Get Motivated Stay Motivated

People often find themselves racing for money. They find all possible means in which they can earn more. Thinking that it would make them happy and successful in life. They’d be able to do and buy anything they like. In that case, who wouldn’t be happy with it?

What they do is keep themselves busy with their career - or maybe careers. Some would do multiple jobs in a day while some would work for their promotions to increase their salaries. This may sound to have no problem at all. But realization comes in the end. The realization that it is not only the money that they need in life to be happy. There are a lot of things besides money that would make a person happy.

The negative part of keeping yourself busy in making money is that you forget the other important things in your life. Things like your family, partner, your relationship with other people, and most importantly your health. People who have multiple jobs are too busy to take care of themselves. Less number of hours of sleep and more job means more stress. For people who strive for higher positions, tendency is that they compete with their co-workers. This often lead to rivalry and damage in their relationship. This is what people meant with “money does not change a person, it unmasks them.”

Happiness cannot be found with money alone. It is true that we need money to survive but not too much. It is just a part of it. We also need to take care of our health and our relationship with our loved ones. Balance is what we need to be happy and successful and not money alone.

Amberism - Saying something positive in the midst of a negative experience.  The term was branded by  Phylameana lila Desy after her Daughter’s name, Amber.

“My daughter Amber is our family’s optimist. She is a natural blonde and has a sunshine personality which matches her exuberant and smiley appearance. Amber won’t allow life’s miseries to drag her down. She is the baby of our family, yet early on as a tot she was always the remarkable one who would say things that would lift all of our spirits during unpleasant moments. Her optimistic remarks as a child were so innocent and refreshing they would help us see things in a brighter light. She could easily turn our sadness and irritations into laughter and calmness. “

Examples of Amberisms

• Spilled milk: At least it wasn’t Kool-Aid, that would be a sticky mess.
• Flunked a test: No one will call you a know-it-all.
• Stubbed your big toe: Aren’t you glad you didn’t break your ankle?

source: www.healing.about.com

I think we should adapt the idea of “Amberism” as well to stay motivated even in the midst of difficulties or any negative situation.  Instead of fussing over a spilled milk, we should think of the positive side of it.  We should think that even if something not so good happened to us, we are still here alive and we have the chance to stand up and succeed.  Amberism is the spirit for us to stay motivated all the time.

Here is a great poem taken from the book Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But soon or late the man who wins
Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

Very motivating poem.  He got it right.  As the Law of Attraction states, what we are now is the result of what we have thought we could be.  So you have to think of what you want to be or what you want to happen.  Believe that you can do it and you will achieve whatever your heart desires.

Going for your dreams excites you.  You turn your dreams into goals, motivated to reach it.  Then you set your goals, you visualize it, and start achieving for it.

Then comes the difficult part. Not just difficult but you don’t know where to start as you know nothing about it.  Our goals have many steps to step onto.  There may be steps that are new to us and we do not know how to do it which leads us to give up our goals.

But is that the solution to the problem? You’ve come that far to your goals just to give up on it for a thing you do not know. The logical thing to do if you do not know about it is to learn it.  How do you learn it?  You have to do it.

Come to think of it.  How do you learn to speak?  By speaking.  How do you learn to dance?  By dancing.  You don’t have to give up just because you don’t know what to do. Learn how to do it.  You just need to lift your foot to step on that stepping stone.  You have to do it.

I just watched the movie, Kung Fu Panda.  You may think that the movie isn’t appropriate in this blog.  But I just got a good and inspiring lesson from the movie:

“There is no secret ingredient”

That is the secret of Po’s father in his family’s popular secret ingredient noodle soup. The secret has been passed from generations and as he believes that it is Po’s destiny as well, he told him the secret when Po was depressed after finding out that the Dragon Scroll has nothing written on it. He was just chosen as the Dragon Warrior who will defend the Valley of Peace from Tai Lung who wants to get hold of the Dragon Scroll.

The secret of the noodle soup, which is “there is no secret,” has given Po the realization that things become special because people believe them to be special. Just like the popular noodle soup ingredient of his family, people believed it to be special that is why it became special. Po then thought that this is the very essence of the Dragon Scroll. As he sees his reflection in the scroll, he thought that the power of the Dragon Scroll is within him.  So he went back to help Shifu.

Believing in his own power, he used his strengths against Tai Lung.  Yes he is fat, but he used it to defeat Tai Lung. He attacked Tai Lung with his own improvised combat style using his hugeness to absorb and deflect the force from Tai Lung’s attacks.

Po is right that things become special because people believe them to be special.   Believing  that you are special will make you become real special.  Just like Po, believe in the power within you and you will succeed.

Working alone could sometimes feel boring or weak.  There could also be times when you feel lonely, bearing all the hardships and pressure of your tasks.

