What gets you out of bed in the morning?

What is the first thing that you think as you awake while your eyes are still closed?   What gives you the energy to keep pushing late into the evening?  What creeps into your mind as you relax (and bathe) in the shower?

At Alayne Strategies, we are motivated by recognition for our hard work, obtaining new customers, helping people, promoting self-reliance and entrepreneurship, and the satisfaction that comes from successfully tackling potential road blocks.

Personally, my first thoughts of the day are the excitement I have for the meetings or projects of the day.  Seriously!  I might wake up at 3am trying to solve a business problem or find a solution for a client, but when the alarm buzzes I find myself back closer to elation, not stress.  The joy and satisfaction of being on a roll keeps me at my desk late into the night.  I'm motivated by the possibility of what Alayne Strategies and I can accomplish.  I am continually inspired as my clients blossom and their businesses launch or grow.  My work is my passion.

I am no Pollyanna.   Despite all the optimism and drive to keep going, I too have my moments of doubt and worry.  They creep into my mind while I'm stuck in traffic and can feel time ticking away.   I feel the burden of my forgotten unfinished tasks while I'm in the shower and can't write them down.  And of course, I hope none of you share my tendency to wake in the middle of the night worrying about something, but I believe that as long as the first and last thoughts of the day are of joy and excitement for my work life is good.  Once the worry overtakes the positivity, then it becomes time for a little self-talk, strategic planning, and course shifting. 

What about you?  Does excitement and joy drive you?  Or does fear?