Get Motivated Stay Motivated

One thing that keeps us from achieving our goals is the negative emotions.  It keeps on defeating us and makes us weak.  Some of the things that gives us negative emotions are criticisms against us, negative emotions, rejection, and many more.  But have you ever wonder why other people still manage to achieve with their goals? Simple.  They view these negative emotions as a feedback to themselves and use them to become a better person.

The criticisms, negative emotions, rejections, etc. can help you become a better person so why not choose that way instead of getting yourself miserable and/or hopeless with your dreams? If you think too much of these negative emotions and live with it, you’ll become miserable, depressed, and such.  Take it as a way to become a better person.  That’s what successful people do.  They accept these negative emotions and criticisms and analyse it.  That way, they will know which part of themselves they need to improve or change.

These successful people use negative emotions as a feedback in such a way that if what they are doing is not working, they stop it and think of an alternative that might just work for them.  Never expect that these negative emotions will just disappear sometime soon because they will not.  So view it in a different manner and become a better you – more motivated, determined, and confident to achieve your goals.  Take it from the high achievers.  They don’t let these negative emotions affect them negatively but they use it positively.

Procrastination is an obstacle to one’s success in life.  Some would even consider it as a disease, an illness that needs to be cured because its becoming a problem that affects his/her life and relationships with his/her family. So here are 5 facts that may help us understand procrastination better:

1. Procrastinators are made not born.  I have mentioned it here in my previous posts and it is true, procrastinators are developed with in time and we cannot make it an excuse that we were born as one.  There could be several factors on how it is developed.  For instance, parents tolerate their children’s laziness.  The advent of technology can also be a reason because most children becomes more of a couch potato rather than going outside and get themselves active.
2. Procrastination is not a matter of time management or planning.  Procrastinators can plan for their activities or they can manage their time. The problem is that they don’t do what they have planned or have put on their schedule. If only we do what is set on our schedule, we can finish it early or just in time.  The problem is, we do other things which are usually of less importance.
3. Procrastinators have a lot of reasons on why they have to delay their work.  One good example and most commonly used is that they are not in the mood to do their task in that moment that is why they do other things.  But if we wait for the time when we get in the mood to do it, it might just be too late already.
4. Procrastinators distract themselves as a way of regulating their emotions.  They look for activities that does not usually take a lot of commitment.
5. Procrastination can be stopped. For procrastinators, they should know that they can stop it and instead, get themselves motivated to work. They should work on overcoming it before it gets worse.

As a leader of an organization or company, you are somehow bound to motivate your people. A motivated person works harder and puts dedication and love towards his work.  Motivating them will also help in building a strong relationship with them.  It is a fact that having a good relationship with them helps in improving your company’s performance and success. Motivating your workforce will result to a more productive and successful team.  So how do you motivate your team?  Here are some helpful guide on how to motivate them:

• Most people feel motivated when they know that they are making a contribution in the progress and success of the company.
• Being heard is one of the things that is most important for a person.  Effective communication means listening to them – to their ideas, opinions, needs, etc.
• Acknowledging you people and the things that they have done for the company will help them feel important and most especially a part of the company.
• Helping them develop their skills will surely be appreciated by them.  Developing their skill will help them improve themselves and be motivated to work and use these new skills.

If your people are not motivated to work, it is a loss to the company. It will result to low production rate, a not-so-good atmosphere, and a negative energy within the company.  Some mistakes that leaders make is to assume what their people needs or overlook some important thing such as motivating them.  People or the workforce is a company’s most treasured assets.  They can either help the company succeed or they can destroy it. True motivation is not an occasional matter but is part of our life.

During the American Civil War, President Lincoln had trouble with General McClellan. He was a great organizer, but indecisive. Fear of making the wrong decision can lead you to make no decisions.

Or, as a wise old saying says: he (or she) who deliberates fully before taking a step, will spend all their life on one foot.

Here are some steps to help you deal with worries about making mistakes:

1. Accepting failure

One of the old movie moguls was once asked the secret of his success. He replied:

‘I was right fifty percent of the time’.

The message is simple: no-one is perfect, so don’t worry about making mistakes; you’re going to make them.

2. Be prepared

That’s the motto of the Boy Scouts and it applies in nearly every aspect of your life. The better prepared you are in whatever field of endeavor you are embarking, the less chance of a mistake.

So, if you’re building a swing set, read the instructions and get all the necessary tools. If you’re going on a job interview, get directions to the location, and leave early enough to get there on time.

