As I said in my momentum maintenance system post last week, creating a life filled with meaning, abundance, and passion doesn't come from a short-term fix. It takes a long-term commitment to making it happen.
In the next few posts I'm going to offer some specific ideas for how to develop your own momentum maintenance system, but first I want to take a big picture view of it all.
Think of the system as having two main components:
1) Direct motivation sources
2) A personal ecosystem that feeds that positive momentum
Direct motivation sources
This one isn't rocket science. It's simply putting to work the answer to the question, "What motivates me?" Is it goal setting? Is it competition? Is it positive strokes? Is it seeing the change resulting from my work? Something else?
Once you define the sources of motivation that are relevant and compelling to you, you're equipped to ask yourself the question, "Now where are the opportunities to build that into the picture as I move ahead?" Don't just ask it once and then drop it. Keep asking it. Keep scanning the horizon for opportunities to build more of what motivates you into the picture.
Energy-feeding personal ecosystem
This one takes a little more explaining, but it's really pretty simple once you think about it. At the heart of this is the notion that all the different pieces of your life combine to make an interconnected system. You don't live in discrete modules. Every part of your life has some kind of influence on the other parts.
The more your choices in each of those parts feed your energy, the more energy you have to put into maintaining momentum for the long-term (in this case, for your career efforts, but it can apply to maintaining momentum in other areas of your life as well). The more your choices drain your energy, the less you have to put toward staying on track.
So your personal ecosystem is made up of, for example...
- Physical health
- Emotional health
- Mental health
- Your physical environment
- The people around you
- Information sources (e.g., books, news, etc.)
This isn't an exhaustive list. It's an example of just some of the elements that have an effect on your ability to stay motivated for the long term. Start making this idea your own by asking the question, "What are the components of my own personal ecosystem?"
Think of this part as optimizing your energy. For each of the components you identify, what can you do to maximize the energy gain, and minimize the energy drain?
The more consciously you can manage your motivation and the gain and drain of your energy, the better luck you will have staying on track and creating a M.A.P. Maker's life.
I'll be posting more specific ideas in the days to come and adding the links to my original post to consolidate all the ideas in one place for easy reference.
Check out The Occupational Adventure Guide
Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
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