Motivate Thyself

Sometimes I feel down in the dumps. The bills and debts are high, the road is hard and all uphill, things are always going wrong, and there are times I feel that I am losing my mind.

These are events which I often have no control over. I feel so helpless and out of control. I feel lost. Now as I write this Christmas 2016 is upon us and it has been said that the holidays amplify the effects of these feelings.

But not for me.

I love this time of year. For me this time of year is magical, although every year I never receive any of the magic. Still I dream, hope, pray, and enjoy the time. I love the holiday movies, the songs, the overall effects of Christmas. So I have to ask myself, why do I feel down and in the dumps?

For the last few days I have examined myself very closely. I looked at this past election, and I am pleased with the results. I am not pleased with the way the politicians are handling it, all stripes of politicians. Still I am not displeased or down because of the election.

No, what is affecting me is me. I and I alone am responsible for my plight, my feelings of inadequacy, the way my life is going. And I have no one to blame for my situation except me.

We all need someone to motivate us, to encourage us, to inspire us. We need role models who will take the time to talk to us and help us through our situation. No matter the age, for I am 65 years of age and I still seek the role model. And maybe that is part of the problem for I have never had a role model to assist me. All my motivation has come from me, and me alone, basically.

Who motivates the motivator? That question has plagued me for years. I did find the answer, which I will share shortly. Still we all need human contact but what happens when that contact does not exist, has never existed.

Those who are lucky enough to have someone, a real person, help them, encourage them, and motivate them are truly blessed. Unfortunately most of us don’t have that luxury. We have ceased to dream, to live life, to accept what is. Well no more. Things are changing, for the good nationally, but not so much or so fast for an individual.

The problems we face today will be the same we face tomorrow, UNLESS we decide to shake things up. Not just a little bit but a whole lot. A whole lot of shakin’ going on, as the song goes.

So let us stop feeling sorry for ourselves and get into the nuts and bolts of motivation and how we can motivate ourselves. But first some history, how did we get here?

One word: Politicians.

Politicians who fed us slop while they ate steak. Politicians who lied to us so that they may prosper. Politicians who used the main stream media to control our thinking which encouraged and amplified the concept that government and only government was capable of solving our problems.

That is how we got here. And if it wasn’t for Donald J Trump, this is where we would be staying. But this is a point for another blog. For now let us concentrate on us, and how we can motivate ourselves to be better, to become better, and to live better than ever before, despite the politicians.

There is a poem; I don’t know who wrote it or when it was written, but whoever wrote I want to thank them. It goes like this:

DON’T QUIT

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learn,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had it stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst
THAT YOU MUST NOT QUIT!

This poem has carried me over a lot of obstacles, but it wasn’t the only thing; books and motivation tapes have also played a major role in my motivation. Remember I don’t have a mentor to talk to so everything is all on me. If I am to be motivated I must do it myself.

Still books and tapes will only carry one so far, something else is needed. To help me with this issue I wrote a screenplay called “The Journey”. It’s a science fiction love story but more it’s a motivation story, a story about moving the universe, yours and mine.

I then took this basic screenplay and created a book out of it. I call this concept a ScreenNovella. It reads like a screenplay in a book form. Unique. Like me. Like you.

More than that I tweaked the book to make it better and when I did I learned something, something which took me by surprise. Yes they are my words, my thoughts, but actually saw them on paper, in a format which resonated with me, and I think it will with you as well.

My screenplay ties into the books I read, and the one it really associates with is “The Science of Getting Rich” by Wallace D Wattles.

I admit it’s a difficult read, but it’s not a big book. In fact it is much less than 100 pages. Quite a bit less. And you can find it on the internet as free download.

Written around the turn of the 20th century Wattles illustrates the power of moving the universe towards you by thinking in a particular way.

I took the concept and applied to my screenplay, then to my book and I learned a valuable lesson: I and I alone control my thoughts and my thoughts can move the universe. It can move the universe to help me or it can move the universe to hurt me. And the choice is mine and mine alone.

Still I sometimes get into a funk, so what do I do then? I need to motivate myself and I do. Being Christmas time the lights shine bright at night. Some houses are more decorated than others but those that illuminate the night also illuminate my soul. I find inspiration in those lights. I find hope in those designs, I find myself in that exploration.

I find motivation.

I find motivation when I drive down the road and look at the buildings around me. Skyscrapers are great motivation. So are the mountains and the sea. The plains, the crops, the sky, the vastness of it all. When I open my eyes and see, really see what is around me I find the motivation to write this blog. I find the motivation to continue on. I find the motivation to repeat the positive phrases morning and night. And during the day.

Often a photograph will motivate me. Example, as I look at a sailboat upon the ocean I see possibilities, and my imagination goes wild. Now I have no desire to own a sailboat, or any boat for that matter. No, the RV is more my style, yet still as a retired Navy man who spent many a night at sea, I still hear the call of the ocean. The allure of the Pacific still flows in my blood and I find myself wanting to answer the call.

This form of motivation inspires me to do better, to become better, and to strive for excellence. Why?

Perhaps it because in my formative Navy years I was blessed to work with the best, to associate with true professionals, men I learned to trust with my life. It was their devotion to the task which kept me, the rest of the crew, and our aircraft safe, every time we flew a mission.

But somewhere along the way I lost that motivation and became a nothing, a has been, a drain upon my family and myself. Then something happened, something I rediscovered: A way to motivate me.

I don’t’ need a mentor, yeah one would help, but I don’t need one when I have the awesomeness of nature, and the strength of Divine Providence to guide and direct me. When I have books, and old school masters, men who knew how to motivate with simple but powerful words, I know I am on the correct path.

So I will leave this post with a question: Do you motivate others to be better than they are? If not you should try it. You might even find yourself.

I know I did.

G.