3. Plan ahead

This has to do with scheduling. Whether you are painting a house, writing a report about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan or taking your daughter to fencing class you have to set things up ahead of time.

How much time do you need to adequately complete the task? You can’t write a fifteen page report in a few hours. If you try to do so, you’ll fail.

Do you need some special equipment or materials to complete the job? Can you get it easily, or do you have to order it? Failure to plan ahead can lead to failure as surely as self-doubt.

4. Relative importance

As stated above, you will make mistakes in your life: they’re impossible to avoid. So, you have to learn to ask yourself just how important the issue is.

Often, the easy thing to ask is: in twenty years, will I look back and remember this issue? If not, then don’t let the fear of mistake rule your decision-making process.

5. Limitations

This is a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, you need to know your limitations and not try to take on more than you can handle. That will most certainly lead to failure.

Yet, on the other hand, unless you try to move beyond the realm of the possible into the impossible, you will never know what you can achieve.

This can mean dealing with failure, but that can also be a step forward; as the next point illustrates.

6. Take a tip from Thomas Edison

This is the man credited with creating much of the 20th century technology . Yet, he dealt with failure constantly.

When asked how he could do that and still find the strength and determination to go on, Edison just smiled.

The incandescent light bulb took hundreds of experiments to perfect. His attitude about each failure? Each experiment was merely one more he didn’t have to do again.

This is reflected in the Billy Joel song, ‘Second Wind’. In it, Joel says that you learn more from your mistakes than anything else in your life.

7. Avoiding risk

Making mistakes is one thing, taking genuine chances with personal safety – whether yours or someone else’s is quite another thing. Always be mindful of any risks connected with what you do.

Skydiving can be exciting and fun, but review the above points and be sure you’re ready to take such a chance.

Some people say that a hero is nothing more than a person who does what he knows is right, in spite of his/her own fears and self-doubts.

Be striving to make use of the tips outlined here, you can be the hero of your own endeavors.

So many times we are pestered by a lack of confidence in the things that we can do, hindering us from moving forward and accomplishing our goals.

Those feelings may come from things like losing your job, settling into your routine or simply boredom.

Other times, distractions and just a general feeling of complacency pushes us into a place of laziness, keeping us from doing our best and performing at our most effective.

Never fear! There are ways of countering that lull in energy and lack of confidence. Some of them may be easy to do while others may seem like they are a little bit more difficult to achieve. But they’re worth a shot, especially when you’re stuck in a rut.

1. Get out of bed, or the couch, or the house….you get the picture!

When we are unmotivated, it’s very easy to just stay home, under the covers, or on the couch…you name it. All the more reason, then, to get off your behind and move.

Go for a walk.

Get in your car and go for a drive.

Go visit friends, or buy some flowers, or go pay some bills.

Anything to get you out of the house and absorbing some sunshine.

2. Run errands

Face it: the electric bill isn’t going to pay itself. The packages you need to mail won’t hop to the post office on command. Your groceries won’t magically arrive at your doorstep.

Running some errands will not only get you moving, but it will inject in you a real sense of urgency and need.

If you don’t get these things done now, you’ll have to do them eventually. So why not do them now, when you need some motivation anyway?

3. Keep a positive things journal

Create a journal in which every day, you make a list of ten things that you are good at, things that inspire you (people, places or things: anything that inspires you), things that you see yourself doing in ten years, ten months, ten days, ten hours, even ten minutes!

The idea is to create a positive flow of thoughts and feelings that keep your confidence up.

4. Post a bulletin board in your house or your office with things that inspire you

I have one in my home office that has everything from phrases and headlines from magazines, to poems, to articles about inspirational people, to comic strips and even notes and drawings given to me by friends.

I look at it every day and add to it when I see something worthy. These things remind me that I have reasons to remain confident and they keep me from gravitating towards laziness.

5. Listen to some music

Find something that will keep you energized and ready for anything. Listen to feel-good, catchy songs. Cheesy pop music, as much as you may hate it, is great for revving up some much-needed energy!

Don’t worry. Go ahead and dance your butt off. You’re at home; no-one’s looking.

6. Drink LOTS of water

Why? This may not seem obvious, but the way we feel mentally often is affected by the way our bodies react to stress. Keeping yourself well hydrated will keep you energized and awake and will give your body some much-needed fuel.

Caffeine, while a quick energy boost, will ultimately dehydrate you, which will not only not help you, but it may also give you more issues like headaches and sudden drop in energy.

7. Surround yourself with motivating people

When I lose confidence in myself or get a little lazy, I have a list of about 10 people that I can call that will make me feel instantly better.

