A couple of decades ago in June 1974, India celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Coronation of Chattrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha King. It was more memorable for me as I was chosen to give a speech on that occasion. I was very young and it was to be my first public speaking engagement and I was full of fear, apprehending ridicule and laughter if I messed up or forgot my lines as I sensed that perhaps with my limited knowledge I was not equipped for the stage.
To encourage me, my teacher gave me a pep talk and told me the following:
“Just go up to the stage. Do not focus on any one person. Remember that as the speaker, you know more than the people in the audience. That is why they are present to listen”.
Many years were to pass before I actually realized the full impact of what my teacher did. She motivated me to speak and carry myself with full confidence. From time to time we need motivation to be able to carry on with the activities we require to do. So what is Motivation?
Depending on the definition it could be:
Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain behavior. It represents the reasons for people's actions, desires, and needs. “ - Wikipedia
Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/motivation.html#ixzz3fsRrvgnF
From a personal and internal motivation perspective I view motivation as the approach of people towards fate. Some choose to accept fate as it comes while others choose to face it head on. Of course both states may not be carved in stone. These two aspects can be explained by these two poems:
Lack of motivation and acceptance of fate can be seen through the words of William Shakespeare:
“What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide”
Incredible motivation on the other hand is non-acceptance of fate, best exemplified from these famous lines from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
To move forward in life and face its turbulence we need to decide whether we resist wind or tide.
To encourage me, my teacher gave me a pep talk and told me the following:
“Just go up to the stage. Do not focus on any one person. Remember that as the speaker, you know more than the people in the audience. That is why they are present to listen”.
Many years were to pass before I actually realized the full impact of what my teacher did. She motivated me to speak and carry myself with full confidence. From time to time we need motivation to be able to carry on with the activities we require to do. So what is Motivation?
Depending on the definition it could be:
Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain behavior. It represents the reasons for people's actions, desires, and needs. “ - Wikipedia
Internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to a job, role or subject, or to make an effort to attain a goal. http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/motivation.html#ixzz3fsRrvgnF
From a personal and internal motivation perspective I view motivation as the approach of people towards fate. Some choose to accept fate as it comes while others choose to face it head on. Of course both states may not be carved in stone. These two aspects can be explained by these two poems:
Lack of motivation and acceptance of fate can be seen through the words of William Shakespeare:
“What fates impose, that men must needs abide; it boots not to resist both wind and tide”
Incredible motivation on the other hand is non-acceptance of fate, best exemplified from these famous lines from the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate
I am the captain of my soul
To move forward in life and face its turbulence we need to decide whether we resist wind or tide.
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