What Are Your Motivation "Signs"?

When I was a little girl, I remember being on a road trip with my family. It was a hot summer day. We’d been driving for hours. My parents were in the front. I was in the back seat nestled between my sister and brother. All of the sudden, my Dad saw a sign for “Homemade Pies.” He loved homemade anything, and especially homemade cherry pie. We left the main road and followed the signs in search of pie. We drove and drove and drove. I’m not quite sure what went wrong, but we ended up getting lost and never finding any pie. To this day, I still remember how intensely motivated and focused my Dad was in his pie pursuit. It makes me smile.

I was reminded of the pie quest when my husband and I were recently on a day trip. We saw a sign that caught our attention. As we whizzed past the “Texas BBQ” sign, we debated the pros and cons of turning the car around to have an early lunch. Since we love BBQ, we were motivated to reverse course and change our plans.

So the question is, what motivates you to action? What motivates you to change course? Is flexibility involved? It might not be a “Homemade Pie” sign, but perhaps it’s a different kind of sign like having a deadline or an accountability partner. Maybe it’s the physicality of crossing something off your list. Does the sign come in the form of a particular song, scent, or image, which motivates you to change, organize, or let go?

What are your motivational “signs”? Come join the conversation and share your thoughts.