We need excitement, hope, faith, enthusiasm and other energy boosters to continue on our quest for success. We need ways to continuously re-energize our bodies, minds and souls. Once we learn how to maintain that inner urge of self-motivation, anything is possible.

What is Motivation?

"Motivation is that which induces action or determines choice," stated Napoleon Hill in his book "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude."

Enthusiasm is infectious - we pass it on to each other. Love what you are doing and your energy level will soar.

Compare these examples:

a) You begin writing your book with enthusiasm. For a few weeks or longer you continue writing. Your writing is disrupted many times by other urgent things that need to be done. Then one day you stop. Maybe something happened in your personal life that required you to stop temporarily to take care of this situation. Or the disruptions are overwhelming and you stop writing. You rarely or never go back to writing again on a regular basis.

b) You work in corporate America and have to get a writing project done by next week. You get it done on time but it was a struggle to keep on going. You feel good about your accomplishment yet your heart and soul weren't really there. You know there will be another one next week. You feel like you are a "production factory." Your paycheck and hopefully your respect for the company you work for are your motivation.

c) You begin writing your own great book. It is fun because you are doing something you really believe in. You may get frustrated at times when you get stuck, or when you need some information that isn't readily available but you know this will pass as soon as you get the information you need. You are full of enthusiasm for your great writing project. You keep on writing because you are in "The Zone."

Why is (c) more fun to accomplish than (a) or (b)?

It is because your heart and soul are in "c" and you probably have a written plan. You really believe in what you are writing and want to share your message with your readers. You know what the roadmap is for your book. You spent some time planning your book and developed a blueprint of your book idea, table of contents, etc.

In (b) the motivation is a paycheck and it is your job. You get satisfaction from finishing the project and if you love your job you will feel good about completing the written materials. If your job is drudgery your motivation is actually the same (paycheck and job), but you do it with very little enthusiasm and not much enjoyment comes from writing this project.

Staying Motivated is the Key to Writing Success

Enthusiasm comes easy when you absolutely love what you are doing. That is your measuring stick: do you love what you are writing? Is it your passion?

Yes, you can finish anything with passion and a burning desire. If you want to write a book and assure you finish it you must find ways to stay motivated.

What do you need to stay motivated and keep on writing your great book? Og Mandino's book "The World's Greatest Salesman" says, "...If I feel fear I will plunge ahead. If I feel uncertain I will raise my voice. If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come. If I feel incompetent I will remember past success."

Staying Motivated Means Mastering Your Emotions

Here is a list of some simple activities that can help you stay motivated while writing your great book. Create some of your own.

1. Surround yourself with enthusiastic people with a positive attitude. Phone them when you need to be uplifted. Or send them an email and ask for their enthusiastic encouragement.

2.Your favorite music. It should be soft, easy listening, classical, upbeat, or some type of music that doesn't distract you from writing.

3. A well-organized, clean work area. Un-clutter your desk and you will un-clutter your writing life. If you are a natural disorderly person and insist that you can't work any other way, then, okay, that is you. Be sure to evaluate and assure yourself that your cluttered work area is really working for you.

4. Develop a plan for your book. Create a Table of Contents and you will know where you are going. You are less apt to get stuck when you write a book.

5. Limit distractions as much as possible. It means that dogs, cats, children, doorbells, phones, etc., must be avoided during your writing time. Even loved ones and friends must honor your writing time. Make an agreement to be with them after your SCHEDULED writing time is done.

Get in The Zone - The Ultimate Energy Booster

Once all the "motivating factors" are in place there is no stopping you from your writing endeavor. You can do it.

When we have enthusiasm while writing, we are in The Zone. We have positive energy, which is actually a feeling of mild ecstasy. And when we have this feeling, we can do anything. We feel like a super hero. We have supreme confidence in our abilities and are totally immersed in what we are doing. We have to write during this time. We have total concentration and we speed through anything that gets in our way.

Write passionately about the things you love: Something you believe with all your heart and soul. That is how you keep your enthusiasm. That is how to stay motivated.

Copyright 2008. Joan Clout-Kruse. All rights reserved.