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Thomas Francis University • Course G150 • Segment 2

THE ART OF MOTIVATION AND MOMENTUM

—Douglas R. Kelley, PhD, CH, CSL

Upon Completion of this Segment, You Will Know:

 Where motivation comes from.

 Eight keys to finding and keeping your motivation.

 The positive side of inner pain.

 How to get rid of fear.

 How to overcome inertia.

 How to use small successes to propel you to greater success.

 The Law of Momentum and how it applies to all activities.

 How to regain momentum.

We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it.

—Peter Drucker

t is very interesting to study what does and what does not motivate people. Some are motivated

by poverty, some by money. Some are motivated by love, others by hate. Still others find mo-

tivation by giving back to the world, while yet others are motivated by selfishly taking from the

world.

Some desire to understand and define motivation, as I do here. But the truth is, it can be very

difficult to really understand what motivates a person. As a rule, motivation stems from an intense

inner belief in oneself and ones' dream. This, in turn, produces deep meaning for us. When we have

intense belief in what we are doing and find meaning in it, we usually can't help but be motivated.

In business, motivation is essential. Business people must come to know themselves well enough

to determine what really motivates them. Anytime we are in a career that involves direct selling to

others, motivation must remain high. A lack of motivation can be the death knell to a business.

And yet, business is not the only area in which motivation is crucial. This also applies to your

metaphysical practice, ministry, anomalous research group, etc. Many otherwise effective and com-

petent people have seen a decline in their success due to a lack of motivation. When we lose our

motivation, a once promising and enjoyable enterprise can become a person's own living hell.

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

For example, call reluctance and avoidance behavior affect many different people in many differ-

ent endeavors. They are symptoms resulting from a lack of motivation, which itself is a symptom of

yet another cause. Call reluctance occurs when a person is disinclined to make contacts that would

lead to success in his or her specific endeavor whether business or otherwise. Since success in any

endeavor is essentially a numbers game, call reluctance can seriously reduce performance or kill a

dream.

Call reluctance is an aspect of avoidance behavior. With avoidance behavior, an unmotivated per-

son spends time doing every other "important" thing except the most important one—making calls

and/or contacting the people necessary to make the endeavor successful. By the person's behavior,

he or she avoids what really has to be done, and at the time it should be done. Therefore, the person

is not nearly as effective or successful as he or she could be. This likely has a domino effect in the

person's personal life, because if a business is involved and few sales calls are made, then commissions

are low, which in turn leads to financial problems, which in turn can lead to family and relationship

problems. Furthermore, the company they work for or own also feels the effects of a reduced bottom

line due to decreased income while still having operating expenses. Intense belief in yourself and the

value you offer will overcome avoidance behavior.

HOW TO FIND AND KEEP YOUR MOTIVATION

As I mentioned above, a lack of motivation in itself is a symptom of an underlying problem—a lack

of significant meaning in the endeavor or in one’s life. In order to get motivated and overcome call

reluctance or any other lack of motivation, we must cut right to the core of the problem. Many times

when we are unmotivated, we are simply uninspired; nothing in life really moves us within; we cease

to find challenge and meaning in our lives. This is an existential imbalance. Any time we experience

adversity of any kind, it is because something is out of its natural order. In this case, we are not doing

what we are supposed to be doing regarding our dream and life’s work.

I believe that motivation can be reduced to a common denominator: humans tend to move away

from pain, and gravitate toward pleasure. This concept has been well written about by many psy-

chologists and philosophers including Sigmund Freud. We all make time to do what we really like to

do, but never find as much time to do what we really hate. So it seems that when a person is doing

what he or she loves and is finding rich meaning in his or her life, then motivation is usually not a

problem.

Have you ever experienced a lack of motivation? We all have at one point or another in our lives,

or regarding one thing or another. If you feel unmotivated in your career or life, ask yourself, "What

would have to change in order for me to get motivated?" Answering this question may take some time

as well as some meditative soul searching. You may have to consider and confront necessary changes

in order to become motivated again, which is good. Why live your life without passion or motivation?

As you consider the above question, here are eight characteristics of motivation that may provoke

you to thought and thereby aid you to regain your motivation. Incidentally, some of these traits are

neutral—they can either motivate or de-motivate, depending on your perspective. You will also notice

that some of these motivational traits are similar to the Characteristics of Success in the previous

segment, in fact, they are intertwined. It is not surprising this is the case, as successful people are

also quite motivated.

