Guest Blogger: Motivation by BrownSuga

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing – that is why we recommend it daily” --Zig Ziegler

Everyone has something they want to accomplish. Some want to be actors, others want to be writers, some even want to be professional moochers. As mentioned before I want to be a happy, successful business woman. Regardless of what you want to be, motivation is a necessary part of accomplishing your dreams. Everyone needs something that motivates them to follow their dreams. For that actor the motivation could be winning an Academy Award, the author might strive to be on Oprah’s book club, the moocher just wants to do what he or she wants to do without ever lifting a finger or paying their own way. We all have our motivators. Determining what motivation will push you to succeed is harder to establish.

My overall motivation for starting my own business has always been to be happy. And a huge part of being happy was the ability, for me, to travel when and where I wanted without having to worry about work or finances. In the midst of my travels I want to face my fears head on and overcome them. So far I’ve been white water rafting, sky diving, snorkeling, and street racing. I still want to scuba dive, parasail, snowboard, ski, surf, mountain repel, hang glide, Jet Ski and a host of other things. For many, doing any of those things might sound crazy, to me they sound exhilarating.

A new motivator I came across the other day, while watching the Travel Channel (well duh of course I watch it) is a Burger Boat. If you’ve ever heard of these boats then you know why they can be a motivator. Imagine a palace on the water. They are custom designed luxury yachts created specifically for the buyer. There is a waiting list currently a year long. Each boat takes two years to design and build and the company only delivers three boats per year. The boat showcased on the show I watched was 122 feet by 25 ft it had marble, granite, African cherry wood, solid gold, state of the art appliances, and chrome, basically it had everything a person’s heart could desire. The owner, an entrepreneur in his early 60s, and his now deceased wife designed every square inch of the boat. It had now become part of the family. The prices of the boats reflect the time, energy and labor put into the making of each one. The average cost of a Burger Boat is between 8-24 MILLION dollars. Yes million! Now honestly having one would be ridiculous. Even the man on the show said its better to have a friend with one than to own one yourself. But even to have a friend with one would require something of me. Most rich people are friends with other rich people. Most middle class people are friends with other middle class people. Yes I know there are exceptions to the rule. And you may have a friend who is rich as dirt while you struggle to pay your next phone bill but I’m not talking about situations like that right now. So back to what I was saying, as great as a motivator traveling, Burger Boats, even being happy are they still aren’t the motivation to make me successful.


What will be the motivating force that sky rockets my career? Will it be family, friends, tragedy, or good luck? Honestly I can not say. However, a book that helps me tremendously The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews has a chapter on wisdom. The main character travels through time meeting different historical and religious figures and each person leaves him with words of wisdom to help him in his journey of self discovery. To give you an idea he meets President Truman in Potsdam, Germany before the conference that led to the bombing of Japan that started WWII; he meets Colonial Joshua Chamberlain of the Twelfth Maine fighting in the Civil War; he meets Christopher Columbus 64 days after leaving Spain; he meets Anne Frank while she and her family are in hiding during Hitler’s reign of terror; he meets Abraham Lincoln the morning he gives the Gettysburg Address; he meets the archangel Gabriel. But the visit that means the most personally is when David Ponder meets King Solomon after he makes the decision of the baby and two mothers. King Solomon teaches David Ponder to seek wisdom, to surround you with a wise counsel. A man (or woman) who spends their time with lazy people with no drive will eventually become the same. However a person who becomes friends with successful, intelligent business people is destined to accomplish great things.

In college when I lived in the dorms, surrounded by students whose main concern was to graduate, I did better in my classes. The day after I moved off campus the male species, partying and everything else distracting took my focus away from making good grades and graduating. Seven years after starting college and two years after walking across the stage, I realized just how true to life that time in college was for me. Unfortunately, I am at a time in my life where I am more surrounded by lazy people than the motivated ones who by only living their lives can be a constant motivation.

My motivation circle of friends would consist of: at least 5 successful entrepreneurs, with three of them being female, 3 motivated entrepreneurs in the first couple of years of their business, a teacher, an author, a mom, a wife, an established blue collar worker, an established white collar worker, a real estate agent and a teenager filled with hopes and dreams and a bright future.

I feel loneliest when there is no one to understand my stress or pain. When I look around and I name my “friends” and each one is content with where they are in life but not happy, I begin to think well maybe my life isn’t supposed to be better than this maybe this is it. That is a wake up call. I won’t become more until I rid myself of the weak links. I won’t soar to great heights until I fly with eagles. I won’t be a success till I surround myself with those that are a success.

As much as people say you can do whatever you want and d*mn anyone who holds you back, we are a product of our environment. Those around us, affect us. They can be a drug. They can suck the life out of you, leaving you washed out and overdosed. But on the flip side they can be the medicine to make you better. They can revitalize your life. They can renew your spirit. They can be the people to help you reach the stars.

Take a look at your friends, your family, and your surroundings. Do they hinder or help? Are they holding you back from your dreams without even knowing it? If you were to decide today to drop each and every person from your life that wasn’t an eagle, will you still want to fly?

In the midst of sickness, relationship woes, holidays, birthdays and everything else, I’ve been lucky enough to connect to people in a way that has taken the world by storm; the Internet. Many people are currently meeting significant others online. But the Internet is not only for meeting a significant other and I’m a walking testimony that you can find more. You can find your motivation. I found mine.

My motivators have names: the Asian beauty, the Tigress, the Vampire, the Inquisitive One, the Canadian Cowboy, the Witchy-Eyed one, the Librarian, and my ray of Sunshine. From Canada to Hawaii from Chicago to Kentucky where everything is bigger in Texas, ending beautifully in Arizona, my motivators come from all over North America. Every once in a while a person across the ocean eating fudgesicle sends a bit motivation my way as well. And each and every one of them has touched me in a way I can’t even begin to describe. I can count on any one of them to make me laugh when I need a smile, or to sit and listen to me complain about the injustice in the world. They have supported me in my writing and encouraged me as a business owner. They trust me with private areas of their lives and in turn I do the same. Although we’ve never met face to face, the seriousness and complexity of our connections are as strong as if we grew up on the same block.

So all this to tell you, it doesn’t matter what your motivation is or where it comes from, allow it to push you to where you belong.