Motivation By Consequences

In 2004 seven badly behaved teenagers were sent to a brat camp in the USA by desperate parents whose lives had been made hell by their own offspring. All seven were from the UK.

At Turnabout, the Brat Camp in Utah, the brats started the rehabilitation process by sitting in a stone circle for three days on their own to reflect on their lives and why they had been sent to the camp by their long suffering parents.

They needed to understand that their poor behavior had already had consequences. Why else would they be stuck in a desert in Utah? Because consequences do not always arrive quickly both adults and youngsters often fail to be aware of them and need time to become aware.

Sitting in the stone circle was a rite of passage for Indian Braves. One of the girls argued that she was not a Red Indian and was not a man. She had missed the whole point of the exercise.

Four girls from the UK group were given an extra day in the stone circle for smoking at night and then for refusing to tell on whoever brought the cigarettes in. Grassing was regarded by the camp leaders as simply being honest.

The boys got a decent meal and a day off the stone circle. They were learning that good behaviour usually produces rewards while poor behaviour usually results in some kind of uncomfortable, boring and even painful experience.

For the first time, the kids felt the need to behave themselves. Some started to think: "We are going to stay in line and get some good food."

They also began to realize that not every one in the world would treat them as indulgently as their parents. Alex was told her hair would have to be died its natural color. She said: "It won't happen."

Four hours later it did happen. There was no getting round the staff. She learned that some people could not be manipulated to indulge her whims.

Eventually the brats moved on to level two of their training but there were still rules to be obeyed. On level two youngsters had to be neat and tidy and ask permission for everything.

Jenny struggled with tidiness. Wayne, the camp leader, taught her to put things away:"I'm not your ma. I may be as pretty as your mum but I will not put things away for you."

He told Jenny to walk around the cabin shouting "I will put my gloves away."

At Turnabout they never ignore a problem. They face up to everything fair and square. Jenny ended up back in the stone circle.

Jenny then pretended that her wrist had been badly sprained but this did not wash with Wayne. There was no escape from the consequences.

Idle chatter was off the menu. Complaining about the food was also against the rules. The brats had to learn that negative talk has bad consequences.

More were beginning to get the message. Jemma commented: "You've got to be good all the time."

One of the boys had also got the message:"Every rule here, no matter however small, you get consequenced for."

Many adults never get this message. We keep doing silly things and are still surprised by the bad consequences. We all need to learn that the Universe is not an indulgent parent who will let us do whatever we feel like doing and then will protect us from the harmful results. We need to learn that every action we take, no matter how small, has good or bad consequences.

We are even surprised when good things happen when we follow the rules of the universe. Fortunately the universe is impartial. If we start eating right we will be amazed at how much better we feel. Eventually we will realize that the remorseless law of consequences is something we should be grateful for. It can work for us or it can work against us.

Maybe we should all sit in a stone circle every day and reflect on the power of consequences. A few weeks in Utah would do us all some good.

About the author

John Watson is an award winning teacher and martial arts instructor. He has recently written two books about achieving your goals and dreams.

They can both be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a daily motivational message.

The title of the first book is "36 Laws To Ignite Your Inner Power And Realize Your Dreams Now! - Acronyms, Stories, And Pictures...Easy To Remember And Use Everyday To Grab Your Life And Soar With The Eagles"

The book can be found at this URL http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

The book uses acronyms, stories and pictures to help readers remember 36 laws that can gradually transform your life if you apply them.

You are welcome to publish the article above in your ezine or on your website so long as you do not alter it and keep in the words about the author and the 36 Laws.

---

Motivation By Comparison

Motivation by comparison is a dynamic form of motivation which... Read More

How You Developed Bad Habits That Rob You Of Motivation

Bad habits rob you of your motivation.Today I want to... Read More

Struggling With Juggling

'The trick to juggling is determining which balls are made... Read More

Seeing Through the Pain

We must all suffer one of two things: the pain... Read More

Greed and Selfishness: Knowing The Difference And Loving Yourself!

I hear many people discuss how selfishness leads to greed,... Read More

How to Tune In Your Brain and Feel Motivated in Minutes

Want to know how to run your brain and be... Read More

6 Simple Steps To Accelerating your Learning

What is Accelerated learning?Simply put, accelerated learning is the ability... Read More

Cure Your Burnout!

Do you ever get those Sunday night blues? Dreading the... Read More

Miracles are Your Responsibility

Miracles are your responsibility! What does that mean? Simple...You have... Read More

Wealth Building: Let The Wealth Building Secrets Of J. Paul Getty Inspire You To Great Achievement

One of the shortcuts to creating wealth is to learn... Read More

Why Do 9 Out of 10 People Never Live Their Dreams?

When we were kids we all had dreams. There were... Read More

Full Steam Ahead, Just Dont Go Off Half Cocked!

Do you do things that you don't want to do?... Read More

9 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Just Dont Feel Like It

Achieving the really big goals and dreams always involves breaking... Read More

Motivation: How to Get Unstuck

Have you ever felt stuck?You know the feeling - you're... Read More

Who Do You Need To Become To Make It Happen For You?

'We cannot become what we need to be remaining what... Read More

Motivation By An Audience

Sooner or later, if you keep working hard in a... Read More

Just Do It!

If you run a business like I do, you probably... Read More

Finding A Cure for I Disease

The 21-year-old rookie cop had his big chance to brag... Read More

Ready, Set, Action!

James 2: 17?faith by itself, if it is not accompanied... Read More

Nothing To Lose

I stormed out of the office and headed for the... Read More

Activity Versus Accomplishment

Each and every day, all of us continually search for... Read More

Gaining Wisdom

Wisdom eludes me. The more I learn, the less I... Read More

That First Step To Massive Success

Do you ever procrastinate? So do I!I had some work... Read More

Procrastination Emancipation

It's early January as I sit down to research and... Read More

Employee Motivation Checklist - Ten Measures of Success

In the form of a simple easy to use checklist,... Read More

Get Up and Do!

The motivation to change my oil came the other day... Read More

7 Reasons To Stop Procrastinating Today

Procrastination is a delay tactic that has the ability to... Read More

A Burning Desire

"Mommy, he's doing it again." I yelled as I came... Read More

Rut Busting

IntroductionWordNet defines a rut as a groove or furrow (especially... Read More

What Makes You Special?

Many people are too busy today trying to fit themselves... Read More

The Reason Nothing Happens - Is Because Nothing Is Happening!

I hear many clients declare how boring and stagnant their... Read More

Beyond Procrastination ? 8 Questions To Ask Yourself

Why am I constantly putting things off? Why don't I... Read More

Walk In The Light

It was a mild October night, weeks after the horrific... Read More