Keeping Yourself Motivated

Hyo Jin Moon January 14, 2007

Here are my notes from Hyo Jin nim’s speech Sunday 14 January 2007. My ability to convey what was actually said is limited. These, at most, convey some sense of what Hyo Jin nim said and are not a verbatim record. Hyo Jin nim’s website is: http://www.canaanstation.com/ To see two of the projects that Hyo Jin nim is working on log on to: http://definingmoment.tv/ and http://definingmoment.eu/ Joe Kinney

Rev. Andrew Compton is the MC. All welcome Hyo Jin nim and offer a bow.

(Hyo Jin nim bows to the audience as he approaches the stage.)

How are you all doing? Happy New Year!

Is it easy to keep yourself motivated?

It’s very difficult isn’t it?

How do you keep people motivated? How do you keep yourself motivated?

Before you talk about how you can affect others, how do you keep your self motivated?

First of all you have to have some kind of purpose in life. Right?

And you have to have some kind of belief in your self that you can achieve what I am seeking out to achieve because the purpose that I seek has a certain value to me. It is such that, one way or the other, I have to see the end of that course that I’ve chosen for my self because I believe in my self. And it’s important to me that it happens, that I achieve that in my lifetime.

So, having said that, how do you keep yourself motivated? Sometimes you will face the ups and downs of life. It’s very difficult. It’s impossible to think that it’s just going to be a smooth ride all the way through, that you’re going to sail through without any kind of problem whatsoever reaching your end. There will always be obstacles. Why? Just because you think that you can do it doesn’t mean that you understand the process, because you will face the process for the first time. And you will face the challenge of growth after growth and all the variables that happen.

Then you will learn as you travel through the journey that you have chosen for your self. All the challenges that you will face one way or the other, you will somehow remedy. Whether you have some guide book from someone that has prior experience that was capable of assisting you or helping you in the proper manner in which you can ease that ride, ease that wave that can sometimes be overwhelming because it seems like a tidal wave at times but those are the steep hills and valleys that you have to cross.

But every step of the way is a learning process and you have to first accept that challenge because that is inevitable. You will not have all the answers as you move forward. I know that you don’t want to stagnate. I know that you want to move forward. Moving forward in itself is difficult because the nature of growth itself is so challenging. Just facing a new (thing / experience) is so challenging that it is difficult to keep yourself motivated. Just that in itself.

So, having said that, that’s your individual challenge. That’s what you have to face, everyone, what ever goals that you have. I don’t know… There are a lot of young people here -- you go to school because you want to learn something -- a trade or what. You will face challenges just in learning, but going to school is just the preparation stage. After you come out of school that’s when everything begins in terms of work because you have to weave it into society. You can’t just be at an experimental stage as in a laboratory setting. It has to be real. How do you connect something that you have understood basically in theory and practiced in a laboratory setting to a more tangible reality that actually affects the social fiber or society in general?

You have to first answer that question; how can I keep my self motivated? What do I need? What do you look for when you’re looking for motivation? The simple point: If you look at society in general they use two things, a reward system and a sacrificial system. If you’re the central figure and you see a very talented person, you can’t really use the reward system because we don’t have so much money, so you take them out to dinner or whatever. What you have to do is that you literally have to do it with your physical effort. Do it with what you have. "I’ll sleep less than that guy; I’ll work harder than that guy. I’ll do what ever it takes to provide more creativity, more productivity. I’ll do something, something by sacrificing myself to motivate that guy, to inspire that guy, to hold him." If you do this you can hold that person for a while as long as you keep on doing that stuff that he can recognize. That’s the only way.

When you try to reach something, what you have to you is you have to sacrifice more. Let’s say you’re on equal terms with another person in terms of what you have physically so you say "I’ll take less and I’ll give that guy more than I have." That sacrificial act alone, a very simple sacrificial act, becomes a point of an inspiration to the recipient. And that is a motivating factor.

To keep people motivated you either reward them, like, by giving them money or you inspire them by your sacrifice. The business world is becoming more specialized and you need a specific target to begin with and based on that you have to be purpose driven. Stop making noise and start getting name recognition and based on that your product is getting known out there. You start making money and you have to spread that wealth around and take care of the guys that are specialists by giving them a lot of financial incentives to keep them motivated, to hold them in dedication to the job. Other wise they will go to your competitor who is offering a greater financial incentive.