Some of them are gentle pushers; others are the ‘get-off -your-butt-and-do-something-already!’ sort of folks.

Regardless of their methods, sometimes family and friends know exactly what to say to get you going. Let them.

When life hits us with abrupt changes, or even when it just teases us with quirky little annoyances, it can be easier for us to fall victims to our own self-doubt and laziness.

The key is to have a plan of action so that we don’t succumb to those self-defeating vices.

It happens to the best of us: we have a job to do, we get ready to do it… in some cases, even starting it… and then we get a phone call.

Or our favorite show comes on.

Or someone knocks on the door.

We get hungry, sleepy, tired or any one combination of the three.

For whatever reason, we are more prone to distractions when we most need to focus. I don’t know of anyone more susceptible to this phenomenon than I am.

So I’ve put together a list of the methods I have used that have proven effective in keeping me focused on my assignments and on the tasks that need to get done. Some may seem a bit unorthodox, but believe me, they work!

1. Make a list

I used to never make lists. I thought they took up time and were pointless. Then I made my first list.

I found that once the things I needed to do went from being abstract to concrete, the sense of urgency turned itself up a notch and I found myself much more pressed to do what I needed to do.

It’s a technique that still works in keeping me from getting sidetracked. Plus, crossing things off my list always makes me feel very accomplished.

2. Take a cool shower

I don’t know if it’s because I live in a generally warm climate or if it’s just because I like the cold, but nothing helps me focus more than taking a cool shower before I start anything.

The cold water will wake your body up, making it more alert and helping you to focus on the task that follows.

I always do this right after I write my list. I take a shower and while letting the cool water hit me, I think about the list and how best to tackle it.

3. DO ONE THING AT A TIME!

Do NOT move on to something else until you have finished what you started. Period. The moment you do that, you are doomed to get distracted and, at that point, you might as well get up and go get yourself a sandwich.

Which brings me to my next point…

4. Have everything you can possibly need at your fingertips

That means EVERYTHING, including food and water if necessary.

If you’re cleaning your house and you need a drink of water or something to eat, don’t go into the kitchen until you are done with the task you are undertaking.

If you’re at work and you’re doing something for your boss, whether you work in an office or in a store, make sure you have a drink and a snack close by; if you have a desk, keep healthy snacks in your desk drawer. If you need a drink, have one at your desk.

That way, you don’t have an excuse to wander off.

5. Turn off your phone or put it on silent

Your cell phone can be both your best friend and your worst enemy. If you have a cell, turn it off. If you can’t turn it off because of family, work, etc., then put it on silent or ask people to text you instead of calling you.

If you simply can’t deal, then turn it off or have it go straight to voicemail. Ditto for work phones.

If you absolutely cannot turn the ringer off, have some take your calls or send calls to voicemail. Check the voicemail when you are done.

6. Away Messages are your best friends

Use them a lot! For e-mails, for social networking and for instant messengers.

Don’t be afraid to set up automatic messages that tell someone emailing you that you are busy, or doing the same for IM. Believe me, people understand.

While you’re at it, set them and…

7. GET AWAY FROM THE INTERNET!

Unless you need to use it for a project for work, you don’t need to be online. You just don’t.

The kitchen won’t clean itself while you check your Yahoo. Your car won’t wash itself or your work won’t do itself. You get the picture.

And finally…

8. Develop a focus ritual; eliminate any and all distractions and get to work

Some people use music or turn on the television to give them some background noise to work with. Frankly, with me, that only works when I’m doing something mundane or repetitive, like typing something onto a spreadsheet or washing dishes.

But if I’m doing something that required concentration or focus, I cannot have any distractions. So I shut anything off that may be noisy or distracting and I get to work.

Everyone is different, so use whatever you can from this list of helpful tips, create your own ritual for getting things done, eliminate anything at all that doesn’t work into that ritual and get to work.

Once you’re finished with your tasks you will feel so much more accomplished and proud that you didn’t let anything stand in the way of getting it all done.

We have all experienced the familiar sting of burnout: the feeling of being mentally and physically exhausted, the fear that any moment now, you will drop down and not be able to get back up.

You’ve been going a hundred miles a minute and now that shifty, unpredictable rollercoaster is catching up to you.

You feel like you have to keep going but you don’t know if you can, and the crashing and burning is imminent.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

Nine time out of ten, we have complete control of that burnout.

We know that it’s coming, we know that it can and will happen and yet we do nothing to make it better. We do nothing do stop the train from crashing into that brick wall.

