I have a confession to make.
I am not where I thought I’d be. I am positively unhappy with my current life goals.
Yes I meant to write that. I am “positively unhappy”. I know that sounds a bit contradictory but in reality it’s the way we all should live. Let me explain…
A couple years ago I had the pleasure of breakfast with one of my all time heroes, Zig Ziglar. He’s obviously reached many goals I too want to reach but that’s not the only reason he’s one of my heroes. And on this particular morning I was about to gain great insight into one of the many reasons Zig Ziglar was the success he was.
Now I must admit I have let setbacks in my career affect me. Financial hurdles and rejection are never in anyone’s plans. When you’re on the stage with the applause roaring and books selling in the back it’s a great feeling. It’s easy to feel like you’re on top of the world. You feel invincible. Inevitably that feeling is quickly followed by some negative input that quickly yanks you back down to earth mentally and emotionally and at the same time has a way of sucking the very life out of every positive statement or accolade you just received. Sometimes it seems we’re on a roller coaster of emotion reaching new highs and dropping to what seems to be a new lows.
We strive to reach the next goal whether it is more money, more publicity or the elusive next great album. Its just part of the ride in this career path we’ve chosen. But that doesn’t mean it gets easier!
At one point in our meeting that morning Zig wanted to show me something “very important to his success”. In the lobby of his offices Zig has placed many photos on the wall. Some were from meetings with famous celebrities and some you’d never heard of. Some were simply a piece of paper with someone’s name on it inside the frame. It was “Zig Ziglar’s Wall of Gratitude”. If you spent any time at all around Zig Ziglar he was quick to point out he was just a country boy from Mississippi. And he was also quick to let you know how blessed he was to have so many friends he was grateful for.
Zig Ziglar learned one vital key to success. It didn’t matter how many books he sold, how big his audience was or who he knew. He always gave gratitude to all the people who spoke into his life.
Keeping gratitude forefront in your life is just as important as tenacity and determination.
Zig Ziglar never mentioned anything to me about staying motivated. In fact, he spent most of the time only talking to me about gratitude and how important it was. He was convinced the best thing in his life was when his wife said yes!
At the time I was going through a rough time trying to push harder in my career as a speaker. I wanted so much more and felt like I was failing more than I was succeeding. And Zig Ziglar left me with these words. In fact it was the last words I’ll hear from Zig Ziglar since he’s passed on. Zig’s great insight into my career failings was this: “Don’t worry Gene, even Moses was a basket case in the beginning”.
So there it was. The great Zig Ziglar made a joke about my career!
But I do know it was exactly what I needed to hear. I was taking life way too serious and trying way too hard to be motivated like I thought I should be. In fact, it seems I’m always reading a book or listening to a speaker motivate me to accomplish my life goals.
Don’t get me wrong I love being motivated. There’s nothing like reaching a goal and accomplishing something. In reality though, I am the guy that will procrastinate a project until the last minute. I usually regret it because of the extra stress I caused myself too. Does this happen to you too?
Read this excerpt from Robert D. Smith’s book about motivation. I think he really hits the nail on the head when it comes to motivation:
You may be hearing people say, “TAKE action!” “Do something!” We all know how difficult it can be to get someone to make a move, especially ourselves. But how do you get yourself— or anyone else— to do it? Let me give you a hint: it’s definitely not a question of motivation. Why? Because motivation is a myth. Believe me. You cannot motivate people to do any one thing. Even yourself. Never try to motivate yourself or anyone else to increase productivity. Instead, do the opposite: Increase your productivity, and then the motivation will follow.
Smith, Robert D. (2013-01-01). 20,000 Days and Counting: The Crash Course For Mastering Your Life Right Now (p. 51).
At the beginning I said I was positively unhappy. It’s really okay to not be satisfied where you’re at in your career path. But more importantly we need to keep the proper perspective.
Every time I get too stressed or too uptight about where I’m at career-wise I realize I need to step back and listen to Zig Ziglar tell me about gratitude again.
Let’s all relax, take a deep breath, and spend more time with gratitude than we do with motivation. Productivity will lead to motivation eventually.
Most of all remember this: “Don’t worry, even Moses was a basket case in the beginning”.
