I have no trouble getting revved up about buying next week's Powerball lottery tickets.

But maybe you don't. Maybe it takes you a bit of effort to get down to the lotto shop. Maybe money is tight, or you just can't raise the enthusiasm to splash out just now on some lottery tickets.

I understand. We are all driven differently. Different beliefs, different energy levels, different personalities. But unless you concentrate on your goal of winning the lottery in a focused manner, you'll get nowhere.

Perhaps it's time to change your thinking. Perhaps you need a BIGGER cause... one that will take you out of your comfort zone and get you into motivated action.

Here's an example that many people can relate to...

I've lost a heap of weight with my own self-devised fat loss program. But like anyone making changes to their life, sometimes the temptation to eat more of the wrong foods gets a little hard to resist. I could easily slip back... and gain back the 30 pounds I lost.

But I don't, because I have a bigger cause. And it's this...

I believe - and have scientific proof - that my eating plan will help extend my life. Not just by increasing it by a couple of meager years, but maybe as much as 10-20 years. And one of the huge side benefits is that I'll also be in better health for much longer into my old age. It won't be just an extended existence in a Zimmer frame, but a fit 'n healthy one bounding around like a buck rabbit.

So every time I reach for a chocolate cookie, the image of my vastly improved life flashes before my eyes. This is strong enough to stop me dead in my tracks, hand poised over the cookie jar. In other words, my overall cause is greater than any day-to-day short term thinking.

It is a very powerful motivator. Now, what if your own cause was not just to win a Powerball prize or ditch that 10 pounds of flab, but bigger:

- Help out poorer people in your city?

- Or develop a building that will last beyond you?

- Or have the spare time to invent something that will change the world?

The possibilities are immense, especially if you aim to win Powerball with its multi-million dollar payout. With that enormous resource behind you, the world's your oyster. Whatever you can dream of is easier when you have the funds.