Blog 3231- 09.06.2024

Motivation

Today’s second word from Oak Forest Elementary’s covered entrance way side walk is Motivation. The dictionary defines Motivation as follows:

Like the method actor trying to nail his or her performance we like they might ask our Director, “What is my motivation?” I happen to believe that even those who do not recognized a Director or Higher Power can still envision that our subconscious mind looms large below the surface while our conscious mind is merely the tip that is visible above. We would do well to listen to that still small voice from where our highest and best ideas and true motivation comes from.

I am remind of the words of a great last century quality guru who was asked by managers, “How do we motivate our employees to produce quality work?” His surprising answer was, “You cannot motivate people you can only demotivate them.” My parents used to say, “I can’t make you behave, but I can make you wish you had.” The carrot nor the stick can truly motive. Our motivation must come from within.

President Joe Biden famously said a couple of months ago that he intended to keep running for President despite a poor debate performance. When pressed if there was anything that could motivate him to drop out and let someone else run against Trump he said, only God Almighty could convince him to quit. Some think it was Nancy Pelosi that convinced him that he had no path to victory and that for the good of the nation he needed to step aside. I think it was in the words of the first Republican President Abraham Lincoln that ole Joe was just listened to his higher better angels, his highest and best self. There he found the motivation, the want to, to do the right thing.

Last Saturday my wife and I, as is our custom, visited or son Jay and his thirteen month old daughter Emma Grace. She pulled herself up from the floor onto the arm of the couch but refused to let go. I remember saying, “She’ll walk when she wants to.” Well, yesterday Lauren, her mom, texted us a video to show us that Emma got the want to. I am a proud PaPa and sent it to a lot of people. I share the link below.

Like Emma we do and accomplish what we truly want to, no more and no less. We need only ask our Director, “What is my motivation?”

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White (Emma’s PaPa)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GSTTumGlf1lyK7ENmigC9N00WzuU3XDU/view?usp=drivesdk

To quote my Sister-in-Law Sarah’s response to this clip, “Emma owns that door.” So my friends do we all.