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

1. Live Your Dream. I have found this to be the primary motivator or de-motivator in life. Albert

Einstein said, "We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when

all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about." If you are not

involved with doing something that truly excites you, then you are not likely to be as moti-

vated toward success. Are you living your dream? Everyone has a dream inside that is unique

to them. With the uncertainties of life, it is a tragedy indeed for a person to never realize

that which could add great meaning to his or her life. This is why so much attention is being

paid to helping you develop your mission and vision statements in these courses, and much

more will come. To be truly motivated, listen to your inner voice, your Higher Self; obey your

calling, live your dream!

2. Feeling Good. When we don't feel physically good most of the time, it’s hard to be motivated.

There are several reasons why this may be the case. One reason might simply be our life

pattern, e.g. eating and drinking in moderation, and getting the appropriate amount of sleep

each night. Chemical imbalances can lead to depression that can drain us partially, or com-

pletely as well. Other things can cause us to feel below par much of the time, including food

allergies and other types of allergies. On the other hand, we may simply lack a worthy and

noble cause that can bring us meaning. If we lack sufficient meaning in our lives, this can

manifest in various ways physically. Take a good look at your habits and environment as well

as within to find potential causes of not feeling good. Seek medical attention if necessary

and/or start living or working toward your dream. The sooner you do, the sooner you can start

feeling good!

3. Believe in Yourself and the Value You Offer. There is no greater asset than self-belief. If

you do not believe in yourself and the value of what you are doing, then why should anyone

else? There is simply no substitute for self-belief. It has tremendous power to propel us

through the adversities of life. Motivational speaker and coach, Wanda Carter,1 said, "Take

control of your destiny. Believe in yourself. Ignore those who try to discourage you. Avoid

negative sources, people, places, things and habits. Don't give up and don't give in." Great

power resides in deliberately believing in yourself and the value you offer. This is also how

you overcome avoidance behaviors.

4. To the Greatest Extent Possible, Do Not Allow Yourself to Be Encumbered By Problems.

Unnecessary problems can arise from your own attitude or acceptance of circumstances you

could otherwise change. Intense personal problems can injure or destroy your motivation.

Likewise, so can problems at work. Use the metaphysical principles in these courses to over-

come any attitudes that may de-motivate you.

5. Your Pain; Your Hunger. Pain can be a powerfully motivating or de-motivating force. If you

are unhappy about your situation be it personal or financial, your inner pain can drive you on

to great accomplishments where little else can. Sometimes, your pain may immobilize you

too, but I have found that when my own pain gets bad enough, I get fed up and motivated to

make changes.

It is important to channel your pain in the proper direction. One way to make the most of

any pain you may feel is to ascertain the direction in which that pain prompts you. Pain is a

physiological warning system. It is your body and mind’s way of telling you that something is

1 http://inspirationmotivation.com.

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

wrong and needs to be corrected. Listen to your pain! What is it saying? What is it telling you

to do? When you define that which pains you, you get it out on the table as it were; have an

opportunity to touch it, feel it, hold it, taste it, and get motivated by it. Taking action releases

the energy contained in the pain. You cease to cave in to any fear of the pain, because you

see it for what it is—largely a bag full of hot air much like the balloon in the previous course.

Closely related to pain as a motivating force, is hunger. Not necessarily the physical kind,

but a longing for something better in one's life. This inner hunger can motivate us to reach

the stars and never give up, especially when it is born of high virtue.

6. Believe You Will Gain Benefits. If you believe that you are in a dead-end job, your motivation

will die as a result. If this is true, do yourself and your employer a favor, and make plans to

quit and move on to a more rewarding career in harmony with your life dream. Additionally,

if you are not earning what you're worth, it can sap your motivation also. It's hard to be moti-

vated if you can't pay the bills. But you can also find great motivation from the pain of making

too little income if you adjust your sails and move in a different direction.

In a Michigan State University study, 97% of the faculty members and staff who bet $40

that they could stay with a six-month exercise program were successful. Only 19% of a non-

betting group stayed with their six-month program.1 The point is, we must feel like there is

some benefit to our objective, or we will not strive as hard. The First Law of Human Nature

is that people only do the things they see a benefit in doing. Do what you love and the benefits

will come naturally.

