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In our quest to be internally motivated, eventually, we have to ask ourselves the following question: what is it that makes us motivated in the first place? What are the components of motivation?

Sit down with yourself and think about the last time you were really motivated to do something. Think about how fired up you were and try to analyze what actually got you there.

The exercise for this is to physically sit down and write out a page about the last time you were highly motivated to do something. This allows you to get your thoughts on paper which in turn allows you to analyze your own thoughts from a third person perspective.

Once your written ideas are on the page, they are no longer in your head. Now instead of working our thoughts and theories in your mind, you can analyze them like a scientist. That is an exercise you can do with almost anything. If you are ever in a situation where you want to learn more about yourself and your own thought process, write it all out on a page and analyze it from an outside perspective. 

Once you have written out an account of the last time you were motivated, start analyzing it. What were the factors that you think caused you to be motivated? What thoughts, sights, sounds or smells cause you to be motivated? Identify these factors. Many people get motivated to go to the gym when they can smell the steel and iron, when they hear the loud clanging weights, or when they see pictures of fitness magazines or see other people working out, or when they feel the weight in their hands. Whatever it is, often where are motivated by some sort of sensation in one of our senses.

That sensory information can combine with our thinking to create an even more motivated state. We become more and more motivated and our thoughts create a positive loop in our minds. This is one of the most enjoyable states that life has to offer us. 

Common Components of Motivation

I will only give you a handful of the components because I want you to think for yourself about what makes you motivated and about other possible components of motivation.

I – Having an Enemy

For many people, myself included, there is nothing more stimulating than a little friendly opposition, or even some unfriendly opposition. When someone decides they want to engage in some sort of aggressive behavior with you and go to war, it fires them up. This experience has been identified by everyone from Jocko Willink to Robert Greene.

Human beings were built to withstand and even improve when in situations of conflict. It does not necessarily have to be a conflict with another person, it can be with some generic institution or even ideals that you find abhorrent. Whatever it is, find yourself an enemy. There are very few things more motivating for a man than to have something to fight against. We were built to face resistance and use it to make us better. Yet in the modern world, why is it that we shirk away from that resistance? Resistance makes us alive. 

II – Combination of Sights, Sounds, and Thoughts

Think about what goes into making a motivational video. There are images that flash across your screen, these are designed to give you a perfect picture of the end result. Then there are the sounds – usually the sound of motivational music. You do not have to be told how motivating music can be. If it is not music then you will hear some other sound effects, but try to pick out the ones that are most motivating to you. Then there often is a series of motivational words in the background. The spoken word is powerful and can cause men to go into action. 

It is the combination of each of these factors in a particular ratio that leads to motivation. Try to sit down and figure out which particular motivation videoes fire you up the most. If you can identify these, you can start practicing playing these videos (or elements of them) in your mind when you need to feel motivated. It is not always as powerful as the real thing, but can still be an effective tool.

Learn to motivate yourself by playing movies in your mind that have a combination of those sights, sounds, and words that you find most inspirational. The more you practice visualization, the better you will get at it – it is a skill for you to train.

III – Group Competition

People become highly motivated when they participate in sports or other group activities. People can feed off of the positive energy of each other. This is a useful tool. Learn how to become inspired by being around other people who are inspirational. Allow yourself to take their energy and become focused – motivation is contagious. 

All in all, you have to determine what is motivating for you personally. Motivation is an individual thing. Everyone has their own goals and dreams that fire them up. You have to cultivate your own and not look to anyone else’s.

I spent many years unmotivated because I was trying to be motivated for the goals of others. I am not motivated by the hustle culture, even though I am certainly a proponent of hard work. But I cannot relate to whatever desire for results those people are feeling. And that is fine. We each have to concentrate only on those things which we have a natural talent for, a natural enjoyment for, and that we can become better at and use to become marketable.

If we chase the dreams of others, we will always be unfulfilled and unmotivated, never achieving the level of success we could if we were making the best use of our talents.

There is a purpose for each person in the world, and that purpose requires its own distinct level of motivation. Find what motivates you, determine the components of motivation, and use it to your advantage.

