MOTIVATION:  HOPE AND STORYTELLING

I believe that motivation takes place with the perception of control.  In other words, if I perceive that I will be able to reach my goal I will have the energy to do what I need to do.  The fuel for that energy is hope.  Hope gives me a sense of control.  Most of the people that we interact with at the One Stops, when they first come in  have lost hope.  The dislocated workers who has had all of their dreams shot down with cut backs and plants closing.  The welfare person who has lost hope that they will ever get out of their situation.  The displaced homemaker whose life has suddenly changed or the youth who left school and now has nothing. Or maybe you know of an older worker who successfully went back to work.

Dr Siegel in his book Love, Medicine and Miracles years ago, said that when he tells someone they have cancer, they usually ask, how long do I have to live.  He then introduces them to someone who had the same cancer years ago.  This gives them hope and a sense of control. When people are down, and come into our offices they don’t need to hear about how bad it is out there but how they can be successful.  Love, Work and Miracles should be our message.  One of the best ways to create hope is stories of others who have been in the same situation and have risen above it.  I am asking if you know of such stories send them and I will put them together and you can download them. 

Wouldn’t be nice when a customer came in that you were able to hand them stories of others in there situation and have come through and survived and did even better.  If you are familiar with Alcoholic’s Anonymous they have the Big Book which contains stories of others who have suffered and were able to overcome their alcoholism and reenter the world with shining colors.  Stories that have helped many alcoholics recover.

Please think about people that you could write a little story about who survived leaving welfare, a loss of a job, displaced homemaker or some who was incarcerated and made it.

EMAIL PAUL with your thoughts on this subject