School Talk 37 - Motivation

Today we’re going to talk about motivations. As long as everybody has one or two of them, we’ll talk about them.

Frequently we hear many people say they want to take a class in motivation and so they go somewhere and spend a few hundred dollars and a few days and they’re supposed to be motivated. We maintain that everybody is already motivated, but not necessarily motivated like somebody else wants us to be. Some of us are motivated to avoid work at all possible costs. Some of us are motivated to travel a lot and some of us are motivated to stay at home. Some of us are motivated to manage to be sick most of the time because it gets lots of attention and lot of company comes and so forth, and some are motivated to work a lot and a few are motivated to actualize their potential—not a great number.

Now we’re not trying to motivate anybody to any certain direction because we feel that everybody is already motivated. That our basic purpose is to work with people who are motivated to actualize their potential of being a fully completed human being without conflict. So we will talk a little bit about what might motivate one to be in that state of looking for actualization of themselves. Sometimes it would be required that before the person recognized that they wanted to do that, they’d find that they weren’t very happy in their present time, place, and circumstance or their present lifestyle. And the moment, they weren’t very pleased with it. Now I’m not trying to say what kind of lifestyle anybody would want to live, but some people find themselves very unhappy with their present lifestyle. In a case like that, we say fine, come around, and we’ll talk with you a while. If a person is pleased with their lifestyle, we don’t interfere anywhere. It’s none of my business. Certainly we wouldn’t want to try to disturb someone in their lifestyle no matter what it was—we’re not trying to change it because it’s none of my business.

The major thing that finally gets a person motivated to know themselves is that they are in such an intense conflict that they can tolerate it no longer. The conflict always comes from having as a purpose of living to be totally non-disturbed. Now most people are unaware of what their purpose of living is, but we sometimes try to give them some assistance in discovering.

So maybe if we look. (if we were displeased with our degree of actualization) we might find our major purpose in living was to be non-disturbed. Now as long as that is the purpose of living, we are going to be somewhat in a struggle because one minute we’ll be trying to be non-disturbed by pleasing everybody we meet, by living by some authority that we’ve heard of, or trying to improve ourselves. And the other moment we will be sticking up for our rights, blaming or complaining in one way or another hoping that will get us non-disturbed.

You know when we were little children, if we complained loud enough, usually somebody picked us up and did something about it, but very seldom does our complaining get that. I had a conversation this morning with a lady on the telephone from over on the east coast. She was complaining very greatly, but her major complaint was because she didn’t have a proper companion to be with her. I told her that she was probably practicing the most appropriate method in the world to keep one away because who wants to go home to a complainer. She allowed that that probably wasn’t the case because she didn’t complain. I said, “Well, maybe if you go out and be romantic” She said, “Well, I don’t want to be romantic—I want somebody to be romantic to me.” So I guess she’s motivated to wait. That about right? Probably motivated to wait. But at any rate, she didn’t seem to want to take any very drastic action. She wanted some magical something to happen so that somebody would come and sweep her off her feet and carry her away on his white charger. I don’t think it will probably happen, but nevertheless, we will listen beautifully and approve of the idea.

So if a person wants to be actualizing their potential and are dissatisfied with their present lifestyle, we would say that the first thing to do is to check up on the major purpose of living. So we said that possibly unknowingly, most everybody had the purpose of living of being non-disturbed at all times—which won’t work.

So if we took on the purpose of living to find out three or four different things maybe. So let’s look and maybe we would find out #1: What I am? #2: Where am I? #3: What’s going on here? And at the end of it, we might be able to find What can I do? When we begin to see What I can do?, we find that it’s very simple to proceed.

(Glenn comes in.)

So we were talking about motivation Glenn, and we talked about that most everybody feels that they should go take a class in motivation somewhere. Have you ever taken any of those?

(I’ve participated.)

Yeah, you’ve participated. Well, we maintain that you’re already motivated—not necessarily like the experts, or your wives, or your children would want you to be motivated, or your bosses that you’ve had—but like you are. You’re motivated to avoid as much work as possible. You’re motivated to try to impress people without getting involved to much—just talk. And motivated to be a professional guest most of the time. So all these motivations are already working, is that right?
So you don’t need a course in motivation because everybody is motivated to gain what their major value is.

Now the only way we can check up on what a person’s major value is, is to see what they do. That’s what their motivated with. So we said that possibly some people want to continue as they are—the greatest percentage and, of course, those are no concern to us one way or the other. But that some people are just dissatisfied with their life. So we said if they were totally dissatisfied with things, we could probably offer something. We could offer the possibility of having a totally different value system or, shall we say, a new purpose in living.

