Inspiring Ways to Maintain Your Motivation

When it comes to getting things accomplished, motivation can be hard to come by. Yet, motivation is exactly what is needed. A small amount of motivation is required to do small, simple things.

Bigger tasks require more motivation to complete.

But how do you manufacture motivation when you have none?

Learn to motivate yourself and you’ll accomplish more:

Use Pain. If you fail to complete a particular task, what damage will be done? It might just be the inconvenience of having even more to do the following day. Or it could be the prospect of someone dropping by and seeing how filthy your home is....

Come up with several good reasons why failing to take action would be painful to you.

Use Pleasure. Remind yourself of all the benefits you’ll receive. Make a long list that will help to keep the fire burning inside to successfully deal with those unpleasant or boring tasks.

Visualize the future you expect to enjoy from getting your tasks completed. Rehearse your successes in your mind. Create an image that motivates you take the next step enthusiastically.

Set Short-term Goals. It’s hard to stay motivated for more than 8-10 weeks. So, if you have a goal that will require a year to accomplish, you’ll run out of gas before you’re successful. 

Break goals that take an extended amount of time into smaller goals that can be accomplished within two months.

Make the task more Enjoyable. Raking the leaves might sound like a dreadful way to spend the afternoon, but what if you listened to your favorite album on your iPod while you raked? 

Ask yourself, “How can I make this task as enjoyable as possible?” and then listen to the answers you receive.

Give yourself a Reward. You wouldn’t go to work each day if you didn’t get paid. The reward you receive is enough to keep you going back each day. Apply the same idea to keep your motivation high enough to get things done. Think of a few things you truly enjoy and use them as motivation.

Just feeling proud and pleased with your progress can be a form of reward. Those that struggle with motivation are often hard on themselves. Be happy with your progress and you can expect to enjoy more progress in the future.

Take a Deep Breath. Few things will drain your motivation faster than an over-stimulated mind. Stay clear on what you’re trying to accomplish and focus on the most direct path to get there. Deal with one task before moving on to another. 

Keep your brain focused on your current task. Meditation is an effective tool for learning to focus more effectively.

Include another Person. Going to gym or yoga practice each day can be challenging. But if you know your workout partner is waiting for you, it’s more difficult to stay home. The presence of others can increase your level of commitment. Reach out to a friend , family member.

Without motivation, willpower is the only solution. Willpower is much more difficult to sustain than motivation. Learning to control your motivation is part of learning to control yourself. There’s little that can’t be accomplished once you learn how manipulate your level of motivation. Even the most challenging tasks become manageable.

The Reason Why Your Life Is Harder Than It Has To Be- Busyness!!

“I’m busy!”

How often is that your excuse?

Here’s the thing: Busyness is NOT a badge of honor. There’s no honor at all in endless busyness.

Busyness is just an illness that makes everything harder than it has to be.

Busy for the Sake of Busy

If we’re not below the poverty line, juggling three jobs at once just to put food on the table, then our busyness is self-inflicted 98% of the time (the exception being that 2% of the time that a random series of incredibly difficult life events blindsides us).

I finally got a handle on my busyness when I studied it long enough to realize that, yes… my busyness was within my control. In fact, most of the time I actually created hurry and worry where none really existed. On any normal weekday, you would have found me running around begging family, business associates, and basically everyone nearby to move faster…

“If you don’t finish eating, we’re going to be late!”

“If we don’t get this task done in the next hour… we’re never going to hit our target!”

The funny thing is, whether I provoked everyone around me to move faster or not, we always collectively moved at about the same pace anyway. But when I provoked them, everyone (including myself) was unhappier.

It became crystal clear to me that nearly all of my busyness was an overreaction in my head. I was manufacturing it in hopes that it would create urgency in others, and somehow make my life easier. Instead, it did the exact opposite – my busyness only created anxiety, bitterness and complexity. And even on days when the busyness was real (lots of things to do), it was typically due to an overbooked schedule I had personally created.

