Direction, Motivation and Accomplishment

Direction, motivation and accomplishment... We often find ourselves searching for reasons or explanations as to why things just don't seem to work out, or better yet, why we more and more fall back on that all too frequently used phrase, maybe next time!
All too often, we as a society, or better yet, us as individuals lack the necessary basic elements to continuously achieve accomplishment! How simple is it? So simple, it’s scary!! With the inclusion of a basic understanding of our “direction” and a commensurate amount of motivation, anything that we put our minds to is well within our reach! We just don’t wake up one day, decide we are going to take our next soccer team to the State Championship, or all of a sudden figure out we need to add some 60 pounds of solid muscle to our physique!!

With the proper direction and some motivation, whether it’s self-directed or a result of an outside influence, we can always achieve that much sought after sense of accomplishment! I was fortunate enough to have played a fair amount of soccer, from high school through college, and afterwards enjoying a stint in the semi-professional ranks! Today, I enjoy coaching a boys U-16 team here in Bozeman, MT. Through a well defined directional plan of action, and a positive and supportive motivational environment, I have been subjected to a high degree of accomplishment. We do things a bit different from the other teams, starting our training indoors 4 months before the season begins, along with instilling within each and every player the understanding that direction and motivation equals accomplishment!
Believe me, it’s not as easy as it sounds! A fair amount of reprogramming exists....meaning that it takes 2 or 3 months, sometimes maybe more, to change the “accepted” behavior patterns into those that simply say “direct, motivate and succeed!!” Maintaining a positive attitude and a constant belief that accomplishment is merely the end result of proper direction and motivation is a daily process and an acquired discipline.

Here’s another great example of what direction along with motivation can lead to! When I graduated from high school, I weighed 130 pounds! As a result I was forced to quit playing basketball, football and baseball, and take up soccer. I was also “forced” to undertake an exercise program to try and add some additional weight. Well, after some 30 years and almost 80 pounds of solid muscle, I am still working out daily and constantly directing and motivating myself to obtain and reinforce my accomplishment!

Remember, things are always considerably simpler that we tend to make them. Our accomplishments are merely the end result of our ability to provide direction and the proper motivation!! The next time you hear someone tell you “maybe next time”, tell them to look within and find the direction and motivation, the accomplishments will follow!
Michael Weinstein has worked in a retail environment for over 30 years, including 8 years in investment banking and over 20 years in management. He is also a successful soccer coach and bodybuilder, possessing a knowledge of nutrition and supplementation as well as exercise physiology.