Have you ever wanted to achieve something and started out strong, only to lose your motivation or get caught up in everyday life? This workshop takes recent research advances in behavioral economics, motivational theory, habit formation, and neuroscience as well as our own exclusive research into change to help you ignite your motivation and set up a system for achieving your life goals.

1. IGNITE your
motivation
Five steps to get ting off your butt and achieving your life goals!
Kurt Nelson, PhD
President & Founder

2. Do you want to
get off your
butt?

3. And start
achieving
amazing
things

4. But don’t
know
How?

5. I won’t tell
you it’s
easy…but
you can do
it!

6. You just need
to start

7. 6
5-Step’s to Igniting
your Motivation
Discover your Drive
re-Calibrate your Cues
Enable your Environment
Socialize your Strategy
Plot your Progress

8. First – Discover your Drive
To achieve a goal or drive
change we all need to find
that spark that
ignites our
passion!

9. So what do
you want to
achieve?

10. Ask yourself…
“What are the goals that I want to achieve
- but that I’m not achieving?”
Stay focused
Learn to play an instrument
Watch less t.v.
# 1 response on our change survey
Be a better parent

11. Sometimes you need a
trigger to get started…

12. Triggers
There are 3 main types of triggers
1
2
3
Inner focused – something that is driven by an inner drive or unfulfilled goal
Other focused – something that is driven by or for somebody else
External focused – something that is driven by an external event or circumstance
Regardless of type – these need to be emotionally compelling
There are 3 speeds for triggers
1
2
3
Slow burn – this trigger has a long fuse and takes a long time to actually set off
Quick pull – this one has a much shorter fuse and happens fast
Automatic – this is almost unconscious – push the button and you are off

13. James’ Trigger
James came home after work one night to find his 12-year old daughter Anna
crying in her bedroom – a boy at school had called her “fat.” James comforted
his daughter, but inside he was seething mad, “nobody hurts my little girl!”
This 6’3” 245 pound man was set to go confront this boy and his family, when
James’ more rational wife asked him, “what will that do for Anna? We need
to set a positive example for her, not a negative one.”
Those words triggered a spark in James and led to a journey for both him and
his family where they made significant changes in what they ate and how they
exercised.

14. And discover your
underlying
drive

15. To achieve this, the activity has to be
such that it pushes the person and
challenges them, but doesn’t
challenge them so far beyond their
ability that they can’t be successful.
CHALLENGE
When in a state of flow, people
are engaged and lose their sense
of time. They become immersed
in the activity.
Anxiety
Boredom
Low
First described by Psychologist Mihaly
Chizimihaly, flow is the state of
optimal being.
High
Find your Flow
Low
SKILLS
High

16. Find your Drive
We are driven by a number of factors that typically fall into four main groups. Each of us has
a unique mix of how these factors motivate us. Understanding which drives are strongest in
us can help us ensure we are tapping into our underlying drives to achieve our goals.
Acquire & Achieve
Driven to acquire things, resources,
pleasures and status
4 Drive
Model
Bond & Belong
Driven to create positive
relationships, engage, and “fit in”
of Motivation
Lawrence & Nohria
Create & Challenge
Define & Defend
Driven to attain mastery, learn,
improve and create
Driven to defend status, ideas,
relationships and define purpose

17. First – Discover your Drive
Action Steps
1
Take 10-minutes and write down as many of your unachieved goals
as you can – these can be big or small
Now identify the top 1 to 3 that will impact your life – these are the
ones that you will start with

18. First – Discover your Drive
Action Steps
2
Take two minutes and visualize what it will feel like going through the
process to achieve this goal. Close your eyes and picture yourself in
the moment of doing. Imagine what you are going to “feel” like
when you are working on this task. Lock this feeling in your
memory.

19. First – Discover your Drive
Action Steps
3
What was the feeling that you had when you were thinking about
this goal and achieving it? Try to feel what this means to you – not
what it will do for you – but what it means for you (get emotional).
Write down a sentence, find a picture, make a mantra, that will
remind you of this “emotional” component.
Sometimes a mantra can help in reminding you about this feeling of achievement.
My mantra is “100%” – it not only reminds me to keep working until completion, it
also reminds me of the deep 100% sense of satisfaction I get when I finish something !

