Hey, Siestas! I have a question rolling around in my mind and I’d love to throw it to my favorite community. Here goes:
What motivates you most effectively?
That’s it. Pure and simple.
Ground rules:
*You can only name one kind of motivation. Think of the one that tends to work on you more often than the others.
*You are asked to name your real, live most effective motivator and not the one you wish you had. (You may honestly respond best to a healthy motivator and, if so, say so! But, if the truth is, you are more often effectively motivated by something negative, please also say so.)
This hint might be of help to some of you as you roll the question around in your sweet head: Think back on times of substantial and lasting change in your life. What motivated the real change? (Of course, we all know that, ultimately, the Holy Spirit brings about transformation, but what did He use???)
You bless me to no end. Watching for your responses!
Can I have two? One negative motivator is approval. I will practically kill myself trying to please people or meet whatever expectations I believe them to have of me (real or imagined).
My positive motivator is an unexpected word of encouragement, whether from a person or from Jesus. Soft words mean so much to me. I can be terribly convicted about something, but as long as I know its coming from a place of love, then I’m bound to respond well to it.
As a side note, I began “Breaking Free” this afternoon. Pretty sure it’s going to kill me…BUT I WANT FREEDOM!!
REWARDS
A deadline.
Unfortunately for me, my best motivator is pain. In the past I’ve languished in places – and with people – that I knew were not God’s perfect will for my life. I maintained those situations/relationships out of a mixture of familiarity, fear of the unknown, and sometimes pure and utter laziness, EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT WORKING ANYMORE. God then has to turn up the heat until I have no choice but to make a change. The heck of it is, He’s ALWAYS right. It can be so annoying at times! 🙂
Seeing someone else succeed or seeing that they have something spiritually that I am missing….
A task completed. I don’t know if this is a good thing. Sometimes I push it to hard to get a task completed. The funny thing is is that my husband is a classic procratinator. Opposites do attract!
Achieving goals…period!
Sometimes it is seeing someone else accomplish something that makes me want to do and complete those things that I am always planning to one day do! Especially in my walk with the Lord. When I see someone living boldly for Him it inspires me to be more bold.
Dayna~
Words of affirmation might be one of my top motivators. When they’re personal, from a friend or a teammate or from one of my students, they’re like fuel to me. But they also come from sermons & spending time with God, hearing that I’m on the right track and to keep at it, or as a reminder then of who I am in Christ and to change my behavior.
Positive comments and positive results. The people-pleasing habit is a hard one to break;)
Oh..I have to add “lists”, which are tied into goals and how to acheive them…big time! :o)
I’m sorry to say ,but the pressure of a deadline is my motivator.
Hope
I am a people pleaser. I don’t want anyone to be disappointed or upset with me. It’s a devastating and haunting feeling. Needless to say this is a negative motivation but honest 🙂
What motivates me is knowing that someone will see my private life. For instance, if friends are coming over I REALlY clean my house and get organized. If I have to lead a Bible study then I know I have to have my self together. or rather, I have to let the Spirit put my “self” to death. I’m scared to death of people seeing my real life a mess.
I guess you could say “being examined and being found wanting”.
Heidi
Knowing that it’s (whatever) for my good and there is a reward for me once accomplished!
Definitely the approval of others. But also, the satisfaction of making progress…checking things off a to do list.
Personally for me it is being accountable to someone and/or walking the path with someone else. The lasting changes in my life have all come from having someone to share the journey and provide the encouragement to keep going when all I felt like doing was giving in.
A prime example lead me to the Lord. A dear, dear friend challenged me 4 years ago to read through the Bible in a year with her. I had tried many times on my own only to get “stuck” around Numbers. She provided the encouragement I needed to keep on and the tools to dig deeper. We continue to read through the Bible each year mixing up the versions/types etc. We have also done many of your studies together with other women.
Fear. Fear of not being good enough. Sad, but true.
Incentives! I love a reward! If I have something to work towards,something I can earn by doing what has to be done, it is a big motivator for me.
When I get to the place of needing to be moved……the biggest thing is wanting to please God, and when I’m at my low of lows…….wanting to have that Victory again!
