Julie Bartkus

All day long you motivate the children in your care to learn their lessons, eat their lunch, take a nap, clean up and play nicely with other children. Your energy, your time, and your love is poured into teaching these children. You are a motivator!

But who motivates you? How do you remain motivated day after day to give it your all in a profession that is highly rewarding yet highly challenging? How do you generate daily self-motivation?

On my radio program, I had the opportunity to interview another motivator, Les Brown. Les is a celebrity speaker and author of Live Your Dreams. He has been my inspiration for years. When I asked him "Who motivates the motivator?" Brown stated that he believed all motivators need a daily action plan to remain motivated. According to Brown, we must be motivated before we can motivate others. Brown includes reading, meditation and prayer in his daily plan of action.

What can you do to generate self-motivation daily? The following paragraphs suggest some ideas you can incorporate into your own motivational plan of action.

Find a reason to wake up in the morning! Take inventory of all your blessings. In her book Real Moments, author Barbara DeAngelis asks us to think about everything we have right now. Think about our personal possessions, relationships and memories. If you were to lose everything, how much would you pay to get it all back? Would you pay one thousand dollars, one million dollars, or is everything you have priceless? What a great way to determine your wealth!

Be grateful for all the things you have, and cherish them like they'll be gone tomorrow. What relationships can you work on? What people mean the most to you? Have you expressed your love towards them lately? It may be time to take action!

Keep a journal, and fill it daily with all the things you're thankful for. Additionally, write down what you're looking forward to doing the following day. Include these items in your daily prayers. Affirm yourself that you're going to have a great day. This is important stuff to keep in the front of your mind. It's easy to become lost in the drudgery of your daily routine and let stress overcome you. Keep focused on what really matters to you, and that focus will generate self-motivation to help you deal with trying circumstances.

In Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl shares the unspeakable horror he experienced in the Nazi death camps. Suicide was common. People killed themselves by running into barbwire fences because they didn't want to face another minute of life in the camps. What motivated Frankl to endure the pain and make it to freedom? He stated that prisoners with a vision beyond the torture had a mission to survive. Additionally, being thankful for the everyday things, the small portion of bread or soup that they were to receive that day, kept them motivated to make it through another day. Remember that the present is a priceless gift!

What are you looking forward to doing today?

Read an inspirational passage from one of your favorite books daily. Since our society overwhelms us with negative information (and sometimes our working environments are less than positive!), fill your mind with positive and motivating thoughts to generate daily self-motivation. I recommend reading The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. You'll learn valuable techniques for staying positive.

If you're feeling depressed or hopeless, read The God Memorandum or The Twelfth Angel, written by Og Mandino. They are two of my favorite inspirational books that will change the way you look at life.

Listen to motivational tapes daily. This is an invaluable tool for generating motivation, confidence and clarity.

Set challenging goals for yourself. Challenge yourself to grow in one new way each month.

Fill your life with people with whom you can communicate your goals and trust for positive support. Give them a call, or visit them when you feel down. One positive word from a friend can help you make it through a tough day or time.

Music is a powerful tool that can lift your spirits immediately. Find music that lifts your spirits and keep a copy with you at all times. Play it in your car, at home or at work (especially if you work long and crazy hours.)

Create a positive environment for yourself. Surround yourself with pictures that instantly put a smile on your face. Perhaps a picture of your class after they just ate chocolate pudding or your dog, or a friend.

Most of all whatever strategy you decide to use -- keep your focus on what you want out of your life. As Stephen Covey says: "Begin with the end in mind." Keep your focus on your major goals. Write them down and look at them several times each day. This will help you to stay motivated, grow stronger and not give up because of the challenges you face.

I challenge you today to take one idea from this article and implement it into your daily plan of action.

And to answer the question, "Who motivates the motivator?," You do!

© 2001-2006 Julie Bartkus. All Rights Reserved. Julie Bartkus is an author, speaker, consultant and coach.

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