Personal Motivation

Motivation has been a big theme on my linkedin.com profile this week. I've been asking people how they motivate themselves and other people? How they stay motivated? How they keep others motivated? It's a big question. Motivation is the impetus of accomplishment.

Isn't it?

I think motivation-personal, social, organizational-really boils down to purpose. I've talked about this before, but it everything we do, whether it be in our personal lives or in our professional lives, is guided and directed by the underlying purpose, or lack thereof, we have for what we are doing.

I motivate myself by keeping my purpose clear and recognizable, and by keeping myself reminded of it. I carry 3x5 cards that have several purposes written on them: my purpose for loving my wife, my purpose for serving my clients, my purpose for keeping my faith. As I continue to remind myself of these things, I am motivated to accomplish my purpose. I am reminded of my goal, and urged on to achieve it.

So how do you motivate yourself? How do you keep yourself, and those around you, pressing toward the mark?