We can stop ourselves from becoming burned out and remain motivated to do our jobs while doing so.

1. First: stop and breathe deeply

Deep breaths are not only good for the mind; they’re good for the body. Your body feels more energized when it takes in oxygen, and you force yourself to focus and…

2. Regroup

Sometimes we’re so concentrated on doing what we can to finish what we started that when something goes wrong, we’re thrown off and we get stressed out.

That’s when you know you’re getting burned out.

Before you get to that point, regroup and refocus. Take some time to step back and look at everything, and decide what you’re doing and how.

3. Ask for help

Don’t be afraid to ask family, friends, or co-workers to help you through rough patches. Ask for their advice, seek their guidance, listen to their thoughts and opinions.

They will be just as eager to help you through your crisis as you are to get out of it.

4. Take a break!

You’ve been working hard, so much so that you can’t think about anything else. Sounds familiar? It should, if you’re prone to burning yourself out.

It’s OK to take a break.

Take a walk, get some air, call a friend, go to the gym, buy a purse: whatever you have to do to get your mind off the task at hand, do it.

But when you come back…

5. Remain calm, focused and steady

There is no joy in doing something if you are neither motivated nor focused.

When questions arise, remain clear headed and organized. If you find that things are getting too out of control and you can’t seem to focus no matter how much you try…

6. Just go home

Seriously. You will be no good to anyone if you can’t keep yourself from breaking down under the pressure of burnout.

When you start to feel overwhelmed, the best thing to do is just to stop where you are, gather your things and go home.

If you are home, then turn off the computer, turn off the phone and just chill.

7. Showers are wonderful things

A lot of people swear by baths, but I am a shower fan.

Feeling the warmth of the water hit the nape of your neck, it is by far one of the most relaxing feelings on earth.

Always keep a special aromatic soap at home, something organic or natural that you can use on days like these, when you’re stressed out and ready to break, when you’re not motivated at all and you just feel completely burned out.

Eucalyptus, sandalwood, lavender and chamomile are always nice. Enjoy the alone time and just relax.

When that is done…

8. Get a good, natural, full night’s sleep

Slip into your most comfy pj’s, grab your favorite comforter, get your room nice and cool so you can snuggle under the covers, and get a good night’s sleep.

That means more than the four hours you usually get. A good night’s sleep is about 8 hours of uninterrupted, deep sleep. Your body will need the release and will thank you for the rest.

A lot of times we burn out because we have not given our body the proper amount of time out.

What a difference a good night’s slumber makes!

9. Put your well-being before the tasks at hand

Remember that you can’t do a good job if you’re not taking care of yourself.

Be proactive in keeping your mental, emotional, and physical state so that you can counter any feelings of getting burned out by whatever you’re trying to accomplish.

These are just some of the things that you can do to make yourself less susceptible to burnout and get back your motivation. The more you put these things into practice, the more you’ll be able to remain calm and focused in the face of stress.

I met a very unusual multi-millionaire earlier this year.
He´s a guy with a radical outlook on success. And I was
shocked by some of the things he said.

Is he brilliant or just crazy?

Most people will think he´s from a different planet when
they hear what he has to say. Still, I want to make
sure you get a chance to decide for yourself.

That´s why I made an online video to tell you about
the night Larry was ready to jump off the penthouse
roof.

(I did warn you. He´s an unusual guy)

Anyway, check out the short video over at:

http://howtotalkwithconfidence.com/Larry/Larry.html

(Only share this video with your open minded friends.
You´ll know what I mean after you watch it.)

Once upon a time, I used to be the messiest person alive.

I don’t just mean in terms of messy room and messy car. I mean messy plans, too. I would have a general idea of what I wanted to do, but wouldn’t be really sure about how I wanted to make it happen.

Over the years, through watching others and by trial and error, I have finally found ways to come up with plans, organize them and following through with them in ways that are much more manageable than they are overwhelming.

Recently, I have started keeping track of what I do when I first come up with a plan that seems to be all over the place.

Whether the plan involves work, play or anything else, having rules on how to handle this sort or organizational skill can enable a person to become more familiar with their own organizational process and can help them improve on the ways that they already have.

Here are some helpful hints that have helped me create plans that are thorough, orderly, and easy to manage.

1. Write down your plan

Make an outline of everything you need to have and do to make your plan happen. Make a list of all of the steps that need  to be accomplished and think about what needs to be done.

Detail everything thoroughly and read over it so you can start coming up with some mental solutions of how to carry out your plans.

