For those who dislike or harbor suspicion about the motivational speakers of the world, a common expression is: "motivation doesn't last." In other words, you go to a motivational seminar and you feel enthused about your goals, but then after awhile, it somehow peters out.
Motivation doesn't last. I've always thought of this as a legitimate indictment of the motivational-seminar industry, but I heard something Zig Ziglar said about it that changed my mind.
Zig Ziglar is one of the most successful motivational speakers of all time. He's not my favorite, but he says something once in awhile that betrays his intelligence. He said the reason motivation doesn't last is that the world is full of demotivators.
Tell your dreams to your friends and family, for example, and you'll hear at least some of them tell you why it won't work. That is demotivating, or at least it can be.
On your way to any goal, you are bound to encounter obstacles. This can be demotivating too, especially if
your usual way of explaining setbacks is somewhat pessimistic. Reality seems to be stacked against you for various reasons.
The movie, Pleasantville, had a great illustration of a world full of demotivators. It showed teachers from different classes, one after the other, saying things like this:
"For those of you going on to college next year, the chance of finding a good job will actually decrease by the time you graduate...the median income for those jobs will go down as well."
"By the year 2000, the chance of contacting HIV from a non-monogamous lifestyle will climb to 1 in 150."
"By the time you are 30 years old, average global temperature will have risen two and a half degrees, causing such catastrophic consequences as typhoons, floods, widespread drought, and famine."
The world is full of demotivators. Not because everybody is trying to bring you down, although
some may be. But for many different reasons, your motivation and enthusiasm can be continually drained away.
If you're already well aware of the demotivational nature of the world and want some practical steps to do something about it,
go here.
The world may be full of demotivators, but you can protect yourself from them if you know how. You can keep your motivation and enthusiasm. Read or listen to this book to find out all about it:
Cultivating Fire: How to Keep Your Motivation White Hot.
Adam Khan is the author of Principles For Personal Growth, Slotralogy, Antivirus For Your Mind, and co-author with Klassy Evans of How to Change the Way You Look at Things (in Plain English). Subscribe to his blog here. You can email him here.
