"Finding Your Motivation Through Others"

After finishing my programs at an event yesterday, I spent some time with a few of the presenters from the conference. It was one of those delightful evenings of idea exchange and fellowship that is too absent from most people's lives.

One individual at the table is just getting started in the speaking and training industry. As I sat and listened to his aspirations and plans I felt my own motivation rising to improve my work. While many of his ideas are in infancy, he has enough of them that if 1 or 2 work, he will be well on his way to achieving his dream. As I thought of his relative inexperience related to his passion, I was a little disappointed in the level of excellence I was expecting from myself given my years of experience and resources.

Too often we get comfortable in who we are because we surround ourselves (intentionally and unintentionally) with people who think and act like we do. It can be uncomfortable to be around people who are more focused on achieving their goals than we are. We may think we have "arrived" but when we spend a few moments with those people with "big ideas" and vision we realize that there is much work to be done to stay relevant. One of my passions is travel, and I have been blessed to go to some amazing places. When I spend time around people who have traveled to places I have not, however, I get excited about the potential opportunity to travel to new destinations.

If you're resisting change or feeling a little too comfortable in your current place at work or life, actively seek out others who can help you see that there is much more to be and to do.