Motivation by comparison

Written by John Watson


Motivation by comparison is a dynamic form of motivation which can totally transform our attitude of mind.

It is used much too rarely. It is so powerful it could and perhaps should be used every day as a part of a morning ritual of preparation forrepparttar day ahead.

Every day we should thank God orrepparttar 122925 Universe that we are not blind or disabled in some other way (unless of course we are blind). We should be motivated by comparing our lot with that ofrepparttar 122926 blind, sick and disabled.

Most of us think about this occasionally. I am suggesting in this article that we should systematically think about this every single day of our lives especially early inrepparttar 122927 morning

When we feel sorry for ourselves because we are faced with some problem or other, let's just think for a few moments about how we would deal withrepparttar 122928 problem if we were blind.

I have some official and confusing documents to sort out tomorrow. I am not looking forward to this but if I were blind, it would take me twice as long to get up for a start. I would also haverepparttar 122929 thought of another day without sight weighing me down and making me feel tired beforerepparttar 122930 day gets going.

I would then (unless I had special technology) have to ask someone to readrepparttar 122931 documents over to me and would then have to ask someone to writerepparttar 122932 reply for me when I had thought overrepparttar 122933 problems.

This might involve paying someone to do this or waiting for a friend or relative to haverepparttar 122934 time to help me. It might take several hours if not days to sort outrepparttar 122935 problem. Without having to do all this,repparttar 122936 problem could be sorted out within an hour or two atrepparttar 122937 most.

If I were paralysed, I would also need to rely on help and would also have to fight allrepparttar 122938 problems of poor health that immobility encourages.

I should find myself motivated byrepparttar 122939 comparisons above. Life is so much easier for me that I should be thoroughly ashamed of any self pity or lack of motivation.

I watched a tribute onrepparttar 122940 BBC1 Program 'Breakfast with Frost' this morning (Sunday October 17th 2004) to Christopher Reeve who died last week

Sir David Frost started by saying that Christopher Reeve had been a guest on his show several times. He had always been inspirational.

David Frost continued: "The Superman in film became a real life superman when he refused to let his paralysis deter him in his fight to promote stem cell research "

In fact, Christopher Reeve, since his fall from his horse in 1995, had promotedrepparttar 122941 cause of spinal cord injury research with determination and energy. He had brought hope to many spinal injury victims including himself.

Frost decided to end this morning's program with a tribute to Christopher Reeve by showing Christopher's answer to a key question.

David Frost asked him how he faced up to hopelessness and bleakness.Christopher's reply has many great lessons to teach us:

Whistle while you work

Written by John Watson


Mark Twain (1835-1910) believed that having fun is important if you want to be successful. "The secret of success is making your vocation your vacation."

Mark Twain must have had fun as a writer. His sense of fun emerges in his stories. He clearly enjoyed his work as a writer. No wonder he lived to a good age for those days. He learned as a boy how to turn work into a vacation. I owerepparttar following story about him to Alan Elliott and Josh Hinds. Inrepparttar 122924 1830's Mark Twain disobeyed his mother by taking a dip in a swimming hole near his hometown in Missouri. His mother punished him by telling him to whitewashrepparttar 122925 thirty- foot-long fence. Sam Clemens (Mark Twain before he chose a pen name) began to paint slowly. He was thinking of an excuse to get out ofrepparttar 122926 work. He had only just begun when his friend John showed up:

"I guess you can't go with me, 'cause you gotta work," said John.

"You call this work?" replied Sam. "A boy doesn't get to whitewash every day." Sam continued painting, pretending he was enjoying this drudgery. John watched for a minute, then said, "Let me have a go ." Sam told him thatrepparttar 122927 job was skilled. John offered Samrepparttar 122928 core of his apple and Sam accepted pretending he was doing John a big favour. All afternoon he conned boy after boy to pay forrepparttar 122929 privilege of whitewashing a portion ofrepparttar 122930 fence. Whenrepparttar 122931 task was finished, Sam had collected several objects which delightrepparttar 122932 hearts of small boys.

Years later, Sam Clemens told this story again in his great book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer."

The story symbolizesrepparttar 122933 inventiveness ofrepparttar 122934 American spirit in makingrepparttar 122935 best of a situation and in treating work as play. Work can be unpleasant or fun, depending onrepparttar 122936 way you look at it orrepparttar 122937 spirit in which it is performed.

Adam Hollioake,repparttar 122938 English cricketer, realised when his brother died unexpectedly thatrepparttar 122939 most important things in life are 'being kind and having fun.'

Anyone who can be kind and have fun for much of their life is a success by this standard.

Joan Rivers is a New York comedienne who has spent 50 years inrepparttar 122940 entertainment business and is still going strong.

She has been a huge success and is still a success at 71.Joan Rivers has not always been kind torepparttar 122941 victims of her jokes but she has had enormous fun and created fun for millions right up to her current age. Not all comics have found their work fun. Quite a number have suffered from depression and more than their fair share of unfunny thoughts but Joan seems to enjoy her work. However, even she once considered suicide. She was not speaking to her daughter and was out of work. She took out a gun and was ready to kill herself when her little dog crawled into her lap and she thought "Someone needs me". I heard Joan recently onrepparttar 122942 Parkinson show on Oct 9th 2004 before starting her tour ofrepparttar 122943 UK (ten cities in ten days). The interview was riveting.

Michael Parkinson introduced her asrepparttar 122944 Queen of comedy. "She has done for plastic surgeons what Mickey mouse has done for Walt Disney."

She told Michael that all her bookings had sold out except in Birmingham. "No one has bought a ticket in Birmingham." She pretended to spit. She hasrepparttar 122945 gift of turning any problem into a laugh. I expect that, afterrepparttar 122946 interview, Birmingham will soon be booked out.

Michael referred, somewhat unwisely, to her age and to plastic surgery. She replied at once: "I know I'm old but I don't see me so screw me. The only two good things about old age are: You lose your hearing so you can't hearrepparttar 122947 doctor say:"You're going to die" and you can get intorepparttar 122948 cinema at half price.

Joan went on to 'defend' plastic surgery. The only bad thing about plastic surgery is that I've spent so much money on it that I figured out it would have been cheaper to have my dna changed."

Michael asked: " Do you approve of men having plastic surgery?" "Anything to get you through life; anything to get you through life. Life is tough and as you get older it gets tougher " "You're 71 now aren't you?" "I don't think we need to get into that. They brought up my cake and It took me a year to blow out my candles. I was 72 by then. When you get old you have no breath left. You lose your breath. At 40 you begin to lose your eyesight. At 50repparttar 122949 mind starts to go. At 60 you start to fart; it is just terrible. And you don't lose your sense of smell until 70. You are so alone."

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