How efficiently are you able to learn new information when you are stressed or under heavy pressure? What about during family emergencies – are you able to download large amounts of new information into your mind for later use? Anyone who has ever tried to cram data into their head mere minutes or hours before an important exam knows that information never stays in the mind for longer than it takes to complete the exam. The key to learning rapidly, and learning for long-term retention is a peaceful mind.

The frantic mind can recall nothing. Most people are placed under pressure and forge everything they know. Some people can rise to the occasion, but most forget how to even string basic words into sentences. This is probably natural for most people.

But many people live this way. They only begin to learn anything when they are stressed and pressured, and never try to learn anything when their mind is at peace. They are trying to study and learn at the wrong times!

If you want to learn rapidly, you need to have a peaceful mind.

The peaceful mind is able to download information quickly and easily.

The agitated mind will have a difficult time remembering anything.

The benefit to all of this is the fact that you can learn quickly if you will attempt to learn at the times of day when you are most at peace. It does not matter what time of day this is for you. The hours when you are most peaceful will be the hours that you can learn the fastest.

For many people, the time of day when they can learn the fastest is in the early morning. It is good to learn before your mind is roused and agitated by the evens of the day. In the morning hours, your mind is fresh and usually naturally at peace and is in the prime position to learn.

Therefore, the first hour or two of the day may be the most valuable hours for learning whatever it is you are trying to learn.

For the first seasons of your life, you are learning in school. But once you finish school, you need to keep learning. You must learn how to be a better Christian, and learn how to be a better man.

Study the Christian disciplines in the early morning to learn rapidly.

Take advantage of the periods of time that allow you to learn the fastest and improve yourself.

Art of Manliness.

Any religious institution attempting to follow God must bear the name of Christ. This is non-negotiable when it comes to churches.

Yet how many religious groups want to claim to follow Christ and name themselves whatever they want?

The names of churches are getting more ridiculous as days go by. I can point out an emotionalistic church just by the name.

“Life church”
“New Way Water Springs church”
“Justice Healer Church”

It is not hard to start picking out those groups who are religious because it is convenient, and who gather together to worship because it is emotionally stimulating to them.

When Christ built the church in Acts 2, even though He was not there to see the opening, He still hung His name on it. The followers of Christ must call themselves after the name of Christ. Can they really claim to follow Christ if they are not?

In Ephesians 5, the church is compared to the relationship of marriage. and in marriage, the bride takes on the groom’s name. If she refuses to take on his name, it is a bad sign. It is a red flag for feminism in my view.

Many women who have become successful and made themselves something outside of their husbands may choose to refuse their husbands’ names. This usually happenings with celebrities or highly successful women.

But has the body and bride of Christ made itself something outside of Christ? No, it has not. The bride of Christ must take on His name and must reflect Him and represent Him well to the outside world, just like wives reflect their own husbands.

You cannot serve God and not wear the name of Christ. You must wear the name personally and be called Christian. And you must also wear the name of Christ in your religious group – your church must be named after Him for it is illegitimate.

A church cannot be the church that Christ built if it does not wear the name of Christ.

Strong Faith

When Christ build His exclusive kingdom of God, He built it at one particular geographical location in this world. That was the scriptural location of Jerusalem.

If you were to go to any of the states in the US and find a welcome center, you would find a little placard explaining the origins of that state. Included in that would be the specific geographical location where the state was founded as well as the date of establishment.

You can find the same information in many local shops or restaurants. Many businesses are proud of where they started and about how long they have been in business.

If you were to then go to the state of Georgia and start arguing with people and suggesting that the state of Georgia is actually the state of Alabama and that it was founded in the year 1900, you would have some problems. You would have problems because this is simply not true.

When Christ built the church, it was established at a specific place. We can know from studying the Scriptures that this place would be Jerusalem.

This also means that any church not founded at the scriptural location of Jerusalem cannot be the church that Christ Himself built. It is simply an imitation, but not the real thing.

Let’s look at a critical old testament prophecy predicting the establishment of Christ’s church in Jerusalem.

And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 2:2-3

The Bible clearly teaches several important things in this passage of predictive prophecy.

First, it teaches that this shall come to pass in latter days, not in that moment. What this does is exclude any religious institution already in existence from being the exclusive kingdom that Christ built. The biggest example of this is the religion of Judaism. If the Jewish religion existed at the time of this prophecy, it simply could not be the church that would be established in the “latter days”.

