During my life coaching conversations, I often hear people say:” I can't wait to get motivated” or “I need someone or something to motivate me.” These statements imply that motivation comes to us from sources outside ourselves.  As in, we are motivated by money, competition, market trends, what other people say and do, the media, etc…

If you buy into this concept of external motivation, you will be plagued with fleeting success.  The level of accomplishment and personal fulfillment you achieve through external sources of motivation is short lived and unsustainable. When things outside of yourself motivate you, you will find yourself continuously reacting to circumstances over which you have little or no control. 

This reactivity takes all the creative energy out of you.  Energy that you could be using to pursue the goals that really matter:  the ones that are motivated by forces deep within yourself.

True and lasting motivation comes from within.  Its champion is your inner voice.  That omnipotent presence that knows you better than you know yourself.  If you look inside yourself, you will find the key to what really motivates you to be the best person you can be, and to live the life you dream of living. 

Motivation from within is inspirational and enduring.  Because it is based on your core values and beliefs, it provides the basis from which to persevere no matter what.  When the assignment at work seems unending, when you feel you have nothing left to learn, when everyone around you is filled with negativity, your inner source of motivation will guide you along the right path. 

"It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision." (Helen Keller)

Key to knowing the right direction to take is a strong and vibrant vision.  In order to get inspired and feel passionate for what you do each and every day, requires having an idea of where you are going.  A clear vision brings with it an inspired perspective that is able to see future possibilities. In fact, the size of your vision determines the size of every aspect in your life.

Just as a business cannot grow larger than the vision of its leaders, neither can you develop yourself beyond the limits you set.  A strong inner voice is what will spearhead your efforts as you work toward a clear and definite vision of yourself in the future.

To develop a powerful inner voice and build your internal motivation you can:

• Clearly define your core values – the stuff that’s really important to you.
  
• Identify the beliefs you hold about yourself. Are those beliefs empowering you or are they holding you back in pursuit of your vision?
  
• Use your values and beliefs to guide your daily decisions.
  
• Develop a robust vision of what you want to accomplish in each area of your life. (career, relationships, health, family and friends, ...)
  
• Decide to make daily steps toward your vision.
  
• When faced with a lack of motivation, look inside yourself to find the lift you need.
  
• Resist the temptation to let external rewards or circumstances influence your decisions.

When it comes to doing the things that will bring you closer to your intended vision for yourself, you can listen to all of the voices around you, or you can listen to the voice inside. Life is a constant balancing act between these voices. The voice you hear is the voice you listen for.

When you listen with your heart, you will find that your inner voice speaks the loudest.

Get inspired! To your success.