Last week, a friend and I decided to go walking. Neither of us had noticed it was raining cats and dogs outside. On my way to her house the rain seemed to have some weight behind it. When I reached her, we talked about going back inside but decided to stick it out. We walked along our normal route, but it was too icy. We looped back and walked along the perimeter of her housing complex. At some point during this activity, the rain stopped. It went from hard to lighter to non-existent rain all within 30 minutes.

My 1st 5K – 2009

When I got back home, I thought about how much this is like real life. Motivation and Action have become as controversial as the Chicken and Egg debate. When I was younger, I would become motivatd about something, someone, anything. I would plan each step. The planning phase was as seductive as the activity itself. Next, I would start acting on that goal. That is how I approached most of my goals, personal and professional. As my life has matured and become more complex, my personal, professional, career and life goals are interconnected. Career alliances have become personal support. Personal, professional, and career choices are life-impacting. Personal rejection spills over into professional motivation.

Because of the complexity of my life at this age and stage, seldom do I have the opportunity to take one thing, plan each step, ramp up motivation, and then find the right opportunity to begin. Okay, so never. I just have to dig in. There is no perfect time to begin. Arguably, there is not even a “good” time to begin…except now. However, unlike the young girl who was trying to reach a goal with no experience, I am a woman now with a past rich with knowlede, failure, success, people and experience that I can tap into. Acting upon my goals and seeing them unfold is my motivation. It is what keeps me going. It’s what makes the rain stop. Les Go…

© Leslie McGraw, December 2011.