External motivation does not last; for lasting encouragement, one has to seek motivation from within. And for motivation to be more of an internal drive than merely an external occurrence of events, the approach has to be more holistic—one which is a balance of science and spirituality. Inner motivation is a personal responsibility and to achieve it is much simpler than depending upon others to come and set our heart and soul in place. It requires using our spiritual drive in a scientific manner.
Harness your spiritual growth
The beauty about using our spiritual drive as a motivating force is that it is simple and easy to apply. Here is how you can go about harnessing your spiritual power to fuel your growth:
Follow your heart
This has been one of the most profound spiritual lessons since time immemorial. If the quest is yours, you are naturally inclined to find the courage and motivation to see the light. Our stressed out populace is evidence of the ‘lost generation’ who have stopped listening to their calling and have blindly joined the rat race.
It’s time you stop and ask yourself questions like, “Is this what I really want to do?” “Is my work making people’s lives easier?” “Is my work making me a better person?”. This helps set the course of your work in perspective. There’s no point in arriving at a destination, then realising that this is not where you wanted to be. When your direction is aligned with your purpose, the motivation and drive is unbelievable.
Set yourself up for success
If success is the drive, then you can actually set it up for yourself. Success could be material abundance for many, but if that is not balanced by spiritual fulfilment, the void will eventually nullify the material gains. Have a clear vision of what kind of person you would like to become to help balance between the two. Often people are so focused on what they want to achieve that they neglect their character and health and become spiritually drained. What you have materially will eventually depreciate, but who you become as a result of your efforts will take you higher than you can imagine. Ask yourself, “what kind of person do I want to become?” and not “what do I want to achieve?” If you can align and pursue both answers, you will have real success.
Read good books
The competition, negativity and stress sooner or later engulfs us in its venomous trap. Hence, it becomes important to insulate ourselves from the constant bombarding of negativity. Indulging in good reading keeps our mind focussed in positive research and helps build an attitude of learning. Positive learning serves in building wisdom and keeping our minds rich with ideas and motivation. When knowledge is positive and empowering, it serves as an internal motivation.
Be a student of goodness
Seek goodness wherever you go and from whomever you meet. Goodness has the power to motivate beyond words. There is enough good to seek even in the world’s greatest calamity and a person.
Anyone who has the ability to see the brighter side of any situation is not only spiritually balanced, but is also firmly grounded to survive the pressure and stress of any situation. No matter how severe a circumstance may be, if you ask yourself the question, “What’s good about this?” the answer will always uplift you.
Create fulfilment through contribution
It is true that the human race thrives on contribution. Unlike any other species, we experience greatest fulfilment when we contribute positively towards other people’s lives. No matter who you are and where you are, if you look around you will find avenues to help and enrich other people’s lives with your presence, your time and your talent. This is what Mahatma Gandhi meant when he said, “To know that even one life has breathed easier because you lived is true success.”
Finally
If you learn to bring a measure of spirituality to your living, you will be automatically motivated to do actions that are for your highest good.
And if you still need further motivation to find your spiritual balance, keep this greatest motivator in mind: Being born a human itself is the biggest motivation you need to feel driven. Because only human life allows one the opportunity for improvement and growth. So be thankful for this wonderful opportunity and motivate yourself to be all that you can be.
Amazing Priya. Beautiful ways to get motivated. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you this article has been very helpful to me I was feeling really down because of indecisiveness after reading this article it put some things into perspective for me.