The discipline of self-motivation is probably the most difficult one you will face. Recently I met a young man who was picking up prunes as a Mexican migrant laborer in his late teens when he decided he wanted to be somebody. In less than 10 years he was vice president of a company, with a home in Miami, an 83-foot crewed yacht, two airplanes and over one million dollars in securities. I quizzed him very thoroughly on his success and one of his major points was, "Maintain a burning desire." Motivation is certainly tantamount, if not paramount, to education. Education may be the vehicle, but motivation is the fuel oil that drives it. More people will end their lives in failure because they lacked superior fuel rather than a superior vehicle. There is a great deal more difference in application than in ability.
The New York Life Insurance Company asked me to make a study on, "Why don't we do as well as we already know how to do?" It triggered such a guilt complex in me that I had to quit the study!
May I suggest a few thoughts on self-motivation?
1) Accent your strengths --- in our culture we somehow feel it's good to talk about our weaknesses and to appear to be working on them. However, I assure you that you will not get very far in life if you spend your time trying to strengthen your weaknesses rather than accenting your strengths.
2) Discipline your associations --- accept the challenge to associate with champions. Owning the smallest house on the street is far better than being the owner of the biggest house on a street of small ones. There is a big price paid for being the biggest frog in the pond. This same rule applies to associations. Are you the most able or the least able in your group? Constantly work to live among bigger frogs than yourself. You will grow by their challenge.
3) Develop definite goals --- Paul said, "This one thing I do." Most of us are like the steam pipe with a bunch of holes in it; we have lots of steam, but we're popping off in too many places. We are intrigued with so many things we can never accept the truth that we can only do a limited number of things in this life. Again, this is the discipline of choice. This graduating class will not be renowned for all of you --- life doesn't work that way. This class will be known because of a very few of you. Those will be the ones who find that they do not have a goal, but the goal has them. They will become dedicated. My young friend who went from prune-picker to millionaire firmly believed that he had a goal, but the truth is that the goal had him. I believe the study of nearly every great man would show that he had a "magnificent obsession."
4) Recognize the cost --- If you motivate yourself either by discipline or dedication, you will find there are some real prices to pay. When this time comes, don't turn away. Probably the biggest price you will pay will be loneliness. You cannot be a leader and avoid loneliness. Out in front there will be time when you'll have to make decisions; there will be times when you'll have to keep your own counsel and give up the warmth of belonging for the loneliness of leadership.
Another price will be tension. I am fearful of what tranquilizing pills will do to the leadership of America. You cannot have a spring without tension. You cannot have the placidity of a mule and the winnings of a race horse. If you want the winnings, then you must accept the tension. In my observation of successful people I have been very much impressed by the intensity of success. Successful people are not hard workers; they are intense workers and there is a great difference. Tension is not something to fear; tension is a great challenge to be controlled. It is the tension of the main spring which works the watch, but the wise watchmaker also builds in the regulation of the release of tension which makes the watch work.
5) Accept the reward ---- Since there is a price, there will also be a reward. To most of
you it will be the joy of accomplishment. Recently in reading the biography of the twelve outstanding men of science and business I was interested in noting that in practically every case they constantly mentioned the reward as the joy of accomplishment. Practically none of them talked about fame or money. It was the joy of accomplishment. I am sure if we turned around on this platform and asked the men behind me who built this school and industries here in Nashville they would agree that the work was done for the joy of accomplishment.
Success, to me, is the ratio of talents used to talents received. Developing the discipline of self-motivation is a key to the successful life.