2. Come up with at least three different ways of carrying out your plans

This way, you ensure that if for some reason plan one doesn’t work, you have a plan two and a plan three to lean back on. It’s just a matter of being organized.

This is one of the things that has helped me the most, especially when I’m tackling so many things in my life.

Chances are that there is always more than one way of doing things, and chances are that if one of those ways doesn’t work, one of the other ones will.

3. Commit yourself to finishing at least part if not all of your plan at once

It will show that you not only have initiative to get things rolling, but that you are invested in the results obtained with making the move to get everything done.

If you make a commitment to finish before a specific time, make sure that you carry that out, and be sure to do everything in the way you said you would, within the time-frame you set for yourself.

4. Do one thing at a time

Don’t try to tackle more things all at once. All that does is delay your progress, distract you and make you lose your interest, motivation and energy.

Carrying out an effective plan requires being as organized as possible. You will only achieve this by sticking to the order of the plan and not deviating or trying to do more at once.

5. Finish what you started

Do not abandon things mid-project.

It will only annoy everyone around you including yourself. Unfinished plans are a waste of time, energy and, in some cases, even money.

6. Come up with a follow up plan

Nothing says organized more than keeping a notebook with all of your plans for work, complete with outlines, a detailed description of how each step was carried our and a plan of action.

Plus, following up on the details of an organized plan lets everyone know you are a responsible, involved and thorough individual that has the best interests of the people involved at hand.

Don’t be afraid of organization. The older we get, the more necessary it becomes to have the skills necessary to follow through with confidence and to be able to carry through plans in an organized and manageable way. It pays to be organized, after all.

Dreams do come true as long as we can stay motivated in the face of setbacks. That´s where most of us get discouraged.

So often, reality doesn’t measure up to expectations. We can have all these grand plans, whether it is buying a house, making improvements to your kitchen, or write that novel we’ve always dreamed of.

When trying to get yourself psyched for a task, follow a few simple steps, and you’ll see yourself putting forth some real effort.

1. Know your limitations

Don’t set yourself up to fail by setting yourself a task that you can’t possible do.

If you know nothing about concrete, don’t try to build a patio for your house by yourself. If you know nothing about Scottish history, don’t think that you can write a book about William Wallace.

2. Planning and preparation

Once you’ve settled on what it is you’re going to do, whether it’s painting your daughter’s room or writing a book, plan things out, and prepare.

What are the things you need to do to complete the task, what materials do you need? In the case of the patio example, do you need a building permit? Contact the local building department and find out.

This all feeds into the next point.

3. Research

If you’re planning to tackle a substantial task, find out what you need to do it. If you’re planning to shoot a movie underwater, check out the cameras needed, the safety equipment and whether or not you’ll need to be proficient at scuba living. If so, and you’re not, sign up for a class.

4. Timeframe

Any job worth doing is going to take time. You can’t expect to write a novel or build an addition to your house in one day.

This goes hand-in-hand with point 1.

You have to allocate enough time to reasonably complete the task. Yet, you must also set yourself a time limit. Giving yourself too much time can lead to stagnation as you keep putting off to tomorrow what you should be doing today.

5. Enjoyment

It’s said that when we’re happy, time flies. So, selecting a task that gives you joy is a perfect method for insuring that you give it your all. That can be difficult when faced with something mundane like mowing the lawn. Well, that’s where point 6 comes into play.

7. Distraction

If the job you have to perform is something boring and uninteresting, you can easily find yourself giving nearly no motivation to it.

That’s where this feature can come into play: give yourself something else to entertain you. If you’re mowing the lawn, slip on an iPod full of your favorite music. Sometimes, the task will require you to be focused, so a distraction is uncalled for. In that case, work it into point 7.

8. Reward

This is a great means of getting a lot of efforts out of you and those working with you. The classic example is the high school sports team doing a carwash to raise money. If the players know that a pizza lunch, with all the trimmings, will be forthcoming when they’re done, they tend to work harder and better.

9. Personal gain

This sort of goes along with reward, but it can much more substantial. If you’re working as a drafter, and passing some college classes or a state test will allow you to get work as an engineer, and thus make more money, you’ll be highly motivated to do so.

When trying to get the most out of your efforts, there are a number of tools you can use to motivate yourself. Yet, the thing most important to remember is that you are only ever in competition with yourself. If reality doesn’t meet with expectation, don’t just assume you’ve failed or not given it your all.

Commitment is not an on/off proposition; you don’t give zero or a hundred percent. Be honest in your self-examination and give yourself credit for the effort you put forth.