We kind of like that new purpose and feel that if a person came up with a new purpose like—I want to be what to me is being a new guest in this world instead of trying to be non-disturbed because non-disturbed is not going to work. You’ve demonstrated that for some 50 odd years—it just flat won’t work, is that right?

So if you set out that your purpose was to be what to you is to be a good guest, you’re whole motivation system is still going on just the same, but you’d now be motivated to be what’s a good guest. Now a good guest is a person who would be, shall we say, as considerate of the estate that he’s been invited to and to the host and to the other guests. And that he would be, possibly, trying to be as harmless as possible and wouldn’t make any waves or any messes at the estate. That he would be as harmless as possible in every conceivable way; and we maintain that there is two ways to be harmful. One of them is to commit physical violence on a person and the other one is to agree with the person that they are a victim. Now you know most of us feel that everything that doesn’t come along just like we want, we are a victim of it—that right Ruby?

Ruby came up to being a victim of arthritis not to terribly long ago. It was just one of those things floating around up on the ceiling and it said, “There’s Ruby, she’s a pretty lady, I think I’ll bite her.” So it bit her so hard that she couldn’t get out of the chair. Pretty close to right Ruby?

(Right.)

But when Ruby got some different viewpoints, she didn’t need all those stiff joints anymore. Now she goes dancing and running and playing and having a good time, is that right?

(Right.)

And, of course, some of her relatives decided that she’s having too good a time and that’s terrible; but nevertheless, she still feels pretty good and I approve of it honey, that’s all right. I approve of it.

So instead of having a motivation to complain, stick up for our rights and do a certain amount of blaming, now we’re not going to talk about what Ruby was complaining about or blaming about or anything of the sort, but you were doing a fair amount of it, is that right Miss Ruby? And when it quit, you didn’t need to be all stiffed up and bent out of shape anymore, is that right? So a new lifestyle brings a whole new state of being in. So, Miss Ruby was very motivated to feel better because that was hurtin’ and she was ready to listen to possibilities that would make it better, is that right? It didn’t take very long. Look at her today and you wouldn’t think she had ever been sick a day in her life, would you? She can get up, come down and do all these things—she’s a beautiful lady and it wasn’t because Ruby was a perverse individual, she simply didn’t know how the human body worked, and that what goes on in one’s inner feeling is just as valuable as what’s going on with what one eats of what one acts out everyday or what one might have in their environment. So all this has to be taken into consideration.

So if I want to be what to me is a good guest, I would begin to study many things about the human being. I would want to know how they work when they do what’s called success in the world and when their not. Now a person that would be considered a failure all the time—there’s a lot of those. I was just reading the paper that 12 million people in the United States don’t have a place to call home. No matter how humble it might be, they don’t have any at all. Now in that case, you’d have to say that these people are in drastic states. They are sitting on the street with their kids and what-have-you Now that comes from some life’s purpose they have.

Now if their purpose is to not put up with bosses who are pushy and to not put up with 8 hours a day or put up with a whole bunch of other things, that’s they’re motivation, and they’re doing it. They’re not putting up with all that stuff—but there happens to be a balance to it out there. So let’s see if we could begin to think of a lifestyle or a purpose, you might say, that would be befitting.

What could be a purpose Glenn, besides to be non-disturbed? We use that you could be what to you is being a good guest, is that right? Now would that fit just as much when you go to work?

(Yeah, I think it would.)

It works there, doesn’t it? It works where you go to work?

(Sure does.)

You can be what to you is being a good guest. huh? It works where you go to work Ruby—just as much? Works wherever you go, is that right?

(That’s right.)

Works whether you’re in a house, whether you’re in a car by yourself or wherever it is. Now when these begin, you would be in what somebody might call service, is that right? Now wee could call many activities service--true?

(Yes.)

We could call it service, but we could call it service only if it does something for the person--that it is somewhat beneficial to them. That be about right? It would be somewhat beneficial. Their hair looks better, they’re clean, or whatever the case may be. We wouldn’t be doing a service for somebody if we put them in a bind, would we Glenn?

(Not at all.)

Not at all. That would be a little harmful. So we wouldn’t be anywhere there. But if we set out to be motivated to be what to me is being a good guest today, I don’t have to struggle with that very hard. I would be considerate. I would be as harmless as possible. I would make some little contribution to the party, and that would pretty well take care of it, wouldn’t it?

Now would you have any conflict over doing that? Come to think of it. You’re doing exactly what you want to and nobody is going to interfere with you being what to you is being a good guest. They don’t stop you for that. There are no laws against it. There are no regulations. I don’t have to have a license to do it. I can just go do it wherever I want to. Is that right? And nobody else has to know what I’m doing—really! But we have completely altered our basic purpose in living which is what all our unconscious motivation is based on--the basic purpose of being non-disturbed. If you ever think of that, you’re whole basic purpose of living is what all motivation is based on.

