What Really Motivates You?

What Really Motivates You? John Paul Carinci

"If a blade of grass can grow in a concrete walk and a fig tree in the side

of a mountain cliff, a human being empowered with an invincible faith can

survive all odds the world can throw against his tortured soul!

Robert Schuller

 

Motivation to do something is a powerful driving force. We

know that people have literally done the impossible because they were

motivated by some tremendous force. An example of a tremendous

driving force that becomes the motivation for non-wavering action is

the New York City Marathon. Some thirty-eight thousand marathon

runners are fortunate to be selected by a lottery system. Only those

selected are eligible to run in the marathon, which is made up of over

twenty-six miles of hills and valleys running through the five boroughs

of New York City.

So, if approximately forty thousand runners are allowed by lottery

to race, how many people request to run each year? In 2008, there

were over 105,000 entry forms submitted to the Road Runners Club.

I would assume most of the 105,000 entrants were prepared to run the

marathon. What type of commitment does it take to prepare for such

a grueling race of twenty-six-plus miles? How many weeks, months,

or years in advance must the runner practice and exercise for such a

long race?

 

I estimate that a runner would have to practice for at least a year

to build up the stamina needed for that distance. Regardless, the entire

105,000 runners requesting entrance were committed to practice and

work out and race in the historic marathon. What commitment and

drive! The ultimate goal of finishing the New York City Marathon was

enough to motivate the runners to get up early before work or to go out

late at night to run so many miles in preparation for a marathon that

they might or might not have the chance to run in.

Nothing is impossible to a willing mind.

Monk Hae Chang

 

What is the motivating force that drives someone to work so hard

for a far-off goal? Why do inventors try the impossible when striving to

invent something new? An inventor may fail thousands of times before

succeeding with a new invention. What sustains his faith in persevering

until he has succeeded? Why do some succeed while many more fail?

Well, the way I see it, those who experience repeated failure are often

unwilling to go the extra mile that the successful inventor is willing

to go. Let’s go back to the marathon race. In 2008, there were over

thirty-eight thousand actual runners allowed to race. Of the 38,835 at

the starting line, the vast majority—37,899 runners—actually finished

the 26.2-mile distance. That is commitment. The oldest runner was a

man of eighty-seven! He finished the race in eight hours and thirty-nine

seconds. Talk about motivation!

To dream anything you want to dream. That’s the beauty of the strength

of the human mind. To do anything that you want to do. That is the strength

of the human will. To trust yourself, to test your limits. That is the courage

to succeed.

—Bernard Edmonds, "
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