something to offer an employer, it is easier for him to stay motivated even in the face of constant rejection.

This brings me to the second challenge—remaining resolute in the face of opposition or obstacles. When I was putting my random thoughts on paper, I came up with some really great material (according to Bob that is). Then, early this morning I was channel surfing and stopped on one of the C-Span type channels. Actress Janine Turner, best know for her role as “Maggie O’Connell” in the hit CBS series, "Northern Exposure” was doing a Q&A following a speech before a conservative women’s group. Someone asked what advice she would give anyone who was an aspiring performer. Her answer summed up in fifteen words the fifty I had planned to write on the subject.

Quoting a famous director (whose name I didn’t catch) she said, “Remain tremendously strong about what you can do and never take no for an answer.”

Have a GREAT and profitable week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com