There was the time in younger days when my motivation was fuelled by angst, anxiety, approval seeking and a need to prove myself to some unknown judge. As time marched along, a new drummer arrived with a better sense of rhythm, which squelched the old motivational forces. Following this was a sense of being in no-man’s land: if I wasn’t trying to prove that I was a worthy artist (person, athlete, wife, daughter…), then what juice would get me going — and what exactly did I want to get going on?  To move on from there took soul searching and the type of self-honesty that was difficult but worthwhile, much like the artist’s journey of continuous learning.

Here are a few ideas on motivation that worked for me:

• Define success. How else do we know if we’ve succeeded?
• We need to believe we can reach our goals.
• To thwart procrastination, chunking helps (break things down into manageable bits). 
• Ticking off a to-do list gives a sense of accomplishment.  
• Early success keeps us going. (Begin with something we can attain.)
• It helps to be ‘sticky’ — stick to the effort it takes to reach a goal,
  which means we need to have direction and commitment.
• Believe we can handle doing what needs to be done.
• Have enough of a challenge to feel excited, but not so big as to be intimidated.
• Accept that some days things will flow and some days you might as well drop a brick on your head.
• Remember why an endeavour is worthwhile. Tap into your core beliefs.
• Name the fear which tries to stymie efforts. (Fear of ridicule, success, disappointment, vulnerability and so on.)
• There are many ways to reach a goal.
• There are times to give up and times to try something else.
• Don’t settle on the status quo. It’s boring. Try something new. Experiment.
• Be aware of changing values, passions, and interests. 
• We need support and that’s normal. 
• It’s important to know that we are aiming for our goals. 
• Reward accomplishments of any size.
• Enjoy the process as much as possible and keep the faith when the fun factor is on holidays.

Ability is what you’re capable of doing.
Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it.
Lou Holtz

Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
Mario Andretti

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