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