7. Continue to Gain Knowledge and Experience. If you are in a career that requires extensive

product knowledge, the feeling that you are not really qualified can be a big de-motivator.

The obvious solution is to gain whatever knowledge you lack. Then you won't harbor the fear

any longer.

8. Lose the Fear. Fear is one of the greatest disabling beliefs. Seldom do the fears we harbor

within have anything to do with the greater reality. I’ve always liked using the word “fear” as

an acronym: F.E.A.R.—False Evidence Appearing Real.2 As long as we believe our fears are

real, they become our reality. And herein lays the problem: our fears are usually nothing more

than misguided and illusory beliefs (false evidence) that disable us from doing what we know

we should do. By holding on to unreasonable fears, you disable yourself.

One unknown author wrote, "Remember that the more you know, the less you fear," and I

could add, "the less you fear, the more you are motivated." Knowledge cancels fear. Con-

versely, fear can also be a great motivator. The instinctive "fight or flight" human response

can come into play. This can move you to action if you fear poverty, feel like you are missing

out on your dream, or have other fears associated with life. This being said, it is not healthy

to use or accede to fear-based motivation in any form. This is negatively-based motivation.

We want positively-based motivation. If you get motivated from fear, it is the same as focusing

on what you don’t want to happen. Since we always get what we focus on, the Universe will

bring reality in line with our focus. If our focus is that which we fear, that is what we will

1 MSC Health Action News, April, 1993. 2 Coined by Zig Ziglar (to the best of my knowledge).

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

likely get. Instead, build your motivation on what you do want to happen, not on what you

don’t want to happen.

These eight points can really help us with getting and staying motivated, if we apply them. Victor

Hugo wrote: "People do not lack strength; they lack will." The reason people lack will is because they

haven't discovered what motivates them, e.g., their dream which brings rich meaning to life.

Figuring out what motivates you can take time and self-scrutiny. You must honestly come face to

face with what does or does not motivate you, and then conform to whatever solutions you came up

with. Never underestimate the power of motivation or de-motivation.

GAINING MOMENTUM

Back on July 20, 1969, I remember watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon for

the first time in history. It was broadcast live to the world on television. I was only 10 years old then,

but it fascinated me, and filled my imagination with exciting possibilities. It was truly an amazing

accomplishment for humankind. I have always marveled at the power necessary to lift such a huge

rocket into space.

Twelve years later, the first Shuttle was launched in the early morning of April 12, 1981, which I

also watched on live television. As Columbia lifted off, I was again amazed at the power involved to

overcome earth's gravity and send it into orbit.

It is interesting to compare the power necessary to lift a rocket into orbit with that of lifting

ourselves into the orbit of success in life. With this in mind, let's examine and compare the two, and

note the lessons contained therein.

Facts and Lessons on Momentum

1. Inertia. For the Shuttle to leave the ground, it must overcome inertia. Sir Isaac Newton's first

law of motion describes inertia. It states that a body at rest tends to remain at rest, and a

body in motion tends to keep moving at the same speed and in a straight line. In order to move

a resting body or to stop a moving body, an external action called a "force" is required. The

tendency of a body to remain at rest or to remain in motion is called inertia. The inertia of a

body is related to its mass. Bodies that are more massive possess greater inertia than bodies

with less mass.

In order to achieve the necessary momentum, the Space Shuttle, weighing over 4.5 million

pounds at lift-off, must develop about seven million pounds of thrust. This makes sense, be-

cause according to Newton's law, the more mass that is involved, the more force is required

to move it.

Lesson: In our lives, we also must overcome inertia in order to achieve success. It will quite

likely require unusual effort in the beginning to launch our dream, but there is no way around

this fact. If our dream is starting a metaphysical practice, ministry, or another type of business,

it will take extraordinary effort the first few years. Once we have supplied that initial "thrust"

of hard work, then less effort is required to maintain our momentum. However, if we never

provide that initial thrust, or if our effort is less than enough, then we will not realize our goal.

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

If we have been unmotivated in the past, we must now determine what truly excites and

motivates us, so we can "blast off" in the right direction. By going through the process of

identifying our true motivations and potential solutions to realizing them, we begin to build

up the necessary thrust to get us off our launch pad. By resolving to continue our efforts, we

work to build up the momentum that will see us through to our objective.

