You’ll hear us talk a lot about motivation here at Volunteer U. In fact, we discuss it so much some might think we’re boarding on obsessive. But there’s a reason we believe so strongly in understanding what motivates our team members.

That’s because we’ve found that motivated people get the job done.

No one says it better than Zig Ziglar, “…being a winner is much different from having the potential to win. Everyone has the potential, it’s what you do with that potential that really matters.” The difference between someone who finishes and someone who doesn’t? Motivation. When you desire something, you keep going after it, regardless of the cost, regardless of the sacrifice involved, regardless of how many times you might have failed in the past. When you really want something, you think about it a lot, you strategize ways to obtain it, you come up with ideas that will give you an edge. Your end goal is to win the object of your desire, so much so, that the journey to get it is looked at just like that… an adventure. It’s the process of reaching your goal. Not a question of if, but when and how.

Think of the elite athletes competing at the Olympic level for their country. They spend years practicing, training and developing their skills. All for what may only be a few mere minutes of actual performing time. What compels these amateur athletes to dedicate their entire lives for what might be a single race? The desire for the gold outweighs the many obstacles leading up to those few moments of performance. Everything they do; the multiple daily workouts, strict diets, the hours of repeating a single movement until it’s perfected; it’s all in pursuit of their ultimate goal. There’s a reason athletes are so revered by others, they are singularly focused in their pursuits, and they have learned how to get the job done. It’s a skillset all of us admire and want to learn for ourselves. Athletes have disciplined their bodies and their minds to overcome obstacles and compete with endurance. Yes, natural talent comes into play here, but ask any Olympian, and they’ll tell you the difference between them and those they beat out for a seat at the table was DESIRE. They want the gold medal bad enough to spend those extra 30 minutes in the gym when everyone else leaves. They want it bad enough to watch replays of past meets and see what errors were made. They keep pushing. Keep fighting. Keep going. Doggedly chasing after their goals. It’s not over until they’ve won.

We have the same capacity to achieve our goals. The question remains, “What do you really want?” Once you have the answer to that question, nothing will stop you from reaching those goals. Desire breeds motivation. Motivation breeds results. People who know what they want usually get it. The secret? They keep their eyes on the prize and continue to chase after it, no matter how many times they fall or miss the mark in the process.

All it takes to get the job done is the winning combination of desire and the motivation to see it accomplished. Looking for an inspirational book with practical advice on how to set goals and plan for success? Read BORN TO WIN by Zig Ziglar.