We have learned many new advancements for our civilization including recently AI, sending people to space stations, as well as observing what athletes can do at the Olympics to work toward an understanding of what motivates people to achieve anything including greatness. Many summers ago, I was watching the Olympics and was moved to go back to running. My coach was a fellow runner, Tom Lees, who is always on Facebook so I know that he will be reading this, so this is a thank you to him. It became part of my identity which is true for Olympic athletes as well. When we think of Simone Biles, we think of gymnast even though she is so much more.
My first run when I went back to it was short and I was breathing heavy. As the days went on, distances and speed came to what I wanted them to be. This summer was a challenge, personal and interpersonal. Much to solve and overcome. I found that people who I cared deeply about were in major challenges themselves and some died. Life teaches us about motivation. Watching my children surpass me at every level is a father’s dream. They invented motivation in them! I am gritty but I don’t have the grit that they have. They are scary as they move through life on the roads less traveled. I have learned from other members of the EA community as well regarding motivation and grit. One of my former students, Nick Mead is rowing in the Olympics.
Just as I came to love running again, motivation is based in joy. The Olympians show us that in each interview. Motivation must be formed with doing something that helps others. These two things are present in all personal motivation. How does Nick Mead inspire others in such lonely sport such as crew or a long-distance runner? They do it by inspiring others.
Being motivated to do great things is doing things that other people can’t or won’t do. Who would keep to the consistency of effort for four years for a test in four minutes of competition. Motivation is also a matter of being given a chance which is why I believe in the God of Second Chances when working with young people. We are encouraged by those who change the trajectory of our lives. I have had the opportunity to thank Jay Crawford directly recently for hiring me in the first place at EA and Vicki Squire, my wife, who is a daily inspiration.
Motivation is like a form of grief. When someone dies, we tend to remember the good things about them. When we see people who have been motivated to high achievement, we forget about what it took for them to get there. We don’t think about Simone Biles life of training and hard work. We focus on the end point of her success. Everything requires a price. What price are you paying?
I have lived the American dream, a life of agony and ecstasy, and unlike Sinatra’s My Way, “I have regrets, and they are not too few to mention, but I did it my way. ‘By the world’s standards, I have made it. I have many EA parents who want their children to be like me, which is flattering, but I always respond with, “What is the price are they are willing to pay? Is that include helping others as well as yourself? That part is a better beginning of a conversation with your child to achieve what you feel constitutes success.” I had that conversation with my ethics student. It must come first before any other considerations.
There are many things that go into motivation. Steven Pinker, Harvard Professor of Psychology, who wrote Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, is the current leader in the study of motivation. He includes the ability to overcome failure and defeat, consistency, the innate drive to improve productivity and fulfillment.
Surely that is part of the mix of the ingredients of motivation, but I believe it is the price you are willing to pay is the key. Is it helping you and others’ at the core of it? The Olympics just shows us this in the extreme so that we can see it clearly and “not through a glass darkly.” Are you willing to train for four years for a few minutes of competition? Are you willing to risk it all and win or lose in a matter of seconds or a few points?
Joe Pratt who also reads these blogs saw me after church yesterday and asked me to write about Nick Mead and perseverance. “Do you know what he has gone through these last four years?” Yes, but not as much as Joe knows.
I don’t think that Joe realized why that question was so important to him. It is doing something for others as a basic ingredient or it is narcissism. Joe and Kim Pratt’s son, Paul, rowed in the same boat as Nick Mead before he died in a tragic car accident when he was coming home from practice the night before the Stotesbury Regatta years ago. I believe Paul’s answer to the price to be paid would mean he would be in that boat with Nick during the current Olympics. I taught him and knew him well. The memorial service for him was at the school chapel with at least a thousand present with standing room only.
The comments made about Paul go to the heart of motivation. “I am a better person because I knew him.” To help another be better makes it all worthwhile. The Army advertisement during the Olympics puts it another way, BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE! I would add BE ALL THAT YOU CAN BE TO HELP ANOTHER TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE. What better price to pay!
This one’s for you, Joe and Kim Pratt!
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