2. Stage Technology. With most current and past space vehicles, Stage Technology has been

required to get the vehicle successfully into orbit. With the Space Shuttle, two solid-rocket

boosters provide most of the thrust for the first two minutes of flight (some 5.8 million pounds

combined). Once they are used up, they are jettisoned and fall into the ocean. After this, the

primary engines continue to carry the Shuttle the rest of the way fueled by the huge external

tank. Again, because of inertia, much more force is required to get the Shuttle off the ground,

but once it is going, not quite as much force is required. Without Stage Technology, the vehicle

would not reach orbit.

Lesson: As we launch our dreams, our success will go in stages. When we get to a certain level

of success, we must build on that success to get ourselves to the next level. So how do we

build on our successes? Or, what if we feel that we really have no successes to build on?

When I was in my late teens, my dad told me that I should wisely use the next ten years or

so to educate myself and gain career experience because, as he said, "a person's twenties are

largely a waste." What he was saying is that few people really "set the world on fire" during

their 20's, so I should use that time wisely to prepare for later years, especially in the areas of

education and career experience. In essence, the 20's are a time to really use Stage Technology

in attaining goals and objectives that will only likely come during one's 30's, 40's and beyond.

This may sound strange to you if you are in your teens or 20's, but I found it to be very true. If

we have no real success to build on so far, this is the best time of our lives to start.

As I look back over my 50-plus years on this planet, I have come to believe that every trial,

every adversity, every lesson as well as every positive event have been stages in my efforts to

achieve "orbit." The difficulties of starting and successfully operating my own businesses taught

me a lot about the intricacies of such things as hiring good people, cash flow, good customer

service, management, and a host of other valuable lessons. These experiences were "stages"

along the way to even more successes to come. Every time we endure hardship, we can use

the experience—just as a rocket uses a stage—to propel us even farther.

If we have enjoyed success in our endeavors, we can capitalize on that success to also

propel us farther. Use techniques that have proven successful in one endeavor, to be successful

in the next. Once a person has amassed many years of experience along with adversity and

hardship, then he or she uses those lessons to reach orbit and beyond. We must never allow

difficulties to cause us to blow up in mid-flight.

3. Escaping Orbit. Unlike the Space Shuttle, some spacecraft have missions to explore space

outside of earth's orbit. Voyager probes 1 and 2, launched in 1977, and Cassini-Huygens’ mis-

sion to Saturn launched in 1997 are good examples. Once the spacecraft achieves orbit, it will

need to increase its speed to seven miles per second or 25,000 miles per hour to escape earth's

gravity. The earth's gravity is used to help accomplish this by using a slingshot technique to

launch it out into space. You might say, therefore, that reaching orbit was just a temporary

step along the way to fulfilling its ultimate mission.

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

Lesson: Once we have provided the necessary effort to begin realizing our goal, we may also

have attained some success along the way by getting into "orbit." However, the question is,

"Are we done yet?" Have we really attained all that we wanted? If not, we must use the "orbit"

that we have already achieved, to catapult us on to further aspects of our goal. Again, some

further effort will be required so that we can reach the necessary "speed" to escape the limiting

bounds of where we are now.

4. Adjusting Course Along the Way. Once a space probe has left orbit, its course is set so that it

rendezvous' with the planet at the right place and time. This is critical if the mission is to be

successful. The interesting thing about it is that the space probe is sent in a direction that the

planet will be when the probe gets there. In other words, if you just aim the probe at where

the planet currently is, the planet will have moved a considerable distance in its orbit by the

time the probe gets there. There would be no realistic way of constantly adjusting course to

compensate, nor would it make any sense. So the probe is sent in the proper direction from

the outset. This is not to say that minor course corrections may not become necessary, espe-

cially when the probe is visiting more than one planet. When a probe, such as Voyager, is

scheduled to visit several planets, the flyby of each planet both accelerates the spacecraft

and bends its flight path. Without these gravity assists, Voyager's flight time to Neptune would

have taken 30 years, instead of 12 years. So Mission Control issues new commands to alter

course as needed.

Lesson: Using foresight, we must identify where our objective will be in the future. That means

knowing enough about our objective to determine the course we must take to get there. We

also must be flexible enough to change our course when necessary. And that means listening

to the "commands" that come along from outside indicators or from our own intuition. This is

why my dad told me to get the most education and experience possible during my 20's because

this would support reaching my objectives still many years ahead. Don't be afraid to alter

course if it means a better and quicker flight path.

