Is this the KEY to motivation?
 

I've been reading through the book, "The Path of Least Resistance for Managers" lately....

Duane Adolph recommended "The Path of Least Resistance" by Robert Fritz further down the forum, but the bookstore I went to only had the "managerial" one, so I got that! (I borrowed the original from the library last night, so I'm going to read both.....)

I think Robert Fritz seems to answer very well the question of - how do you motivate yourself? To him, it all boils down to one thing, which he calls "structural tension".

Picture where it is you want to be. Do you want independence? Wealth? To live in the countryside? Whatever your goal is, get it clear in your mind.

Then, start to think of, where are you now in relation to that goal? Get a clear and realistic picture of where you are now in relation to that goal.

For example, maybe your overall goal is to have $200,000 in property with no debt within 3 years. And perhaps right now, you own no property. These are clear statements of where you want to be, and where you are now.

Robert Fritz says it is the "tension" between these two things - where you want to be, contrasted with where you are now - that underlies your motivation. It is important to get these TWO elements clear.

Where this differs from, say, the "goal" system of "Think And Grow Rich" is the statement that you also must have a clear idea of where you are NOW. It is the clear difference between the two which will propel you forward!

I've used this approach before, but it wasn't as clear in my mind what I was doing until I read Robert Fritz's explanation of it. Based on my experience, and my recent "small scale" tests, I believe it does work. It is an ideal way to propel you to where you want to go!

By the way, I also want to point out that this idea is essentially embedded in Gordon Alexander's "Square One Workshops" - for those who have been here a while. As part of the "Square One Workshops", Gordon has you show pictorially where you are NOW, and where you want to be (your goal).

Another excellent point Robert Fritz makes is the difference between DREAMERS and CREATORS. "Dreamers" are not grounded in the "real world" - they do not have a clear and realistic notion of where they are NOW. "Creators" however, are realists - they have a clear conception of where they are NOW, where they want to go, and how they will get there.

So, THINK about these two questions:

1. What do you want? What are your goals?

2. Where are you NOW, realistically?

The "tension" between these two will motivate you in the right direction.... Keep them BOTH in the forefront of your mind!

There's more to add, and I'll write more on this later.... Thanks to Duane for pointing out these great books to me! Get yourself a copy of one or the other of them, from your book store or library....

- Dien Rice

Re: Is this the KEY...I can really relate...
 

Dien,
Great post! I'm going to pick both books up this weekend.
Can you elaborate a little more on how to control the "tension" between the 2 points? After reading your post I realize that my realistic view of where I am now needs to be greatly clarified in my own brain. Is it good to write the point I'm at down on paper or physically map it out with a diagram? Thanks!
Chris

How the flunkee won the prize....
 

Hi Chris,

> Can you elaborate a little more on how to
> control the "tension" between the
> 2 points? After reading your post I realize
> that my realistic view of where I am now
> needs to be greatly clarified in my own
> brain.

Yes, this is where I've made mistakes in the past too! I'm a good "creator" - though sometimes I stumble into being a "dreamer" (in Robert Fritz's sense) too.... It's very easy to delude ourselves.

By the way, here's another interesting, quick quote....

"One of the most useful books I read when I first started a company said that most businesses go out of business within their first two years because of one thing, and one thing alone: bad accounting. Why? Because bad accounting doesn't give people a true fix on reality. They make decisions predicated on wrong information. They don't have a fix on one of the important aspects of reality, and so, they blow it."

- Robert Fritz, "The Path of Least Resistance for Managers"

So BOTH a clear goal AND a clear picture of your present reality are very important. Don't delude yourself!

Here's one way I was "testing" this just yesterday, on a small scale.... I went to a swimming pool, and wanted to swim some laps. Usually, when I've gone to do this, it's been a tedious chore - not fun at all.

I had already swum 8 laps, when at that time I thought I'd try this idea out on a small scale. I got myself a clear goal: 20 laps. (It seemed next-to-impossible for me at the time, as I was already tired and ready to quit.... I'm not as fit as I would like to be!) Then, I got a clear picture of where I was: I had already swum 8 laps.

I did feel the "tension" between the two "pictures" - of where I was, and where I wanted to be. It "propelled" me forward, it was a like a kind of "hunger" to go on....

And.... when I finally did complete the 20 laps, I was elated! It was the best swimming session I'd had in a long time!

This is a very simple, small-scale "experiment" with this idea.... But does it work on a larger scale? I believe it does....

As I've stated before, I've used this before, though I didn't realize I was using it at the time. I used this when I was doing my Ph.D. in physics.

I had a clear idea of what I wanted - I wanted to succeed at getting my Ph.D. It was a clear vision in my mind.

And if you've read some of my early posts, you may know that I actually flunked third year physics at university. (I did third year physics again, then passed the second time I did the course.)

So I had a clear idea where I was - waaaaaay behind all the other students (as a flunkee)! But these TWO clear pictures caused me to work with a lot of energy and focus.... And in the end, not only did I get my Ph.D., but I also won the university's prize for the best Ph.D. thesis in the Science faculty during my year.

So, to me, that gives a taste of what this technique, I believe, can achieve....

> Is it good to write the point I'm at
> down on paper or physically map it out with
> a diagram? Thanks!

I'll summarize in more detail later what Robert Fritz suggests....

In general, it's good to write down both your goal(s) and your present reality, as clearly and accurately as you can. Writing it down will get it all more clearly in your mind. It will then generate the "tension" to help propel you forward....

