| One of my favorite movies of all time, Jerry Maguire, | | | | pursue what they love because meaningless work |
| features Tom Cruise as an agent with a major sports | | | | costs them their happiness. This is internal. |
| management firm. He's enthusiastic, successful, a | | | | After seeing Jerry Maguire I was motivated to tell |
| great negotiator and people like him. But it begins to | | | | others about what a good movie it was, but I was |
| dawn on Jerry that there's something wrong with | | | | inspired by Jerry's conviction in his altruistic beliefs and |
| what he's doing, and not long after a troubling | | | | commitment to personal service. The film motivated |
| encounter with the son of an injured athlete he | | | | some people I know to pursue careers as sports |
| represents, Jerry has a serious crisis of conscience. | | | | agents. It also inspired some people I know to write |
| In the midst of a sleepless night, Jerry is inspired to | | | | mission statements of their own. |
| write a mission statement (which others refer to as | | | | Motivation is concerned with the achievement of an |
| a memo) calling on himself and his colleagues to think | | | | end result. Inspiration is concerned with emotionally |
| more about the long-term welfare of the clients they | | | | sparking a process that leads to an end result. They |
| represent and less about immediate profits. He wants | | | | often work in tandem: inspiration as the key which |
| to motivate them to change their approach to doing | | | | turns the ignition and starts the engine of motivation. |
| business. | | | | Many people are "inspired" to do great things but |
| While everyone around him applauds the sentiment, | | | | often lack the motivation to capitalize on that |
| Jerry's superiors think his ideas are bad for business; | | | | inspiration. In Jerry Maguire, Jerry's dismissal |
| Jerry is fired, and, rather than standing in solidarity | | | | motivated him to start his own firm where he was |
| with him, his "friends" in the firm scramble like sharks | | | | forced to put his mission statement into action. |
| to claim Jerry's clients. | | | | We often hear the expression "self-motivated" |
| At the end of his last day, the only people who are | | | | without giving much thought to what it really means. |
| motivated to join Jerry as he strikes out on his own | | | | People who are self-motivated are adept at finding |
| are staff accountant Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), a | | | | motivation to get things done. Some focus on |
| single mother secretly in love with him, and Rod | | | | rewards of getting things done. Some focus on the |
| Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a football player whose | | | | repercussions of not getting things done. Either way, |
| pride and arrogance have gotten in the way of his | | | | self-motivation requires the ability to be self-directed |
| reaching his potential, and getting a new contract. | | | | in putting forth actions that bring about a desired end |
| Jerry is able to inspire him to play with more heart, | | | | result. |
| and he gets a new contract as a result. He in turn is | | | | I prefer the term "inspirational speaker" to |
| able to inspire Jerry to lead his personal life with more | | | | "motivational speaker." I find more satisfaction in my |
| heart, and he finds true love with Dorothy. | | | | speaking engagements when someone says they |
| We often confuse inspiration with motivation. They | | | | were inspired by one of my talks. It means I |
| are similar in nature, but originate in separate places. | | | | connected with them emotionally. I don't believe that |
| Motivation is external and is born from circumstances. | | | | any speaker can motivate anyone to do anything, |
| Jerry was personally touched, and thus inspired, to | | | | but an effective speaker provides food for thought |
| give more personal service after the troubling | | | | and inspires people to become self-motivated. |
| encounter with the son of the injured athlete he | | | | I've found that reasonably intelligent people can get |
| represented. | | | | motivated by data and facts alone, but everyone - |
| He became motivated to write a mission statement | | | | regardless of intelligence or academic background - is |
| in hopes that it would motivate his co-workers to | | | | susceptible to inspiration. When you want to be |
| change their business philosophy. It failed because | | | | inspired, you can find inspiration just about anywhere. |
| they were clearly more motivated by large | | | | All it requires is that you be receptive to it and use it |
| commissions. | | | | to motivate you. Doing so may just change your |
| Most people are motivated to work because they | | | | circumstances, if not your life, the way that it did for |
| have bills and must pay for the cost of living. This is | | | | Jerry Maguire. |
| external. But there are those who quit their jobs and | | | | |