A funny story has it that, late one night, a party-goer decided it would be best to walk home. He found a shortcut through a poorly lit cemetery and, in the darkness, stumbled into an open grave.
He tried to climb out but the walls were too slippery. Again and again he fell back into the grave. Finally, in exhaustion, he settled in a corner to wait for sunlight.
A few minutes later another man cutting through the cemetery fell victim to the same grave. He, too, tried desperately to climb and claw his way out, and he was equally unsuccessful.
As he was about to give up in hopeless resignation, he heard a voice from the darkness of his pit: “You’ll never get out of here.”
He did!
He just needed the proper motivation. And in this case, a shot of fear did the trick. But when it comes to finding the motivation to accomplish most worthwhile things, his example is the exception.
I am learning that the best motivation, whether we want to accomplish a task, go back to school, start something new or kick a habit, usually comes from the inside. To be successful, we must want to do it. Others may certainly help to encourage or to “pump us up,” but, in the end, we will usually succeed only if we have the desire.