Either you do it (motivate) with stuff (money) or you do it with the stuff here (your sacrifice). The stuff that comes from here (sacrifice) is more long term. Trust me. You remember that longer. The other one (money) is a short cut and it still works, but you have to keep it coming. They’re always looking "where is my bonus and that kind of stuff. How come it’s not as big as last year? What’s going on?" That kind of stuff…

That sacrificial stuff still works, and since you don’t live that long, if you just keep it up for several decades you can establish something. Pretty much that’s how it’s done. If you’re trying to change the world, what is the better model? What would be the better way to motivate people?

Sometimes you consider your self a Crusader right? To me a crusader is a person who forces himself to be an optimist. Otherwise you see the glass half empty. That sucks. You think "I don’t think we’re going to make it." You’ve got the wrong attitude for the job. You have to look at things differently than other people would, and you have to do that on your own.

It would be nice if you always had people that you can depend on, that would encourage you and each other. But sometimes you might be alone. What if you got locked up somewhere? What if you have no where to go, no one to rely on or depend on to kind of (pat you on) your shoulder and find solace. You have to try and find something that you can (use to) motivate (yourself) on your own. That is the key. For me, motivating ones self is the most important thing. How do you do it? How do you motivate yourself?

Like I said, it’s up to you to like being a crusader. For that you have to look at things a little bit differently. Then you can find value in it. It doesn’t take much, just a thought sometimes, that’s all it takes. You don’t need to ask somebody’s permission; you don’t need someone else’s validation if you can find through that just a small thought alone that you can give to yourself that even for the moment that you see that light, that you see that little moment of OK.

It doesn’t matter if it’s just a jolt, or like a caffeine high. It doesn’t matter if it is just a little jolt if you can find usage for it. That’s something because that’s all it takes to make something great. That’s how you started. You were just an invisible little tadpole (in the womb) and became you.

Life begins not just from humongous things that come in the size of a King Kong or something. The beginning can be very small too. It’s easy to see something that’s big. You get more something I guess, confidence maybe if it comes in a humongous size. It’s not always like that.

If you are always ready for that kind of moment when you are alone and find that small thought, with just that little thing. Because that kind of moment will happen more than the moment when you feel just tremendously confidant because and for what ever reason it is so obvious to see.

You can find it in all sorts of different things. It depends on personality types too. Some things that little girls might find fancy, I have no idea where they’re coming from. It happens in that way. If you can value those moments for that reason then it’s just like the crusader. It’s in your head.

Just because you formulize something and someone gives you a badge and goes through the ritual of knighting you or whatever. That might represent some symbolism, but the person that becomes that starts with that kind of thinking.

Obvious we’re trying to do this not because of glory and stuff. If it comes so be it. There are a lot of people who do things because of winning awards and accolades, but there are people who do it because they want to do it.

People want things for all sorts of different reasons, but we must find that means well for what you want to be, what you have chosen to be. Because, in the end, that’s how you will be judged by God. That is the most important judgment in my mind. Anything else, oh so what. Judge me as much as you want because that is not the final judgment. I can tell my self that I practice being judged. Judge me more! But that’s not the judgment that I’m looking for. It doesn’t matter to me.

So if you have something that you want to achieve because you have chosen a life of faith then make sure that you get good at motivating other people. I know that you don’t have a lot of money so what else can you do then? The other (leading by sacrificial example).

Those things can happen after 2012 because it’s going to start all over again from the bottom up. It’s a tall order to find a nation by that time. If it doesn’t ... I know that’s going to happen. But it’s a different time. We’re going to do it the right way the twenty first century way, doing twenty first century ecumenical work. There is a way to do it. We won’t have to knock on doors. We’ll already be in the living room. (through multimedia)

There is a lot of talent necessary to keep that movement working, moving forward 24/7/365. (24 hours a day, 7 day a week 365 day a year) If they can do it, we can do it too. I’ll try to do my best to support the way it is. At the same time we have to prepare for the next phase.

It’s difficult to find the way. We have problems fundraising, witnessing and maintaining. Five years? Are you kidding me? I know Father needs ... In my mind it will take about ten generations, but he’s going to do what he’s going to do. OK my hat is off to you old man!

What can I do? Father will do what he has to do. By that time he will be 92. Maybe he will postpone it eight more years until He is 100 years old.

We will keep on going right. It’s crazy, but in five years I will be fifty years old. And you guys will be WHAT??? (laughter)

Another year.

God Bless you this year!