How do you feel when you are not motivated? Are you productive? Do you do your best work? Are you happy? What purpose does motivation serve in living an Agile life? I am a firm believer that motivation is one of the key ingredients in achieving Personal Agility. For when we are motivated we are much better not only to ourselves but to others around us.
I got a reminder about motivation the other day on a business trip. Anyone who knows me quickly learns that exercise is very dear to me, without my health I feel that I don’t have anything else to give to others. On every business trip I go on I make it a point to visit the local Crossfit gym. Well, not too long ago I was visiting a gym in Miami, FL. After what seemed like an especially hard work out I was walking out the door licking my wounds. On the way out a sign on the door caught my attention:
Motivated People Only!
Personal Agility – Level 1 Practice
The thing about this sign is it really hit home. See I was being coached by a personal trainer at the time and we were working on pulling strength. My personal trainer, Doug, wanted me to do extra pull ups every day. After the particularly hard work out that day I was walking out the door having not done my pull ups. When I read that sign it was profound, it was like it was taunting me. I wasn’t a quitter, I had just lost my motivation after some hard exercise. This sign reminded me of my commitment to Doug and I turned right around, got up on the pull up bar, and completed those extra reps.
Most of the time it’s pretty easy to be motivated, but every once in a while we get beat down and tired. We may even give up at times when it gets tough. It’s good to have visual reminders to ourselves of the commitment we made to achieve our personal vision. Signs like the one above are powerful information radiators that remind us to stay motivated even when times get tough.
Next time you feel like you have lost your motivation checkout this YouTube video, it fires me up every time:
Got a great motivational saying, poster, or video? Please share yours in the comments below.
