Two things seem clear to me. First, there are a limited number of ways people are motivated and second, individuals are motivated differently. Recently, I heard a speaker say that to succeed, you not only need initial motivation but ongoing motivation to enable you to persevere. Without the subsequent motivation, your initial enthusiasm will wane and you'll eventually give up and quit. To me, one of the most motivating things is when a client offers a sincere compliment. This will naturally occur when the client's satisfaction reaches a certain level. When they let you know how important you are to them it penetrates deep into the psyche. This in turn, confirms to us the real reason we are in the business (hopefully) and provides the ongoing motivation we require to persevere.
It's like a big circle. The more I help clients, the more they appreciate me, and the more they appreciate me, the more motivated I am to help clients, and so on.
In the event that you may be thinking this sounds a bit self-focused, look at it this way. We all need a reason to exist and a purpose for our life. Without it, we live a shallow existence. Although life is much more than a vocation, for my career, helping people is my purpose. As far as the money is concerned, if we excel at what we do, help enough other people, and have a sound business model, the money will surely follow.
