Never Give Up

Continuing with the theme from this week's Motivation Monday's blog post, here is the inspirational quote of the day. 

TED Talk Tuesday- The Surprising Science of Motivation

In this Tuesday's TED talk, Daniel Pink, author of best selling book, Drive, challenges the traditional idea that we are motivated by external rewards.

He clarifies that extrinsic rewards actually work quite well for simple tasks where there is a clear set of rules and a single set of solutions. However, science has proven that for more complex, conceptual problem-solving, larger rewards actually lead to poorer performance.

So what does motivate us for non-mechanical tasks?  

Daniel simply and elegantly boils it down to three things:

1. Autonomy- the urge to direct our own lives.
2. Mastery- the desire to get better and better at something that matters.
3. Purpose- the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.

As a salesperson who has chased bonuses, commissions and reward trips for over a decade, this was a pretty tough idea for me to believe.  But as I thought about it, I realized it was never the money or rewards that really drove me (although they were definitely a nice perk), it was always something else.  Something internal.

You see, my parents kicked me out of my house when I was 16 years old.  I needed to find a way to pay for college, and I quickly realized that making $6/hour as a cashier at Target would never cut it.  So when I found a sales opportunity selling Cutco knives, of all things, I jumped all over it.  Now the whole Cutco experience is probably an entire future blog post in and of itself, but what it gave me was the chance to start controlling my destiny. Unlimited sales income meant the harder and smarter I worked, the more I could make.  

But it wasn't about the money.  It was what the money meant to me at that time.  It meant I could pay for college myself.  It meant I could move out of friends' houses and into my own place. It meant I could prove to my parents and more importantly to myself, that I could make it.

That internal motivation still drives me today.

Motivation Monday- Never Give Up

Today's Motivation Monday is the story of world-class sprinter, Derek Redmond, and his 400 meter race in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Derek had prepared for this moment his entire life.  He was favored to win the event.  He took an early lead in the race, and then the unexpected happened.  What he did in the face of disappointment was courageous and truly inspiring.

Here's what I love about this video: first, Derek's unyielding commitment to finish what he had set out to do in the face of ultimate disappointment.

How many times do we suffer setbacks or failures and just quit?  I think of all the times something far more minor has not gone my way - not getting the promotion I really wanted, having my ideas shot down, or having my heart broken, and how instead of finishing the race, I just walked off the field.  I can't even imagine the devastation he must have felt in that moment when he realized his dreams were dashed, but he had the courage to finish.

It's not about what happens, but how we deal with it. 

I truly believe it was the single decision to finish the race that paved the way for him to look back on this moment and see the positive (not to mention pave the way for his successful public speaking career), compared with a world of regret and despair that might have happened if he didn't.

Second, his dad running onto the field to help his son was immensely powerful.  He was literally a shoulder for his son to lean on.  We all sometimes need that person that will break through security to help us, even if we aren't asking for help.  I am a fiercely independent person and I generally fight to do everything on my own.  I am learning that it is not only important to cultivate and nurture relationships with people in my life that will be there for me in tough times, but also to be that shoulder to lean on.

How do you deal when things don't go your way?

Ferris Wheel Friday

Photo of the Day

Something about this photo just makes me so happy.

Happy Friday!

The Secret to Surviving Conference Calls (and Other Forms of Corporate Torture)

This morning was a doozy!

First of all, I woke up before 5 a.m.

I need to point out that I am not a morning person.
I am the opposite of a morning person.
The only way 4 a.m. and I get along is if I'm seeing it at the end of a fun night.
Not the beginning of a new day.

I got up this early because I had to fly to Hilo for work, which I do every week.

However, I had to get on an even earlier flight than normal because I had a mandatory conference call.

And, because I live in Hawaii, these calls are ridonkulously early for me.

So, here I am, in Hilo.  Bleary eyed.  Super early in the morning.  

Sitting in my rental car.  In the rental car parking lot.

On conference call #3 out of 4 this week.

NOT a happy camper.  NOT even really awake.  All in all, pretty miserable.

(Did I mention I hadn't had coffee yet?)

About an hour into the call, it dawned on me.

I can be on this call... ANYWHERE!  I don't have to sit in this crappy parking lot.

So I drove, to the most beautiful place I knew in Hilo.

And I got out of my car, parked my butt on the rock wall, and listened to my conference call while gazing at this:

And suddenly, it was all good.

It was only then that I noticed what a gorgeous day it was.

The sun was shining in Hilo, where it's usually overcast and rainy.

The waterfall was stunning.  Like take-your-breath stunning.

The sunlight hit it in a way that there were multiple rainbows shooting off the mist.

It was magical.

I started to walk around and noticed brilliant flowers like these:

which are everywhere in Hawaii, but today I really noticed them.

And in that moment, while my conference call continued, I realized something.

If you're miserable, change your situation.

Now, I know when I hear stuff like that, I imagine BIG changes.  Like quitting your job and traveling around the world for 4 years kinda-big.  But what I realized today is that changing your situation doesn't have to always be that dramatic.  Just a simple thing like changing your scenery, or seeking something beautiful, can make a impactful change on your perception.

I'm positive some of you are saying, "Easy for you to say, you live in Hawaii and have beautiful things like waterfalls and tropical flowers all around you."  And I completely admit, Hawaii is insanely gorgeous.  But even with magical things all around you, if you're not open to them, you can go through your entire day, your entire life even, without experiencing them.  There is beauty everywhere.  You just have to look for it.  If all else fails, you can alway go to that happy place in your head.

By the way, where was this gorgeous place?

Rainbow Falls.  If you're ever in Hilo, I highly recommend it.  

Especially if you're stuck on a conference call.

Why are you here?

Today's inspiring quote of the day:

TED Talk Tuesday: Start With Why

Can you think of a person who had every possible advantage:  looks, education, money, upbringing; and yet, ended up a failure?

On the flip side, can you think of someone who, despite every obstacle, every disadvantage, achieved monumental things that defied expectation?

What is it that all the great leaders of the world have in common?
And how can we apply these principles?

Simon Sinek tackles these questions in one of my favorite TED talks of all time.

My takeaway from this TED Talk- if you want people to follow you, don't tell them WHAT, show them WHY.

TED Talk Tuesday