MOTIVATION: Where Does Motivation Come From?

Where does motivation come from?
From positive self-affirmations?
From minute by minute declaring
Everest as my goal?

By making success my
Moment by moment fascination?
Or by putting Maxwell, Robbins,
Osteen, Oprah, or Tracy
On constant MP3 flow?

Or by looking at the trees outside
Under a cloud-streaked blue sky?
Listening to the crows & other birds
Calling out to each other?
And thinking hard about my connection
With nature as my sister and brother?

Or sipping on morning coffee?
Or afternoon Monster, Red Bull or Rock Star?
Or dwelling on how
Absolutely low failure will bring me?
Or contemplating how sweet
Victories are?

You know I don’t have the simple answer
To all of this
But I tell you right now:
I’m going to be hesitant to look
To the gurus
I prefer to be motivated by
My partner’s kiss
Than visualising myself
Iron-manning through the desert heat
And hoodoos

Science reshearch shays it’sh
S.M.A.R.T. goals
As if a body of knowledge called “Science”
Could actually talk
But these goals are Specific, Measurable
Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound
And with these features they rock
And in this way the goals are
Believable, rock-solid sound

Yeah, you may have a
Humongous aim to achieve
But you got to break it up
Into small pieces
Or if you can tack on it
So, so, so many reasons
But you know the old proverb?:
“How do you eat an elephant?”
“One bite at a time!”
Just start with something the size of an ant
And begin with the
First line of your rhyme

Don’t be vague, be specific
Don’t think about the moon,
Or the Atlantic, Pacific
Measure it small, and make sure
You can achieve it
Don’t make it too tall
But set a deadline to reach it

Tell your family and friends
And get some support
Write it down on paper with a pen
And regularly give your
Loved ones and friends a report

If you start drifting back
Then find a helpful hand
When you find yourself
Reaching for the chocolate
Or expensive item on the rack
Don’t just remind yourself of the goal’s demand
Think about the WHY, the BIG WHY
And what it means exactly to you
It’s not some meaningless
Pie in the sky
But something that hits home
Something that runs right through you

Best wishes, mon ami
On the journey to health
I hope you clasp on victory
And beyond struggle and survival
You thrive within your true self
And be the real you
As much as you can
Not living with “but”
But instead always
With “and”!

And yes, you can!