You’d think that, after thirty years of delivering seminars all over the world, it would get old and less exciting for me.  Oh, some deliveries are easier than others, but last week was special.  Last week’s seminar provided me with plenty of motivation to do my best because I found myself in one of the most beautiful cities in the world: I was in Bern, Switzerland.  Once there, I quickly realized that the beauty of the city was exceeded only by the kindness of the people who reside there.  What a week it was, and personally, I believe the fine folks got one heck of a show from Rob Jolles.  After all, I had a reason to try.

A Reason To Try in Bern, Switzerland

Being invited to travel so far to do your job provides tremendous motivation to try your hardest. I had nine hours in a plane to think about how important this delivery was.  I had time to think about the added travel expenses involved in bringing me to Switzerland.  I had time to think about the faith my client had placed in me by seeking me out after reading my book, and wanting to implement my ideas within their organization.  I even had time to think about my personal pride of being an American citizen, and I wanted to represent my country in the proper way.

You would think that I had plenty to worry about in those nine hours, but the opposite was true.  I had a reason to try to do my very best, and I was grateful to have this added motivation in my mind.  As a matter of fact, I’m always grateful to have a reason to try.

Occasionally, I’ve had clients who have said comments like this: “I don’t want to make you anxious, but the head of distribution will be attending your session,” or “I hope I’m not making you nervous, but so much is riding on your delivery.”  Nervous?!  One would think so, but I am actually happy when clients share that kind of information with me.  It gives me a reason to try.  My concern is when I don’t have a reason to try.

Well, I sure had a reason to try last week, and with that reason to try, I gave that client every bit of energy I had.  I think the sessions I delivered exceeded everyone’s expectations.  I even had another nine hours flying home to think about it.  What I thought about was this; what happens when you can’t find a reason to try?

What happens when there is no head of distribution in the room, or there isn’t a lot riding on your delivery, or you aren’t traveling to some exotic land, or you aren’t carrying the personal pride of your nation, or you’ve done a job for so long you can’t find a reason to try?

Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, I figured out the answer to this important question.  We always have a reason to try because the greatest motivator is our personal pride to do our best.  That pride exists within all of us, and it shouldn’t need prompting from other people or situations.  At the end of the day, it comes down to how we sign our work.  We are the only ones who truly know how much effort we put into something.  We just need to remember to dig deep, and look for that energy and enthusiasm inside each of us.  Our reason to try really needs no prompting from others because it comes from within.