Recently it occurred to me that the leaders in our industry by their actions are motivators?  But where do they find the source of their motivation? There are those who are self motivated, those that need to be motivated and others who couldn’t be motivated for any reason in the world.  Similarly you’ve heard about those who make things happen, those who realize something is happening and then some who don’t have a clue what’s happening.

When we were young it was our parents whom we looked to for motivation and encouragement.  Often times we were rewarded with kind words, extra privileges or even an allowance.  But who or what motivated our parents?  Why did some parents stay home and others go off to work?  Why did some choose to work with their hands and others who chose other venues?  When did our parents stop being our source of motivation or are they still that source today?

For me as I got older it was coaches in the various sports I was blessed to have played in.  The coaches that dangled motivation out in front of you every practice in the form of a carrott, “If you work hard, keep your nose to the grind stone you will succeed and have a better life”.  There was also motivation in the form of recognition from your school and your teachers; All Star games, honor societies, the theatre and perhaps student government.

By this time in your life you have a firm grasp if you are a self motivated person or someone who needs to be motivated.   It shows if you choose to go off to higher education or if your choice is the work force.  In the commercial real estate industry I’ve found those with the most success learned long ago that they must be self motivators.  If they have that special something deep inside that never allows you to give up, keep your glass half full and treat others with respect then success is within their grasp.

My friend Vance Caesar taught me to have more “get to’s” than got to’s and it really changed the way I greet each new day.  We all have a choice to make when our feet hit the floor whether our motivation will come from within and it will be a positive start to the day or if we have to wait for our spouse, children, boss or some other outside choice to get us going it might not be as positive because that motivation may not come on that day.

The sooner we understand that what happens to us is life, how we react defines our character and gives us the opportunity to motivate ourselves and others.  What is your choice?