As we gather ourselves to begin another year, we share some inspirational words on motivation from Matshona Dhliwayo's book, '100 Miscellaneous Thoughts'.

Motivation is the desire and energy that sets one on the course to achieve a goal. Men are motivated by different factors; some are motivated from within, while others are motivated by others. Both can be effective, but the greatest motivation comes from within.

A man is most motivated to do what he loves most. If you truly love what you do, you won't care whether men give you awards or not, for the ultimate joy comes not from outside, but from within. Most great accomplishments in history were accomplished by those who pursued what they were most passionate about. What they woke up thinking about, what they went to sleep thinking about. Doing what they loved made their task easier.

A truly motivated man uses the pebbles of failure to build a bridge to success. The willingness to move forward from failure is one good sign that you are motivated. A motivated individual can be optimistic, but he is much greater than an optimist because an optimist's hope can be shattered more easily. When others doubt or oppose a truly motivated individual, his hope lives on. The greatest of men use obstacles and opposition to propel them to their goals.

A truly motivated individual generously allocates whatever time he has towards his objectives. If a man is motivated to conquer the world, he will spend time organizing his army; if a man is motivated to know more about the world, he will travel or study; if a man truly loves a woman, he will be motivated to please her, he will be motivated to do things he would not have normally done to win her heart. Because he is motivated, whatever price he pays is negligent compared to winning her over.

When a man is motivated he works wholeheartedly. Because he enjoys what he does, he puts in more than the required effort to complete the task. He not only achieves more, but the quality of his work is superior. Excellence comes from diligence and he achieves diligence because he cares about the end product having invested much in it.

A man should not expect the world to hand him anything; he must know what he desires and pursue it. And if there are others pursuing the same thing one factor may separate those who acquire it and those who do not: desire. He who desires something the most fights the hardest. While wisdom is another important factor, working hard is always wise, never foolish. Each day a man lives he must be motivated to pursue a noble objective. If a man does this daily, he can accomplish much in a lifetime.

Motivation is the key to your emancipation; you find what you seek.