Stay Motivated with the Masters

Principle #37 in Jack Canfield’s book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be” is Stay Motivated with the Masters.

“Of course motivation is not permanent.
But then, neither is bathing;
but it is something you should do on a regular basis.”

– Zig Ziglar

If you’ve ever attended any motivational seminar or training, you may have left on a bit of a high, thinking you could do anything. However, that feeling fades. It’s not that the experience or the feeling wasn’t real. Instead, it’s that we’re often bombarded with negativity.

Imagine this. You have several pitchers of crystal clear water and you begin pouring the water into a glass. The water in the glass is clear.

But then you drop some black ink into the glass. Obviously the water will be discolored, but it isn’t permanent.

If you continue pouring clear water into the glass, even allowing it to overflow, it will eventually become clear again.

How much clear water do you need to add? That depends on how much ink you put into the glass.

Similarly, by taking steps stay motivated, you can clear out the negativity just as if it was black ink added into a glass of clear water. How many steps? That depends on how much negativity appears in your life.

One of the simplest ways to stay motivated with the masters is to simply listen to audio books. You can borrow them for free at your local library, buy CDs and listen to them in your car, or buy books from Amazon Audible and listen to them on your favorite device.

I did this most often while commuting to and from Langley Air Force Base, when I was a contract trainer there. The commute was typically between 60 and 120 minutes a day, allowing me to listen to a wide variety of materials. It was also a great way to separate myself from the road rage that many people became engulfed in.

Who are the Motivational Masters?

This is often a matter of preference. However, you can experiment with as many as you like until you find some that resonate with you. Here are some authors that I’ve listened to in the past that have provided me with some excellent motivation.

Jack Canfield. I’ve enjoyed many of his books and CDs. The Effortless Success CD set he did with Paul Scheele was life-changing for me. I still listen to parts of it regularly.
John C. Maxwell. I only discovered his books in the past year or so, but have enjoyed most of them. For me, the books that he’s read were a joy to listen to. However, I just never got used to the cadence of one of the voice actors that read some of his books.
Zig Ziglar. He has authored many books and there is a wealth of recordings of him speaking. Search for him on YouTube.
Stephen R. Covey. His book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is still one that I go back to now and then.
Dale Carnegie. His classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People is still a popular book in many circles.

Obviously, this isn’t a complete list. But it does give you an idea of some authors you can try out. You can also see a list of Jack’s favorites here.

About This Post

I’ve been learning from Jack Canfield (of Chicken Soup for the Soul fame) since 2008. I credit much of my success (including authoring or co-authoring more than 40 books) to applying principles in my life that he teaches. I’m currently going through his book “The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be,” covering one principle a week.

Here’s a link to other musing’s on Jack Canfield’s Success Principles.

You Can Do Anything	7 Life Lessons Powerful Principles for Living a Fulfilled Life

Now available as an Audible book	Now available as an Audible book

Click for free preview	Click for free preview

Stay Motivated with the Masters