Nevertheless, there are still thousands of individuals practicing the Jewish religion today.

But the reality is that it is difficult to have a religion when your religion depends entirely on the instant genealogical records of your people. The only individuals who could conduct religious services in Judaism were the Levites. But when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70, all the records and genealogies of the people are destroyed. No one knows who they are anymore, as far as what tribe they belong to.

It is difficult to have a religion dependent on knowing who the Levites are when no one knows who the Levites are.

The second thing this passage in Isaiah teaches us is that “All nations shall come to this place“. This will not be a religion only for Jews. It will be a religion for all people, open to anyone willing to accept to total rule and authority of God by becoming an obedient member of His church.

And the last line in this prophecy is vital, it tells us that this church will begin in Jerusalem.

So again, if God was going to build His church in Jerusalem, then any religious institution not built at Jerusalem cannot be the exclusive kingdom of God that Christ Himself built on the correct scriptural foundation.

But we know that the church is established in Jerusalem in Acts 2.

Before this Chiuch is built, Jesus gives His apostles a few instructions for what to do before the church would be exablished. And these instructions are found in this passage.

⁴⁴ Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” ⁴⁵ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, ^[l]and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ And you are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city ^[m]of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

Luke 24:44-49

Jesus teaches that a few important things must happen:

1. Christ had to suffer and die before the church would be established (again, exclusing Judaism from being the religious Jesus was talking about.
2. Repentance and remission of sins must be taught in the name of Christ.
3. This message must be preached to all nations.
4. This message must be preached first at Jerusalem
5. They must wait in Jeusalem for power before any of the preious points could happen .

This is a critical list of things that must happen before the church can be established. So let’s look again in the Bible to determine if these things happened how Christ said they would.

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all ^[a]with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them ^[b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. ⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own ^[c]language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and ^[d]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.” ¹² So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?”
¹³ Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
¹⁴ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. ¹⁵ For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only ^[e]the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ¹⁷ ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions,
Your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸ And on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days;
And they shall prophesy.
¹⁹ I will show wonders in heaven above
And signs in the earth beneath:
Blood and fire and vapor of smoke.
²⁰ The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
²¹ And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Shall be saved.’
²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know— ²³ Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you ^[f]have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; ²⁴ whom God raised up, having ^[g]loosed the ^[h]pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning Him:
‘I foresaw the Lord always before my face,
For He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken.
²⁶ Therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad;
Moreover, my flesh also will rest in hope.
²⁷ For You will not leave my soul in Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
²⁸ You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of joy in Your presence.’
²⁹ “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, ^[i]according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹ he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. ³³ Therefore being exalted ^[j]to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. ³⁴ “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
³⁵ Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ’ ³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” ³⁸ Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the ^[k]remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this ^[l]perverse generation.” ⁴¹ Then those who ^[m]gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴² And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ ^[n]doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³ Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and ^[o]sold their possessions and goods, and divided^[p] them among all, as anyone had need. ⁴⁶ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added ^[q]to the church daily those who were being saved.

Acts 2

We can see here that the list of requirements was met.

I – The Apostles first waited in Jerusalem until they received power from on high (Acts 2:1-4).

II – They taught repentance and remission of sins (Acts 2:38)

III – This lesson was taught in the name of Christ (acts 2:38).

IV – This lesson was preached to all nations in (Colossians 1:23)

V – And this lesson itself was preached in Jeruslem.

Without each of these individual requirements being met, no church can claim that it is the exlucise kingdom of God that Christ Himself built.

Other Reading: Not Every Culture Deserves Celebration.

When Christ built His one and only exclusive church in Acts 2, He built it upon the correct scriptural foundation. this foundation is the scripture and the Christ Himself.

The Bible teaches that Christ acts as the foundation for the entire church. this is mentioned from the old testament prophecy to the words of Christ himself.

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Here the Bible simply and plainly teaches that Christ is the chief cornerstone of the foundation of the household of God.

He alone was the one on whom the church could have been built.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Isaiah 28:16

This is an explicit Old Testament Prophecy concerning Christ the cornerstone of the church. Let’s look at one more.

²² The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

Psalm 118:22-23

The bible teaches that Christ is not only the builder of the kingdom of God, but He is also the very foundation upon which that kingdom is built.

Further Reading: How to Have Strong Faith When Times are Good.