Now let’s say that you went to a motivation class or some company and they motivated you to sell their product. Now they may get you all “hyped” up for a few hours or a few days, and you go do that fairly well, but it’s not your purpose—your purpose is to be non-disturbed. The first time you got a rejection or two from someone you were calling on, you would probably quit the job, or you’d find a reason to stay in the coffee shop all day planning calls you’re going to make later, is that right?

So I think we’re very safe in saying that every person’s motivation is based upon their basic purpose in living. Now most people are totally unconscious of their purpose in living, no matter how much they are stimulated by “rah, rah, rah” programs. They are going to act and be the same thing year in and year out, year in and year out. So they’re going to be full of conflict; and a person who is full of conflict is going to have difficulty in their professional world, their workaday world. They’re going to be in conflict in their home life or personal, interpersonal relationships. And their body’s going to be in conflict, and so they have a tendency to have some sort of chronic wearing down disorder. It may be very heavy or it may be very light. You know, the lightest form of disease or deterioration is just simply aging. That’s a slow, slow chronic disorder.

If we would get all of our areas without conflict and struggle and resistance going on within ourselves, the aging process to say the very least would be greatly slowed down because that’s a chronic disorder. Now if you go get you a heavy chronic disorder, you can age very rapidly, can’t you Ruby. Also, you can go the other way when you stop it.

Ruby looks at least 15 years younger today than you did four months ago, is that right? Anybody that knew you would verify that. You look many years younger than you did three or four months ago and she had to practically be carried in and held onto in order to sit down. Once you got her in a chair, you also had to get her up. Now she bounces up. She was an old lady not many months ago, and now she’s a very delightful, much younger lady today, is that right? You’ve seen her in and out all the time, and she’s a much younger lady today because she changed her purpose in living.

Now the purpose in living is the most valued thing I think we can consider about ourselves. We have been talking about it for a good many years, and most people don’t seem to pay much attention to us. But it is the most valuable thing that one can take time to look at. It’s very basic to everything we do. Now you have many ways of expressing that one purpose of living—we know that. You have many, many ways of expressing, but you only have one.

So now if you’re purpose was to be non-disturbed, you’re going to be very upset and disturbed with people who are annoying or aggravating to you a little bit, that right? You’re going to be annoyed by everything that doesn’t do just exactly like you want it at this moment because that’s a little disturbing. You’re going to be upset about the whole world and the way it’s running. You’re going to be upset about the political system. You’re going to be upset about atomic power plants. You’re going to be upset about people starving to death in Ethiopia. You’re going to be upset about a jillion things because it’s not going like you want it too.

Now I think I could offer to anybody that as long as we live in this world, we are an experiencing organism. And as long as we’re experiencing, we’re going to experience some things we like and some we don’t. You can drive down the street and especially in the area of Phoenix and look out to the west almost any evening and see a fantastic beautiful sunset. But you can look down at the street in front of you and see a big chuck hole or you can see a dog that’s been run over or a cat that’s been run over in the street and it doesn’t look so pretty. But we’re experiencing organisms so they’re both there. Now why should I get ecstatic over the sunset and “icky” over the dog with its insides messed out because the traffic is running over it. It’s there, what’s the difference. It’s something I’m experiencing. One I may like, the other I may not like or approve of, and I won’t go out of my way to look at it, but it’s still there.

So if I’m free to be a little bit disturbed now and then, then I might be free to be what to me is a good guest or some other thing that you can take on. I only mentioned that one because I happen to think it’s an appropriate one that any of us could start with. That I can be what to me is a good guest. We can start there and then see if you want to come up with another purpose of living later, or you can start right now with another purpose, but we feel that the purpose of living which is what you live by—day in and day out, should be one of the most conscious things you know about. You can be totally conscious of it and keep it in awareness—this is my purpose of living.

If you do that, you find that things begin to perk pretty good in you’re world. You will still have disturbances, don’t get me wrong, but you will not be in an inner conflict which is the worst disturbance you can get into.

Another thing, you won’t be in conflict with the people on the outside of you. Now if you stop to see where most everything you call a problem is, it’s either an inner conflict or a conflict with another person on the outside. They’re not doing what they ought to do. They’re being jerks. And sometimes I want to do this, but I want to do that, and we’re in a conflict within. And that kind of conflict tears you up a bit on the inside, is that right? So it is not necessary to have the disturbances that come from conflict—totally unnecessary.