So, I guess it would be easier said this way. “Walking In Freedom” is my biggest motivation of all. 🙂
Ann; Austin. A healthy, respectful fear of my God motivates me first and foremost. Love for Him and what He has done for me. In teachings and lessons I am motivated by a teacher/pastor etc. when he/she is real and authentic, speaking and sharing their personal lessons, struggles and victories…
# on the scale!!!
I have a few things that motivate me but one i struggle with alot is FEAR and not feeling like I am good enough for my family and always feel like if I am not walking around smiling or just kinda in a funk right away whats wrong are you mad? But then I come home and pick up my scripture verses and God makes it all okay and rains down on me and tells me He loves me.
Carol
I’m afraid that something that motivates me a lot is perfectionism. I want to be the best, do things the best, etc. So I guess another thing that motivates me is approval, because that’s usually why I want to be perfect.
Fear 🙁
I think having an end goal motivates me–for instance I started running in January and quickly decided to work toward a 5K. I was diligent until March 26 when I ran the 5K. Since then, I haven’t been so motivated. Another example of this, I always find time to clean my house when I know someone’s coming–not so much when it’s just us.
My sistas in Christ walking through the tough times with me. Praying with and over me…seriously…that and sharing scripture…
My children and wanting to be a godly mommy.
Fear and approval
The first word that popped into my head was ‘Deadlines’. I have not seemed to figure out how to get out from under the tyranny of the urgent. I will push through to finish something that may not be that important in the long run because it has a deadline…make time to run by a store because the sale is ending…Doesn’t matter if it is a deadline to *not* disappoint someone or not; I.Must.Finish.
And I *just* realized that.
I don’t think it brings about lasting positive change, but the motivator I respond most often to is guilt (more of an idol than a motivator towards anything good perhaps).
Fear — of letting someone down. I wanted to say something else, but it’s fear –plan and simple. I fear letting people down or worse, I fear letting the Lord down. If He’s called me to it then I must do it. It’s a healthy fear, not the crippling can’t get out of bed fear, but a fear nonetheless.
Deadlines! Procrastination and indecisiveness ABSOLUTELY RULE me until the 11th hour — then the Philippians 4:13 principle kicks in! 🙂
My biggest motivator is physical touch (of the nuturing kind).
My family. If they need something, I’m there in anyway they need me. I’m trying to let Jesus motivate me now more than ever and looking forward to his answer..or maybe he’s told me already and I’m not discerning enough..
Deadlines!!!! the best way to get my house cleaned is to invite someone over 🙂 I can’t seem to do it for myself, but if I know someone ELSE is going to see it, I can handle it.
Accountability is what keeps me going!
FEAR! I let other things get in the way and I don’t trust in the God who has me in His loving hands.
best motivator in my life? the youth in my church. i work very, very closely with the various high school ministries in my church. when i see them pumped up to have fun, or to be serious & vulnerable, it motivates & encourages me. when i see some of the youth take on some of my negative attitudes in certain situations, it causes me to reflect on what i’m doing and what & how i need/can change to be a better leader/teacher/mentor.
Words….I am a teacher and have come to realize that one of my greatest motivators are words of all kinds from all different sources.
Unfortunately, I suppose, fear motivates me more often than I’d like it too. Fear of being alone, of being destitute, of being ignored, disapproved of or being left out…. personally or professionally. No one would ever know this sad truth. I look very involved, active, relational, cheerful, etc…. Only God knows a kind word of encouragement to me goes a long way!!
Feeling loved, supported, and cared for
My(soon to be 3 yr old)granddaughter !!! Wow what a “get me going know matter” !
Whenever I’m told “No!” or “You can’t do that!”, or when things seem impossible, I am motivated to find a way. Before my relationship with Christ, that reaction was often rebellious and my behavior destructive. But since becoming a Christian, I have seen the Lord use that aspect of my personality in positive ways.
In truth, real transformation takes place in me and motivation that sends me soaring spiritually and every other way has got to be hands down…crisis – relationally, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually..when desparation sets in…and I feel leveled…then God really burns something inside me and I’m never the same.
Freedom. I became tired of believing lies from the enemy. Tired of living in defeat. Tired of hopelessness. Now I spend time in the Word studying, learning verses and renewing my mind! I am motivated to walk in the abundant free life that my Savior died to give me!!
A deadline! I have always worked best under pressure. Although, my husband says that I just like to pretend I am wonder woman. 🙂
Pride!!!
Encouragement. I like knowing that I have done a good job, so I am motivated when I receive encouragement about the work I am doing.