It's also good to remind yourself of these two things, so it's good to refer to them both often, so you remember where it is you are, and where it is you want to be!

- Dien Rice

Check out the movie for a description of Structural Tension http://www.robertfritz.com/moviecon.htm
 

Hi Dien. WOW! The man of action award to you sir.

> I've been reading through the book,
> "The Path of Least Resistance for
> Managers" lately....

> Duane Adolph recommended "The Path of
> Least Resistance" by Robert Fritz
> further down the forum, but the bookstore I
> went to only had the "managerial"
> one, so I got that! (I borrowed the original
> from the library last night, so I'm going to
> read both.....)

I'd read the non management one first.

> I think Robert Fritz seems to answer very
> well the question of - how do you motivate
> yourself? To him, it all boils down to one
> thing, which he calls "structural
> tension".

> Picture where it is you want to be. Do you
> want independence? Wealth? To live in the
> countryside? Whatever your goal is, get it
> clear in your mind.

> Then, start to think of, where are you now
> in relation to that goal? Get a clear and
> realistic picture of where you are now in
> relation to that goal.

> For example, maybe your overall goal is to
> have $200,000 in property with no debt
> within 3 years. And perhaps right now, you
> own no property. These are clear statements
> of where you want to be, and where you are
> now.

> Robert Fritz says it is the
> "tension" between these two things
> - where you want to be, contrasted with
> where you are now - that underlies your
> motivation. It is important to get these TWO
> elements clear.

> Where this differs from, say, the
> "goal" system of "Think And
> Grow Rich" is the statement that you
> also must have a clear idea of where you are
> NOW. It is the clear difference between the
> two which will propel you forward!

> I've used this approach before, but it
> wasn't as clear in my mind what I was doing
> until I read Robert Fritz's explanation of
> it. Based on my experience, and my recent
> "small scale" tests, I believe it
> does work. It is an ideal way to propel you
> to where you want to go!

> By the way, I also want to point out that
> this idea is essentially embedded in Gordon
> Alexander's "Square One Workshops"
> - for those who have been here a while. As
> part of the "Square One
> Workshops", Gordon has you show
> pictorially where you are NOW, and where you
> want to be (your goal).

> Another excellent point Robert Fritz makes
> is the difference between DREAMERS and
> CREATORS. "Dreamers" are not
> grounded in the "real world" -
> they do not have a clear and realistic
> notion of where they are NOW.
> "Creators" however, are realists -
> they have a clear conception of where they
> are NOW, where they want to go, and how they
> will get there.

> So, THINK about these two questions:

> 1. What do you want? What are your goals?

> 2. Where are you NOW, realistically?

> The "tension" between these two
> will motivate you in the right direction....
> Keep them BOTH in the forefront of your
> mind!

> There's more to add, and I'll write more on
> this later.... Thanks to Duane for pointing
> out these great books to me! Get yourself a
> copy of one or the other of them, from your
> book store or library....

> - Dien Rice

Re: Is this the KEY to motivation?
 

Hi Dien,

I thought that you would find his works stimulating. Considering your unique combination of science and entrepreneurship.

> Robert Fritz says it is the
> "tension" between these two things
> - where you want to be, contrasted with
> where you are now - that underlies your
> motivation. It is important to get these TWO
> elements clear.

Yes these elements are critical. I love this book because it incorporate the REALITY habit AND the VISION habit. Most people only do one well.

> Where this differs from, say, the
> "goal" system of "Think And
> Grow Rich" is the statement that you
> also must have a clear idea of where you are
> NOW. It is the clear difference between the
> two which will propel you forward!

Yes! Everybody wants to make Money, yet not many people know how much money they have NOW.

> I've used this approach before, but it
> wasn't as clear in my mind what I was doing
> until I read Robert Fritz's explanation of
> it. Based on my experience, and my recent
> "small scale" tests, I believe it
> does work. It is an ideal way to propel you
> to where you want to go!

It's like Gordons P.O.A (pyramid of accomplishment) with the steps and exit points.

> By the way, I also want to point out that
> this idea is essentially embedded in Gordon
> Alexander's "Square One Workshops"
> - for those who have been here a while. As
> part of the "Square One
> Workshops", Gordon has you show
> pictorially where you are NOW, and where you
> want to be (your goal).

> Another excellent point Robert Fritz makes
> is the difference between DREAMERS and
> CREATORS. "Dreamers" are not
> grounded in the "real world" -
> they do not have a clear and realistic
> notion of where they are NOW.
> "Creators" however, are realists -
> they have a clear conception of where they
> are NOW, where they want to go, and how they
> will get there.

BINGO! For me, this is "THE MAGIC" which I have been searching for. It perfect utilizes the FULL BRAIN both left and right sides. Majority of SUCCESS approaches are either far right brained activities (art, spirituality, subconscious ) or they are left brained (make goals, be specific, make a plan)

> So, THINK about these two questions:

> 1. What do you want? What are your goals?

> 2. Where are you NOW, realistically?

> The "tension" between these two
> will motivate you in the right direction....
> Keep them BOTH in the forefront of your
> mind!

> There's more to add, and I'll write more on
> this later.... Thanks to Duane for pointing
> out these great books to me! Get yourself a
> copy of one or the other of them, from your
Ø book store or library....

Hey you’re welcome Dien. It is one of the most valuable books I have in my library…And my library is huge :->

> - Dien Rice