I have been getting quite a few invites for speaking engagements lately, and occasionally in the line-up I have been described as a motivational speaker. It made me think and look at myself as to how I actually want to be described. A motivational speaker is certainly something I’ve never considered myself to be. And as I’ve thought more about business motivation it made me realise why I didn’t want to be described as a motivational speaker!
I am a businessman. I can talk about my ideas, and I can talk about my experiences. But can I motivate the people listening to me? I don’t believe so. After 20 years in business and nearly 14 years as a parent, I have come to realise the real truth about motivation. There is only 1 type of motivation: SELF MOTIVATION!
There is only one kind of motivation
Yes, self motivation really is the only type of motivation. I say this from experience as I’ve finally realised that you just can’t motivate people in business! You can mentor them, bring out the best in them and coach them. But you just can’t motivate them. They have to do that for themselves! You can’t change people. I have found that out the hard way! They have to change themselves.
And if you want MOTIVATED people then you have to find them.
And that, my friends, is the best answer I can give you!
Motivation is a mystery!
Why are some motivated and some not?
Why are some sales guys still emailing their prospects at 10pm at night while others treat the 5.30pm chime of the clock like a fire alarm?
The mystery of business motivation
Why do some people listen to a speech I give and walk out hungry to implement whilst others walk out yawning saying they have heard it all before?
Why do 100 people ask me to recommend the best books I’ve read about making money and achieving more, and 99 of these people will never read these books?!
I don’t know. But after 20 years in business I’ve decided the most productive answer is to chalk it down to one of life’s little mysteries and not try and fight it.
My job as a manager is to do a better job of finding motivated people. Because I have sure as shit learnt I can’t change them if they aren’t motivated.
That is just the mystery of life!
So if you’re recruiting, then you must go and find people who are already motivated – already hungry for what you are going to feed them.
And if you are looking to be recruited then you need to be self-motivated. Don’t be sat on the couch waiting for that person to come along and switch you on – because you will probably find they’ll never appear! Get your motivation in gear to appeal to the business where you want to land your dream job.
Calling all motivated people!
I like to surround myself with people who are motivated, hungry, enthusiastic and eager – and together we can make money…and great content too! You’ll see dozens of examples of this on my YouTube channel. I love meeting and picking the brains of as wide a range of people as possible. This includes celebrities, business leaders, psychologists, young entrepreneurs and even an inspiring guy who’s founded his own religion. All of these people have one thing in common – they are super motivated and this has played a key role in their success. Surely that tells you all you need to know about motivation too!
If you’re a motivated business owner or entrepreneur, looking for business funding or expert advice to achieve success, I can help.
Contact my highly motivated and experienced team today!