Working with a team or with someone can really help us feel motivated with our work.  I’m not saying that you quit your current job just because you don’t have a team.  Instead, if you couldn’t find someone to work with you, or it is impractical or impossible to hire someone to help you with your job, just find someone whom you can keep company at work.  Even if you have different specialties, reach out to them so that you’ll have someone whom you can talk to and express your emotions, ideas, etc. with your work.

It is also fine if you seek help with other people about your job.  Don’t bear the burden all by yourself.  Ask ideas, advice, or tips from other people whom you think have knowledge and expertise on the thing that you do.

Working with a team or with someone feels motivating because you feel like you have a shoulder to lean on.  You wouldn’t feel bored anymore because you can chat with them or you can look forward for a nice lunch break with them.

In leadership, motivation skill is a very important factor.  Just by being a leader, you need tons of motivation in leading your people, company, organization, etc.  There lies a big responsibility in being a leader and there might be a lot of trouble to encounter not only with the external forces but also within the team itself.  The leader needs to deal with each of the members to develop a strong team.

Members need to cooperate with each other for the team to succeed.  Each of them has an important role in achieving the team’s goals; Each has their own specific tasks in the team that needs to be done.  That is why it is important for everyone to be motivated in doing their work.  The leader should at least motivate the team to work harder.  Here are a few things he could do:

• Develop a good relationship among the members.  If your team are like strangers to each other, there might be inconsistencies in their works and they might lose motivation.
• Make sure that each of the members understand and identify with the purpose of the team and their  how they take part in it as well.
• Ensure an effective flow of communication within the team.
• Motivate your team by appreciating their efforts.
• Hear them out.  Do listen to your team’s ideas and feedbacks.

A leader should remember that they are a team.  He might be the leader, but it doesn’t mean he alone operates the team.

To accomplish anything in life you need a driving force. You need something that pushes you along the path that we have chosen. Wishing to have or accomplish something is not going to get you moving, as wishing is a passive behavior that lacks the strength to cause you to act. What you need is a force that causes you to take action. That force is motivation.

Often when you set goals you find yourself highly motivated to accomplish them at the outset. In the beginning you go about doing this or doing that with a high level of energy and ambition. But as you get further along in your journey sometimes you discover that your motivation begins to dwindle away. You find it harder and harder to accomplish even the most mundane tasks. What follows are some daily habits you can utilize to you increase your motivation and maintain it.

First, when discovering a low level of motivation find out if the goal you want to achieve is really what you want and if it’s worth the investment of your time and efforts. Sometimes you think you might want something or to do something only to find out a short time later that it’s not really what you truly want. Also, think about your goal in realistic terms. Is your goal realistic?

Now that you know your goal is something you truly desire and is realistic you can take daily steps to maintain your motivation. The first is to make the goal very clear. This is done by writing your goal, and the steps to accomplish it, down on a piece of paper. When doing this be as specific as you possibly can, detailing every step and task as much as possible.

Not only are you creating a map directing you to your goal, but you are also employing your imagination, seeing yourself accomplish those things you are writing down. This visualization can be a very strong motivator. Updating your map daily will help keep you focused and your motivation alive.

As you go through your day think about your goal as often as possible. Keeping your goal in the forefront of your mind will have an inspiring effect and from this will come the motivation to keep you moving forward even through the most difficult of challenges.

Take time each day to visualize the accomplishment of your goal. See every detail of your goal’s completion and allow yourself to experience the satisfaction and joy of its accomplishment as if you have already accomplished it. Not only will this feed your motivation, but it also sets your thought processes in the direction of accomplishing the goal. Combining this thought process with the map you wrote will certainly put your motivation on a higher level.

Every chance you get, preferably daily, read books and articles regarding the subject matter of your goal. Education and knowledge about your goals not only has practical applications, but will also influence your motivation. Another source of knowledge is to talk to people who have had success in the area of your goal. Not only are these individuals a valuable source of guidance, but they also can provide encouragement which will certainly help sustain your motivation especially in those times that seem difficult.

Provide yourself with daily affirmations. Tell yourself that you have the ability to accomplish your goals no matter what. Even when you accomplish only a small step toward your goal be sure compliment yourself and allow yourself the opportunity to internally experience that success.

In today’s modern world apathy is becoming increasingly prevalent. We are constantly and consistently bombarded with all sorts of bad news, leaving many of us with a feeling of indifference and the thinking, “I can’t make a difference” or “I can’t change anything, I am just one person.” Thoughts like these, and others, are causing more and more people to avoid becoming involved with the world around them and preventing them from pursuing their goals.

Definitively, apathy is a lack of interest or concern. At the deepest level, an apathetic person possesses a lack of emotion and feeling, which causes them to withdraw from life and even from loved ones. Apathy, in most cases is the result of perpetual frustration and a consistent sense of powerlessness over one’s environment and life.

