Feeling motivated...

We're talking about motivation on Word Wranglers this week, and it's almost embarrassing (and entirely unhelpful) to admit what my greatest motivator is.

It's praise. Good reviews. Atta girls. The response to my new book--see it over there beside this?--has been the best and most wide-spread I've ever had. And I am so pumped. Stoked. Happy.

Motivated.

I've had a few rejections lately, too, plus one review that had my girlfriend and my sister both yelling, "What the hell? Did she even read the book?" Well, she probably did, and it's certainly her right not to like it and to give it a sucky review, but I was motivated by Debby and Lynn's reaction, so it ended up being a Good Thing for me.

I have friends and family who are spurred by the negative. Tell them they can't do something and they'll move heaven and earth to prove they can. I wish I was that way, but the truth of the matter is if you tell me I can't, I probably won't. (Unless it's really important to me, and that's a whole nother story.) However, if you tell me I can't do This but I'd be wonderful at That, you can bet I'll end up doing the best That you can imagine.

So what about you? What makes you pump your arm and yell YES! and what makes you shrug and go on to other things?

Comments

  1. I'm like you, Liz, praise does it for me. I love it when people think I'm good and that motivates me to try to be better. But, motivation has been hard to come by here at my house--I just want to curl up on the couch with my Kindle and read for pleasure. Maybe a cup of tea and a fire--I'm thinking I just need to do that for a day and get it out of my system! But not today--I've got an editing gig to finish, critiques to do, and I want to finish another chapter on novel 4. ;)

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  2. I am so that person!

    My boss never gives praise--and I'm always seeking it. Once she said, "You always point out what you do." Well, duh? I want to make sure you noticed. A simple, "nice endstand" is all I'm asking. LOL. However, she has no problem with the negative. Infuriating. And the thing is, on a personal level, I really, really like this person. On a professional level, she drives me freaking nuts.

    And as for the writing me--I save the notes of praise and celebration to reread when I'm down. They really are uplifting--like a booster shot of self-confidence.

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  3. I am left cold by negative. But praise me and I'll kill myself for you.

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  4. Hi, girls. I gotta say, I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thanks for coming by.

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  5. I appreciate praise, but it doesn't motivate me. Telling me what I CAN'T do, that does. I guess I get a kick out of proving people wrong.

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  6. I like praise, but have to admit that the 'no' word motivates me a little bit more...

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