20. 1.5 – Prepare your Plan
Develop a plan on
what you need to
do.
We need to build the
process for our
success

21. You need to find
out what is
holding
you back

22. Overcoming Blind Spots
Identifying what is holding you back and what yo
to do differently is hard. Our minds do a really
job at keeping negative things about ourselves h
from us.
These “Blind Spots” can be small (i.e., not makin
contact) or large (i.e., making promises that are
kept; overreacting to criticism).
One way to potentially shed light on your blind s
to ask a true friend to point them out to you. Yo
not like what they say, but you’ll be much better
knowing.
For more info on this topic, read Loretta Malan
great book, Fearless Leadership

23. KEEP YOUR PLAN
SIMPLE

24. First – Discover your Drive
Action Steps
1
For each of these goals, write down what you think is holding you
back. Make the list as extensive as you can. Include both external
and internal factors.
Next ask a really good friend to review this list and see if they can
find other factors that are holding you back. Ask them to be brutally honest
with you - particularly about what you are doing that might be holding
yourself back (and be open to what they say – you might not like what they
tell you).

25. 1.5 – PREPARE YOUR PLAN
Action Steps
2
Write down three actions that you need to do to achieve your plan
and overcome obstacles. ONLY 3 ITEMS AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE
ACTIONABLE. Print this out and post it visibly where you will see it
everyday.
If you think that this is too simple, focus on the first steps. For example,
three steps to start writing a book:
1) conduct research 1 hour each day for next 3 weeks
2) write 2 pages every day – including weekends
3) resist editing pages until a chapter is complete

26. Second – reCalibrate your Cues
We are creatures of habit.
Much of what we do is set off by
unconscious cues that we
have developed over a
lifetime
“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a
habit.”
Aristotle

27. We need to change
the habits that
are keeping us from
achieving our goals.

28. Second – re-Calibrate your Cues
Cues set off an automatic habitual response
“So what are your cues?”
Water glass on desk
Waking up
Having morning coffee

29. Second – re-Calibrate your Cues
Habit loops
Charles Duhigg, describes the “habit
loop” in his book, The Power of Habit as
follows:
“First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells
your brain to go into automatic mode
and which habit to use. Then there is
the routine, which can be physical or
mental or emotional. Finally, there is a
reward, which helps your brain figure
out if this particular loop is worth
remembering for the future.”
Duhigg

30. Second – re-Calibrate your Cues
Changing a habit
Charles Duhigg, again states,
“…to change a habit, you must keep the
old cue, and deliver the old reward, but
insert a new routine.”
Insert new
X
Duhigg

31. Cues and rewards can
be hard to
identify - we often
lack self-awareness
about them...

32. Shaun’s Habit
Shaun wanted to write a book and share some of his knowledge with the
world. Like most of us however, he was a busy guy; he ran his own successful
business, had an active family life, and was active in many social and service
organizations. Knowing this, Shaun came up with a novel idea – he wrote two
pages everyday on a yellow legal pad. That itself isn’t a new idea – but he did
it when he arrived at work. Again, not that crazy of an idea. He wrote those
two pages, sitting in his car, before work everyday.
His trigger was arriving at the parking lot. Instead of getting out of his car and
going into work, he changed his response and instead, grabbed his legal pad
and started writing.

33. Identifying your Cues and Rewards
Your Cues: Think about these things
whenever you get an urge:
Your Rewards: Think about these
things regarding your habit:
•
•
•
•
•
•
• What is the urge that your are
responding to?
• What satisfies that urge?
What just happened?
What is going on around you?
What time is it?
Who are you with?
What do you see?
What are you feeling?

34. SECOND – RE-CALIBRATE YOUR CUES
Action Steps
1
Identify and write down the key habits that you need to change in
order to implement your plan and achieve your goal.
2
Pick one or two habits and answer the following:
cue
routine
reward
“When ______, I will ____________ and it will do _______ .”

35. Third – Enable your environment
Make it easy for you
to succeed.
“Make the wrong behavior
hard and make the right
behavior easy”
Patterson

36. Two-minute rule
If you can resist an urge for
2-minutes you have
increased your likelihood of
success by a factor of 4

37. Environmental & Emotional
Environmental
Emotional
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
• Negative nellies
• Bad influencers (“just one more
beer”)
• Stress
• Boredom
Food in pantry
TV in living room / bedroom
E-mail settings
Halloween candy
Noisy work
Internet on
Phone
Develop strategies to enable your success:
• Shut down / move / hide
• Establish rules – if this, then that / only talk to X on weekends
• Technology – use timers / disable notifications
If can’t remove – can you re-calibrate cue?