Apathy is about attitude toward the unfortunate events that take place around us daily. Apathy is actually an attitude of defeat, whereas action, which will motivate, is an attitude of success. The good news is that no-one has to live in apathy. The first thing you must do is, change your attitude about how you mentally process any one of the many unfortunate events going on in the world around us or in your life.

My friend recently learned that another company was purchasing the company she was working for. This purchase meant that some employees, to include her, lose their jobs. Of course this kind of news can have a shattering effect upon one’s security. But rather than her becoming apathetic, in the sense of frustration and powerlessness, she was motivated to take action, specifically, to begin looking for another company to work for. What was the end result? She found a better job making more money and for a company with a history of stability. By the way, she was never to have been fired the former company. The point is this: my friend took this unfavorable and threatening event and turned it into an opportunity. She took action and it paid off!

Anyone can turn apathy into motivation. Converting apathy into motivation only requires that you take some type of action in some part of your life or the life of another, whatever that might be. For example, if the starving children in the world cause you frustration and give you a sense of powerlessness you can take action against this to avoid becoming apathetic and use it as a source of motivation. Even if it’s as simple as sending one child a letter of encouragement, you have taken a step that will certainly inspire motivation, not to forget maybe even making a friend.

As you might see, the key element in turning apathy into motivation is the taking of action and the taking of action is a conscious decision, whereas apathy is passive. You must decide between taking action on something that frustrates and makes you feel powerless or just sitting back and complaining about how bad things are. Complaining about how bad things are and not taking action is part of apathy.

If you have a history of apathy the change to becoming motivated may not be easy. But by starting to take action on the little things in your environment and in your life, you will quickly see and feel the motivation rise within you, moving you into accomplishing bigger goals.

Everyone lacks motivation from time to time. Often this lack of motivation is directly related to the way in which you are looking at a task. If you view a task as an inconvenience or as something that really doesn’t interest you, you will have a difficult time getting motivated to accomplish the task. The truth of the matter is that all of us must do some things that are either an inconvenience or something that really doesn’t interest us sometimes. So how do you get motivated to do those things when you feel unmotivated to accomplish them?

First, let us look at what motivation is. The Webster dictionary definition of motivation implies that motivation, although it frequently comes from within, and is also the result of external stimulus. A good example of an external stimulus is the raise you might receive from your employer.

Employees who think they are coming up for a raise are more motivated and will perform better in the weeks prior to the possibility of the raise than any other time during their employment. Employers use raises and other incentives to motivate their employees to reach peak performance and to accomplish whatever tasks they are assigned, whether that task interests the employee or not. But how do you become motivated without an external stimulus?

Inspiration is a self-generated force that motivates you to action. Inspiration comes entirely from within you. It is the result of having the desire and the feeling of excitement about any task you might need to accomplish, whether or not that task is something you really want to do.

Moreover, inspiration becomes a genuine choice you make by the way you view a task. If you have the attitude of “I have to do this because I was told to do it” you will be less inspired to accomplish it than if you were to think, “I want to do it because that’s what I want to do.” The way you think about a task, your attitude toward it, will affect your inspiration, and therefore your motivation.

Inspiration is not just some divine gift bestowed upon certain people from the heavens, as many religious doctrines teach. Inspiration is a gift we all possess, regardless of our religious beliefs; although it has been found that your beliefs do affect your inspiration. But the secret to inspiration is to be found in switching how you think about the task at hand. Again, if you think about the task along the line of something “I have to do” you will be less inspired to accomplish it and will generally just go through the motions to accomplish it, with very little, if any, internal gratification.

An important note to make here is that gratification feeds inspiration. Gratification and inspiration are related. Gratification takes place when you have accomplished a task and get that feeling of satisfaction within yourself.

Gratification is that sense of wellbeing for a job well done that you experience and it will fuel your inspiration for the next task. In addition, gratification can be internal evidence of your inspiration. Another important note about inspiration is that it is compounded with each success.

Desire is another element of inspiration. Desire stresses strength of feeling and a strong intention toward a goal or aim. Much like gratification, desire is fuel to inspiration. In fact, desire nurtures inspiration. And the more desire you create within yourself toward accomplishing your goals the more inspired you will become, not only toward your goals, but your life in general.

Finding inspiration when you need to get motivated is a matter of knowing the difference between inspiration and motivation, as well as their relationship to each other. As mentioned earlier, motivation can come from both inside and outside of us. External motivation comes in a wide variety of forms, from paying the bills to performing well on the job to get that raise. Inspiration, on the other hand, is strictly internal and comes from conscious decisions and attitudes about a task, the environment, and your life.

Inspiration is not concerned with the external stimulus because inspiration is a higher level of functioning and thought processing that is highly dependent on your attitude and desire to be successful.