Motivation is complicated. Not many people fully understand its meaning, but every one of us is either guided or dictated by some motivational influence.

As an example, a decision you make on whether or not to attend a concert might be motivated by the kind of music or the cost of tickets. The people you choose to associate with might be motivated by past relationships, personal preferences, physical attractions, or a huge list of other smaller factors.

Books you read, movies you watch, and things you buy are all motivated behaviors. Is the book about a subject you find intriguing? Does the movie contain a plot you can follow, and does it hold your attention? If you don't find the book or movie interesting, you probably won't finish either one.

So, as a business person, how do you get motivated?

MOTIVATION IS KING
Nothing happens without it. You're motivated to earn a living, so you get up in the morning and go to work. You enjoy having a roof over your head and food to eat. It can mean the difference between a life of luxury, and one of extreme poverty.

Motivation can be either internal or external. Either the motivation will come from inside you or from some outside influence, forcing you to take a certain action.

You don't have much control over external motivation. An example would be your landlord kicking you out of your apartment. You're not voluntarily leaving. The motivating factor is the landlord, and all the force comes from him. Your only choice is to leave, or stick around until the police physically remove you.

Internal motivation, on the other hand lies solely in your hands. This places you in complete control. Internal motivation is what propels you to go the extra mile in your business efforts. It might mean staying up that extra hour and write that report or article. It may mean taking the time to learn a piece of software that will allow you to market more effectively.

No two people are motivated in quite the same way. What motivates me might not necessarily motivate you.

Here are some necessary ingredients to getting and staying motivated:

HAVE A DREAM
Dreams are the first step to achieving anything worthwhile. If there's no light at the end of the tunnel or reward of some kind that you're constantly focused on, staying motivated will be extremely tough, if not impossible.

If however, you have an end in sight that you refuse to allow to leave your mind, no force in the Universe can stop you. The excitement you'll feel will keep you energized, even when doing the mundane tasks that are necessary with any business.

GOALS
Different from dreams, yet goals are a must for anyone seeking long term success. While dreams focus on the end result, goals provide a step-by-step pathway to get there. Goals, by necessity, have a time limit, and are very specific.

Both short and long-term goals make sure you're on track and following a direction that will get you where you want to go. Having a goal and keeping it in mind will motivate you to move toward achieving that goal.

It's been said that a goal not on paper is a mere pipedream. You must write them down. This makes them concrete, and your subconscious mind will fight Heaven and Hell to bring them to fruition, if you keep looking at your written goals. The subconscious cannot allow unfinished business to remain unfinished.

NETWORKING
It's easy to get discouraged and run down if you feel alone. Needless to say, this state is not super conducive to staying motivated. If you isolate yourself to where you believe your computer is your best friend, you might be in trouble.

The solution is to network with other business people. Just chatting with others, either in person or online can charge your creativity and fill you with boundless motivation.

Do you know that most people struggle to stay motivated? How many do you know, for example, who actually follow through and stick with their New Year's resolution? My guess would be not many. There is a reason for that.

Most of us simply lack the tools needed to maintain an effective level of motivation. As a result, we run out of steam before we realize our goal. Does this sound like you? Discover how you can stay motivated for life. Visit http://www.callingmyownshots.net