Hi…

It’s time for the answer to this week’s quiz…

Judging by the response, I’d say most didn’t have time to comment, which is a bit in keeping with the quiz and could be good or bad news depending on how you look at it.

Now, for the answer…

Or at least let’s head in that direction…

The answer to the question I posed (“What’s the key intrinsic reason why we do what we do instead of what we know we should do in support of our goals?”) also has a lot to do with why we do something vs. why we don’t.

Ask yourself why you do something to inch closer to a goal.

Maybe you want something. Maybe it’s material. Perhaps it’s a state. Maybe you desire it so badly you can taste it. Or maybe you don’t.

That’s a clue.

Here’s another one…

All across town, crowds of customers lined up hoping to get their hands on the new iPhone 3GS.

Which reminds me of a chilly night back in college. It was the first time I’d ever camped out to get concert tickets. Darn cold actually. But we were a big group of friends, we came prepared, we had a tent, food, beverages-you know how it is in college-and we stuck it out together… because it was worth it.

But you want to know the big reason why? Because my girlfriend wanted tickets.

Same with the iPhone fans. See, even though some stores wouldn’t open till 10 AM, Apple devotees were willing to get in line at the crack of dawn.

… Because they wanted to be one of the first to have the latest and greatest. Or maybe their reason why is because they wanted to get it as a gift for someone else.

Okay, so back to my example of the two random people who both have a goal of losing the same amount of weight.

One goes to the gym three times a week. And through persistent action and consistent effort, ultimately loses the weight. The other complains about not having enough time and remains overweight.

Here’s the reason why the second person doesn’t pull the trigger on losing weight…

Their bugaboo is “motivation.” Motivation, that combination of feeling, decision, and commitment.

That is the answer to the quiz: motivation.

Things get done in this world because we are motivated to do them. (Write that down and stick it to your wall.) And things don’t get done when we don’t have enough motivation.

There, the cat’s out of the bag.

It’s not glamorous.

Nevertheless, it’s the most critical driver for personal and business success.

Not getting the results you want? Check your motivation.

It’s not voodoo.

Setting and expecting to achieve goals without having the right motivation, IS relying on voodoo.

Because if you are not motivated enough, it is highly unlikely you’re going to do what’s necessary to achieve your goal.

I’ve lost count of how many goals of mine have fallen off the radar because I wasn’t motivated enough. I’m probably better off too for it too.

I’m guessing you can relate to this, can’t you, that to take action you need to be motivated? Even if it’s just to get the silly thing done?

My fingers are getting tired, so let me think how do I say this best again… Things are worthwhile when we have worthwhile goals.

And when things are worth doing, you’re motivated to do them.

The flip side of this is, you’re not really going to do something if you don’t think it’s worthwhile…

…In other words, you are not going to go after your goals if you’re not motivated …if you don’t have a BIG ENOUGH REASON WHY.

Okay, I’ve rambled on enough.

Now, about the prize, even though you didn’t offer the answer, I’m feeling compelled to give TWO prizes.

One for the answer that at least is on the right wavelength… which gives us a taste of the effects of fear.

And the other for shedding some light on the workings of our mind.

So, the winners:

Carolyn, the second response.

And Zana, the first response.

Both of you get access to my Personal Renaissance group coaching and mentoring program. You’ll be contacted assuming you left your correct email address in your profile when you posted your comment.

Again, you get credit for giving this some thought and taking action.

Everyone else who read about the quiz and MISSED giving a response, I wonder if you can answer next time.

Well, that’s it for today.

We’ll have to do another quiz here soon.

Ciao!

Taylor

P.S. If you are a doer, want to be a doer, want to lead a truly extraordinary life, to enhance and enrich your lifestyle, to influence the world and leave a legacy, join me for your Personal Renaissance.

Today I want to share something that was truly beautiful, and is related to goal setting…

Part of me says you had to be there, but when you read this, you be the judge.

There I am stuck in traffic, waiting for my turn at the stoplight, which as it happens is flashing red, so we all have to wait our turns to get where we’re headed.

When my turn comes up, I hit the gas. I’ve barely gone a few hundred yards and I notice there is a small animal ahead and to my right. Yep, I was right… it’s a fox!

My heart skips a beat.

I’m surprised. Concerned. Hopeful.

It’s almost like a perfect scene from a movie, where the director has carefully staged this moment.

So there’s the fox…

A beautiful, reddish-brown fox. She’s  nodding her head back and forth–and with it, shaking something that’s hanging out of her mouth–studying traffic, calculating how she is going to cross the road.

This is all happening in a matter of seconds. I see her, the fox, I have my thoughts, and immediately worry whether the car quickly approaching me from the left has spotted the fox too.

And yes, luckily, the car next to me also pauses.

And that is when it happens…

The fox sees her opportunity. She knows it’s her chance.

Bird in mouth, she crosses my two lanes, and then two more lanes of traffic which catch on to what’s going on  and also slow down she quickly approaches.

Yes-she made it!

And you can almost hear the crowd cheering.

I’m somewhat emotionally caught up just telling you this story for several reasons.

It’s a story of determination.

It’s a story of knowing what your outcome is and being clear on your goal.

It’s a story of motivation.

I was worried for the fox. I was rooting for her. Hoping she would successfully make it across the road, which of course meant others would have to notice her too and allow her to have a safe journey.

I can only imagine what was going on in her mind.

Perhaps she was focused on getting her little ones some food. And watching her with there holding a bird in her mouth, preparing to take a feast to her little ones, was a sight to be seen.

And so I was touched by the fox, I had respect, compassion, and a host of other feelings about this experience, about this determined mother knowing clearly what she wanted to go after and going for it.

Now you might question this and say it has nothing to do with goal setting strategies and that the animal was acting out of pure instincts.

Whatever the case might be, she reminded me of an important lesson and made me contemplate this valuable experience.

Her reminder was if you really want something, you get yourself in the right mind set, you understand what it is that motivates you, and you do what’s necessary to go after your goal.

See, the fox was on a mission. She was clear on her outcome. She knew what she had to do.

And she was determined to do whatever it takes to reach her destination.

She was highly motivated. Not getting her goal would mean that her little ones would starve. And that wasn’t an option in her book.

The fox knew what she wanted, she was clear on her goal. And she had a good reason why. No question about that.

In her book, that’s how you cross the road. And that’s exactly what she did.

Who would have thought you can learn goal setting techniques from a mother fox?

Ciao!

Taylor Coburn