38. FOURTH – COMMUNICATE YOUR STRATEGY
fourth – socialize
your strategies
Enlist other’s help to
keep you on the path.
We are creatures of habit.
Much of what we do is set off by
unconscious cues that we
have developed over a
lifetime
“We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act but a
habit.”
Aristotle
Socialize what you are going to
do – not what you want to
achieve

39. Three types:
• Mentor – helps
and what to do
you know how
• Referee – keeps you accountable
• Wingman (partner) – the positive
motivator and enthusiastic
supporter

40. Identifying your Social Support Team
Mentors: These are
people who:
Referees: These are
people who:
Wingmen: These are
people who:
• Have done it before
• Have an expertise in
the area you want to
change
• Can be honest with
you
• Someone you respect
• Someone you don’t
want to let down
• Provide on going
support
• Are your cheerleaders
• Your emotional
counselors
They will help you by:
• Holding you
accountable
• Being brutally honest
with you
• Identifying blind spots
They will help you by:
• Being there for you
• Encouraging you and
pushing you to the
next level
• A shoulder to cry on
They will help you by:
• Acting as a coach
• Providing insight
• Acting as a sounding
board for ideas
• Helping plan

41. Paul’s Support Group
Paul was running a very successful mid-size consulting firm…but he wanted
more. He had an idea for his own business that kept calling to him. There was
a vision of a colorful line of books on a bookshelf that were the catalyst for his
publishing / speaking / coaching business. But he was scared. While he was
running a firm, he had never started one on his own. So he enlisted help.
First, his wife became both his referee and wingman. They together recruited
a board of directors – before they even had a company. This board acted as
both mentors and as referee’s – keeping him on task and focusing where he
needed to put his efforts.
Paul’s business – Good Leadership Enterprises is thriving. He has started one
of the most successful monthly leadership seminars (the Good Leadership
Breakfast), his book, “The 7-F’s” is a best seller, and he has been recognized as
a top speaker by the National Speakers Association.

42. FOURTH – SOCIALIZE YOUR STRATEGY
Action Steps
1
Write down 2 – 5 people who would be good support people for
you. These are your candidates for your support team. Think
about their strengths, their personalities, and how you interact
with them.
2
Pick one and call them. Tell them what you are trying to do, ask them
for their support. Explain exactly what you want them to do for you.
Help them understand:
1.
2.
3.
What you want of them
How you want to get it from them
How often you will need it

43. Fifth – plot your progress
Progress Principle:
“…of all the events that have the
power to excite people and
engage … the single most
important is making
progress – even if that progress
is a small win”
Teresa Amabile

44. You will drop the ball
sometime – that’s
ok…just make sure
you don’t let it
become a habit
“Make this your new
motto: ‘Never miss
twice.’”
James Clear

45. Automate your Tracking (Apps, Web & Tools)
My Fitness Pal
Lose It!
Lift
Goalscape
Milestone Planner
Joe’s Goals
Way of Life
Mindbloom Life Game
Habit List
Aherk!
Habits
stikK.com
Streaks – Motivational
Calendar
Luminosity.com
CheckMark Goals
43 Things
Fitocracy
Lifetick
Nike Fuel
Fitbit

46. Reward yourself:
When you achieve
milestones – give
yourself a reward

47. FIFTH – PLOT YOUR PROGRESS
Action Steps
1
Right now search for one or more of the apps we identified and
download it to your device. Set it up for use. If none of these work
for what you are trying to do – set up your own tracking system
(wall chart, Outlook tracker, excel spreadsheet). Whatever it is,
create your tracking system.
2
Set up your milestones. List out what they are. Make sure that
these are not too big – or too little – but that they are big enough
to be meaningful but not too big to be daunting.
3
Set up how you will reward yourself for specific milestones.

48. EXTRA CREDIT – HELP ME OUT
I am doing research on purposeful change and asking for your help. I want to know
about how you’ve successfully changed. What did you do? How did you do it?
This research will help in further iterations of this workshop and the book that I’m
writing on the subject.
1
Enter in this web site to take my survey on Purposeful Change…
www.surveymonkey.com/s/How-I-changed
Or contact me at:
kurt@lanterngroup.com
612-396-6392

49. www.lanterngroup.com
Kurt Nelson – 612-396-6392
© 2013 The Lantern Group, Inc. All rights reserved.