Go Beyond Mere Motivation for True Success

By Terry Brock For DSound and Steemit

We have to go beyond mere motivation to achieve success in selling and entrepreneurship. Don’t get me wrong. Motivation is important. It is essential. Without it you don’t have the fuel to power you through the tough hits, the slams, the criticisms, and the set-backs. Yes, you need motivation like the late, great Zig Ziglar described it. Paraphrasing Zig he said, that motivation is like taking a shower. It doesn’t last long and that’s why you need it every day.

Successful salespeople and entrepreneurs use motivation to achieve results. You get paid for results, not just motivation. Too many people stop at the motivation alone. They get that good feeling like you get at a wonderful seminar. Hey, I know about that as a professional speaker. Yes, it is good to have motivation. Some say you have to have that. I believe you do.

Combine the motivation with skill-building through reading. Reading has been my secret weapon. It gave me the ability to learn important lessons fast. I could learn on my own through painful and often embarrassing lessons. However, reading helped me to learn from others what they had done right —- and even more from what they did wrong.

Then I had to apply myself. I had to test. I had to fail and then get back up and try again and again. In fact, I’ve learned in my years on this planet that you never stop learning. As soon as you think you can stop learning, you’re toast. It is finished when you stop learning. You need to be willing to endure the “yuck” that confronts in situations and with less honorable people.

I think of the story of Amelia Earhart. She wanted to be a great aviator, but in the 1920’s, women were considered unable to do it “like a man.” She had to settle for a job she didn’t really want, but was biding her time.

Then one day she got a call from a man with a very disagreeable attitude and curt way of communicating. He offered her the opportunity to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, but she would be accompanied by two men as chaperones. The men would get paid a lot of money and she would not get anything. Couple that with the physical risk of flying across the Atlantic back then and you get the picture that would make most people reject the offer outright.

But Amelia Earhart was not like most people.

She accepted the offer knowing it would be an opportunity to put her in a better position later. In fact, it lead to her start as an aviator who became world famous. She showed them she could fly on her own, or with others, if necessary.

That is the attitude that successful people take. Don’t complain and quibble about offers that aren’t what you want. Instead, analyze it to see if there is a way you can leverage that offer into something better to help you achieve your goals later on down the road.

Use motivation and combine that with outrageous skill and competence and a strong “go for it no matter what” attitude.

This is the key. Become relentless in your pursuit of your worthwhile, life-enhancing goals. Don’t give up. Expect obstacles and setbacks. Hey, that’s the way it works on this planet! We have lots of “yuck” that will hit you. It can seem overwhelming at times. But don’t let the requisite yuck slow you down.

What do you think? Please leave your comment below. Thank you very much for listening today.

Terry

Terry L. Brock, MBA, CSP, CPAE
Member, Professional Speaker Hall of Fame
Certified Speaking Professional
2018 Recipient of the National Speakers Association's Highest Award, The Cavett

Master of Ceremonies
Professional Video Coach

Syndicated Columnist with Business Journals (43 papers across USA, 11 million monthly page views)
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My TEDxBocaRaton presentation.
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Former Editor-in-Chief for AT&T's Networking Exchange Blog
Former Chief Enterprise Blogger for Skype

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