Sometimes problems can arise in the pursuit of our goal or dream. The attitude we take regarding

those obstacles will affect our outcome. Rather than allowing problems to force us to breakup and

crash, use them instead to gain momentum and speed in the same way a space probe uses the gravi-

tational field of a planet to accelerate it on to further goals and victories. There will always be

problems, just don't let them destroy your dreams. Learn from life's lessons.

THE LAW OF MOMENTUM

Have you ever noticed that when things are going wrong, they often get worse? We've all heard

the expression, "When it rains, it pours." Conversely, when things are going well, they seem to get

better. This is the Law of Momentum at work. The Law states: "When you are down, momentum works

to keep you down. When you are up, momentum works to keep you up." This law is really just an

adaptation of Newton's first law of motion, but with a more life-relevant approach.

The Law of Momentum can affect everything we do, from finances, to career, to family, to what-

ever. For example, say that you are having a financially poor month. Perhaps there were too many

outflows and not enough inflows. The next thing you know, things start snowballing. Bills that were

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

the regular amount are now more because they were not paid on time and are incurring late fees.

Worse yet is if a check happens to "bounce." Not only does the business that took the check charge a

fee, but so does the bank. The longer one goes without noticing the overdraft, the more the overdraft

fees add up. It is not uncommon for some to have paid out thousands of dollars in bank overdraft fees

alone. While this is a simple example, it is nevertheless painfully true in some people's experience.

Incidentally, I was told once by a bank officer that overdraft fees accounted for 25% of his bank’s

annual revenue.

On the positive side, I have personally experienced times when I thought things could not go any

better. "Luck" was on my side. Actually, it wasn't luck at all; it was the Law of Momentum. Any time

this occurs, I find that I am enthusiastic, energized and doing well as a result.

This brings up some good questions: What exactly is this mysterious Law of Momentum? What

makes up the mechanics of this force? How exactly does it work?

Rather than being some intelligently directed force, I have come to understand that this force of

momentum simply exists as a result of our own mindset. We have it available to us at all times, but

we must tap into it. The force of momentum is neutral—it is neither positive nor negative by nature.

We make it positive or negative by our attitude and mental paradigms. This being the case, we make

our own luck.

Other areas of life exist where momentum can make or break us. Once we lose our motivation,

our momentum declines as well. If we have lost our momentum, what can we do to regain it?

WHAT GOES UP DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE TO COME DOWN

Just because we may have lost our momentum doesn't mean that we cannot regain it. But we must

look at the matter realistically. In the same way that extraordinary effort is required to lift the Space

Shuttle off its pad, we must also exert more-than-the-ordinary effort to get our momentum going

again.

But we should consider some other aspects here as well, motivation being the primary one. If we

are simply not motivated, then it will be all but impossible to regain our momentum in that particular

endeavor. So, in trying to regain our momentum, we must approach it in the correct order. First, ask

yourself, "Do I really want to do this anymore or even at all?" If the answer is yes, then what would

have to change for you to regain your motivation and momentum? If the answer is no, then it is really

a moot point—find something that will motivate you to sustain your momentum.

If we currently have high momentum, or if we have regained it back again, be careful of wrong

illusions. Sometimes we may mistakenly think that we are going the wrong direction in our quest for

success. How so? Have you ever noticed a car tire turning at high speed? Although the car is moving

forward, the wheels give the illusion that the car is actually going backwards. But is it really?

In our search for success, we may in fact have forward momentum, but sometimes get the illusion

that we are going backward. This can happen when we make mistakes in business or some other area

of our lives. Making mistakes in life is like hitting an unexpected speed bump. It may have slowed us

down a bit, but there is no reason to believe that we have stopped our forward momentum com-

pletely. If we learn the lesson contained in the "speed bump" and not stop altogether, then the ap-

pearance of going backward is really just an illusion. And as we continue our forward motion, this

Segment 2: The Art of Motivation and Momentum

time we are much more experienced and able to avoid similar speed bumps that may lurk down the

road.

As you launch yourself toward your goal or dream, use the ideas in this segment to help you sustain

your momentum. Once you have found your life's motivation and continue the momentum, the only

thing ahead is the stars!