The Pros And Cons Of
Motivational Workshops

One of the excellent benefits about attending motivational workshops is that they get you energized about changing your life.

You leave them armed with a bevy of techniques and a whole new approach to success. Without any effort on your part, the afterglow lasts around 2-3 weeks. But here's the catch.


A Best Case Scenario

Workshops seem to work best for people who already have a vehicle in place, or have a fairly clear idea about what they want their future vehicle to be. People with an established vehicle go to work (or to their businesses) on the following Monday brimming with new ideas and strategies which they are able to put to work immediately. And because success builds on success, each successfully implemented strategy leads to the next and so on. These participants can truthfully say that the workshop changed their lives. It gave them the necessary impetus to move their career or business to the next level.

The same applies to those who know what vehicle they plan to use in the future. On the Monday morning after the workshop they make their first (or renewed) moves towards establishing the vehicle. They make phone calls, arrange loans, write letters, purchase new equipment - whatever steps are required to turn the idea into reality. The motivational energy from the workshop propels them to make the decisions and take the actions that will lead them to their goals. If they continue to build momentum, they are also justified in claiming that the workshop changed their lives. 


A Worst Case Scenario

But what about the person who has vague thoughts of faraway success, and attends the workshop to get themselves moving? They too bask in the afterglow of a dynamic speaker and mind-opening exercises, but unless their actions immediately afterwards have a defined focus, all too often temporary motivation meets fuzziness of purpose and the opportunity to change dissipates.


Exceptions To The Rule

Not everyone has this experience. For many people, just opening their minds to new possibilities is enough to get them to take massive action during the following weeks. As long as their decision-making is quick and on the mark, they utilize the residual energy to choose a path and get the ball rolling. But they are the exceptions among people who don't have a ready-made vehicle.

So perhaps a useful strategy for attending motivational workshops is to do some private goal-setting first and attend when you have a semi-firm direction. This way you'll make the most of the highly-charged state that inevitably follows a well-planned and information-rich workshop.


2 Negative Case Studies


HELEN'S STORY

Helen attended a workshop because she felt stuck in an unfulfilling job. In the back of her mind she had half-formed fantasies about becoming a freelance magazine writer or starting a home-based business. She thought the workshop might help her clarify her goals and motivate her towards achieving them.

Helen loved the workshop and went to her secretarial job on Monday in a state of elation. She was finally getting out of her rut, she thought. But as the week sped by she discovered she was no closer to choosing a vehicle. She vacillated as usual, and as the elation faded she consoled herself with the thought that she just wasn't ready to make the change right now; she would take her time and avoid making a rash decision. It took her another eight years to start her home-based secretarial service.

BOB'S STORY

Bob had saved a substantial sum of money over the course of his 10-year teaching career and was ready to make the move towards financial freedom. He came home from a two-day motivational workshop bursting with enthusiasm and immediately started looking into property and share investments.

Because he didn't take the time to study his subjects thoroughly, he made a number of poor decisions which resulted in his losing a large percentage of his capital over the next few years. He was forced to remain a teacher for an additional five years while he reestablished a savings plan and studied his investment vehicles in depth.

FRANK'S STORY

Frank had a plumbing supplies store which wasn't doing well. His wife was an avid reader of self-help books and persuaded Frank to attend a success and marketing workshop. Frank was reluctant to waste his money but caved in and attended. The money back guarantee was part of his incentive.

The material and the experiential exercises blew Frank away. Over the course of the two days he realized that he was not listening to his employees. He had the old-fashioned attitude that he was the boss and therefore knew best, even though the sales figures disproved this. He also realized that he didn't treat his customers in the best way possible, so he rarely generated repeat business from them.

On Monday Frank returned to the shop and instigated weekly brainstorming sessions. His employees were initially stunned, then skeptical of his new attitude. But over the next months they learned to contribute their best ideas. A new customer services policy soon emerged from the meetings. The changes were reflected in Frank's monthly profits. He went on to open three new stores in surrounding suburbs.

LISA'S STORY

Lisa went to the workshop because she felt trapped in a middle management job. She experienced a total shift in her sense of self-worth by the end of the second day.

On Monday morning she strode into her office and prepared a written summary of her talents, along with a list of the reasons she deserved a promotion. Then she made an appointment with her department head and confidently outlined her position. She walked out with a promotion and a generous rise in pay.

PETER'S STORY

Peter was a screenwriter who had convinced himself that marketing a screenplay was a hard sell. He had a number of unfinished and partially planned scripts in his bottom drawer. He faced his greatest fear in the workshop and decided that "Nothing ventured, nothing gained!".

On Monday night, he pulled out his half-completed screenplays and chose the most promising one. He prepared a list of agents and producers to whom he would send the finished script. He pinned this to his notice board.

Peter spent the next two weeks finishing the screenplay. His motivation shifted: the afterglow of the workshop gave way to his own sense of accomplishment, and he was able to move into the next phase of his life. Whenever he hit a setback he pulled out his workshop notes and put himself through one of the processes. He didn't sell the first screenplay but hit pay dirt on his third.


Your Challenge

Have you had a workshop experience that didn't result in a major change in your life?

Take a minute to decide if one of these negative scenarios applies to your situation at the time.

  • Did you have a goal or direction in mind when you attended?
  • Did you have a vehicle in place?
  • Were you clear about which specific vehicle you might want to explore at some future point?
  • Did you do your 'due diligence' or homework in your chosen arena?

It's important to identify what stopped you whenever you fall short of a goal because that is specifically what you need to overcome in order to finally achieve it.

Notice that all three people in the positive scenarios had the education and the vehicle in place, two of the key components of the financial freedom formula. The only element missing was the mindset, which was supplied initially by the motivational workshop and later reinforced by their ongoing successes.

The two people in the negative scenarios had acquired the mindset but lacked the education (in one) and the vehicle (in the other). Having either of these in place would have enabled them to use the momentum generated by the mindset to achieve their goals.

Once you have the education and vehicle in place for your wealth creation plan, you can acquire the mindset using the techniques on this site, or you can revisit your workshop notes and use the information they offer.

It's never too late to utilize the resources that are available to you right now.


Disclaimer:  This site is purely educational and we make no claims or guarantees with regard to the information presented. Please consult a certified NLP practitioner for individual coaching in the use of NLP techniques. We strongly advise consulting a financial industry professional before embarking on a wealth creation journey.