All of this got me thinking:

Why in the world am I voluntarily making my life harder, busier and unhappier than it has to be?

The Reason and Answer for Needless Busyness (and Misery)

Sadly, a big part of the reason we fill our lives with needless busyness has to do with the always-plugged-in, always-connected, always-sharing, always-comparing society we live in.

We default to defining ourselves based on where we are and what we have in relation to everyone else.

If we don’t have a “better” career, house, car, or pair of shoes, we feel inferior. And the only way we can possibly do better, is to be busier doing… whatever! After all, we are what we do, right? Job title, employer… Aren’t these typically the first things we share with strangers we meet at parties?

In the process, we not only miss out on the serenity and beauty that exists within ourselves, but we also miss out on experiencing that same serenity and beauty in the world around us, because our busyness has buried it with “hurry” and “worry,” and the endless need to be somewhere else, doing something else, as fast as feasibly possible.

Ready for a positive change in your life?

Join me, and let’s wake-up every morning from here on out and mindfully let our needless busyness and stress GO!

Let’s start making every moment less busy and more beneficial.

Let’s start keeping our lives ordered and our schedules under-booked.

Let’s start creating a foundation with a soft place to land, a wide margin for error, and room to think and breathe.

Let’s start changing the way we think about our lives and the things we think we "should" be doing 24/7, so we can actually live better lives... lives filled with more presence, joy, and peace. After all, you are what you think! And you can’t change anything if you can’t change your thinking.

And the good news is, YOU CAN change the way you think.

You can change the way you think, and gradually master a new way to be.....

Get your Life Back Under Control !!

With so many moving parts, it’s easy for life to get out of control. This imbalance is caused by putting undue focus on certain priorities to an extent that pushes out your other priorities. A life that’s under control is also well-balanced.

Regain your balance and get back at the helm of a life you desire with these strategies:

1. Possessions. It’s easy to get your life out of balance if you’ve been overly focused on possessions. You’re more likely to incur debt. You also might be feeling empty inside. The rush of owning a Ferrari eventually wear off. Avoid chasing possessions as a source of happiness.

By the same token, if you don’t have the possessions you require, life is also unbalanced. 

Reliable transportation, suitable clothing, and a phone are a few possessions that are worth having.

Avoid letting possessions control your life, but ensure that you have what you need.

2. Your appearance and health. Focusing on your health is a worthwhile use of your attention. But too many people are overly concerned with their appearance. Everyone that lives long enough eventually looks old. What will you do then?

You still have the option of feeling good about yourself, even if you’re not as attractive by the stereotypical standards as some people are. Everyone has their own unique beauty.

Paying attention to your health and accepting your appearance will put this aspect of your life into balance.

3. Finances. Many people tie their self-image to their income. This isn’t a healthy or well-balanced approach. Money and happiness also don’t correlate above an income of $75k. Avoid basing your self-esteem on how much money you make.

Having too little money can also throw your life out of balance. If you don’t have enough money to reliably pay your bills and feed your family, there’s going to be stress. Focus on generating the income you need, but avoid giving money more attention than it deserves.

4. Relationships. Relationships are important, but they’re not the only thing in life. Putting all your emphasis on a relationship can limit other aspects of your life. 

Relationships can be a significant source of both pleasure and stress. If your life is feeling out of control, examine your relationships and determine if changes are warranted.

5. Career. This tends to affect men more than women. Men seem to define themselves by their careers. How many times have you been asked, “What do you do?” And we’d love to say we’re a cardiothoracic surgeon instead of a plumber. But why does it matter?

Give work enough priority that you’re able to be successful in your chosen field, and remember that you’re more than your job title.

6. Reputation. Once we start school, we’re obsessed with the opinions of others. Carrying this attitude into adulthood can create challenges.

Let go of the need to be admired by everyone. If your friends and family admire you, you’re doing better than most.

It’s all about balance. Try to find the middle path. Find balance in your work, relationships, and possessions. Get your life back under control by seeking balance.