So somebody said that pain was the necessity part of living in the earth, and I think that’s probably right. But misery was totally unnecessary. Pain is one thing, but resisting pain makes misery. And misery is the unnecessary element, but the one that most people are totally involved in year in and year out. Pain we have periodically here, there, and elsewhere in varying degrees, but misery is 24 hours a day. 7 days a week when we allow ourselves to get involved in that situation.

So if we are aware of a purpose of living which I have consciously chosen, and keep that purpose front and center—after all, it’s the most valuable thing I have is to keep that new purpose front and center. And if we do that, we find that we can live without misery. We have some pain here and there, but so what, it comes and goes and it also, I suppose, only gives you a wonderful feeling when it’s gone—you can appreciate that, right?. Having had pain a few times, when it eased up and quit; man, that was a nice feeling. So I suppose it’s worth having the pain to get that nice feeling.

So if I could leave you with a thought for the “holiday season” as it is said, I would leave you with the idea “Let’s consciously choose a purpose of living”--something other than to be non-disturbed at all times. Something you choose and something you are going to act on. Then you never need to be concerned about being motivated because you’re doing what you want to do which is your purpose of living—acting it out. If I could, I don’t feel that I could ever emphasize the necessity of having a consciously chosen purpose of living.

Now I’m not talking about the “method” that we will actualize that purpose with, we get new ones of those every day—every moment—every situation we’re involved in might involve a different method of actualizing that particular purpose. But the purpose is something that stays in there day in and day out, year in and year out, and you can change it at your freedom. You’re free to change it at any time. The only thing that we’re saying about it is that it is wonderful if it is always consciously chosen as to what my purpose of living is.

Ok, we have a few minutes. Who’s got a question, comment? You know, knock me down, tell me I’m wrong. Let’s don’t sit here like it’s clear as mud.

(What do you do with conflicts within yourself? It has to do with say, a teacher that is functioning from the love of God.)

What would you do with conflict within yourself that was brought about by someone, a teacher, or claims to be a teacher functioning on the level of God? Is that what you’re asking?

(Correct.)

Give me a little bit of a for instance please? You don’t have to name names, just give me a for instance.

(There’s a process that is surrendering your individual will to a higher will.)

What is the higher will you’re talking about—yours or somebody else’s--the teacher’s or who?

(I would say God’s will.)

Well, do you know what God’s will is?

(I’m confused about what God’s will is.)

That’s what I figured. So I believe I’d drop it off. When you can come tell me you know what God’s will is, and you as a good guest would want to carry that out, that’s fine; but I think that if you or me and any other person tried to come up and say this is God’s will would probably find themselves utterly confused because you don’t know what it is, do you? That about right?

I’ve heard people say that it is God’s will that Phoenix be wiped off the map—this hell hole of iniquity. You know, it’s still here. I think if God had an intention of wiping it off, it’d have been done a long time ago. I’ve heard that everybody would do this and everybody would do that, I don’t know. I think God’s will, if there is such a thing that you could check up, would be for you to live in the highest form that you could with your own knowledge--not what some authority would come along and tell you. Ok? Why don’t you check up on that? Don’t take my word for it, go check up on it. I don’t know what it would be. I could see where anybody that was told this is God’s will for you, and you didn’t know what it was--but somebody else claimed to know--I think you’d get in a pretty big conflict because we all have some very different ideas about the way we’re wanting to live our life, is that right?

So where somebody comes along and tries to establish you into a position of being in a good state of conflict, I’m not prepared to tell you what to do, but I know what I would do, I would “pull a Hank Snow”. I’d be a’movin’ on—very rapidly. When Hank Snow was alive, that was his theme song. “I’ll be a movin’ on.”

(But isn’t that just resistance?)

No it isn’t resistance. Resistance is what you get when you’re in a conflict. Resisting “what is” but me resisting you telling me what to do, I would resist it. I’d just flat ignore you. I’ll simply laugh about it.

Resistance is when you’re resisting “what is” taking place, but you can use your ability as a living being to choose your own way—you are given free will, free agency and the right to direct your own existence in this life. I’m not going to turn it over to anybody. Now I may make lots of boo boos that somebody may keep me out of; but, you see, I’ve seen children crippled by their parents not allowing them to fall down.

A lady came to me one time and she and her husband—they were about 45 or thereabouts when their first child and only child was born. They were very frightened least it should fall down and injure itself. So whenever it stood up, one of them had their hand under one arm and the other under the other arm. The baby couldn’t fall over, and at 8 years old, it was still fumbling around worse than a toddler because it never had a chance. So I had the baby for a few minutes by myself and let it fall down twice and then it could walk, ok.

We got to quit, times up.

*Audience participation in parenthesis