There is a popular piece of advice that have been there for a long time. It says, if you want to pursue your greatness, find a successful person who you’d love to emulate or copy. This advice makes sense, however, what often works better than a positive motivation is a negative motivation. Personally, I am more motivated by the things I do not want to be.
You probably have heard some people say, when I think where I am coming from, I throw the blanket and get to work. No one loves poverty, and some of us work very hard to get away from it. And that is a negative situation motivating us.
There is huge motivation in making a list of things you do not want to be. Things you should be running away from, like poverty. Identify people you do not want to be like and use them to be a motivation to be someone else you’d rather be or want to be.
Anytime you find yourself not living up to your expectation, or tempted to give in to pressure or betraying your values, remind yourself of the things you do not want to be. This will help you do what you have to do to avoid becoming the person you do not want to become. That is what negative motivation is all about!
James Wetu 