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Motivation The Key Difference
by: Ian Bruce
There is a very big difference between knowing what we should do to achieve our
goals and actually doing those things. What separates those that do from those
that don’t isn’t talent or education, but simple motivation.
Motivation can be thought of as the engine which gives us the drive we need move
forward in the direction of our dreams, and the good news is that it can be
created deliberately and without any external coaching. Individuals like Anthony
Robbins have carved whole careers out of helping others to motivate themselves,
but you don’t need to attend any weekend seminars or walk on fire to get the
motivation you require. All you need is the willingness to follow five simple
steps…
1. Take responsibility for your own motivation. Motivation is not something that
you can afford to passively wait for. Yes, there will be some days when you wake
up raring to go, but if you only do what you need to do on those particular days
you will never do what needs to be done with enough consistency to make a real
difference. For example, if you want to get in peak physical shape, then working
out every third Friday when you actually feel like it just won’t do the trick.
Instead of waiting for motivation to come to you, the key is to take
responsibility and get yourself in a state of motivation deliberately. The next
four steps explain how.
2. Use your body. The way you use your physiology can have a dramatic impact on
the way you feel. If you take a highly motivated person and make him sit on the
couch doing nothing with his body, his motivation will soon give way to feelings
of lethargy, boredom and apathy. By the same token, if you take a couch potato
and force him to get up and move around for a while, he will soon find himself
wanting to do something useful. We can use this body-mind connection to increase
our feelings of motivation. Simply start using your body as if you already felt
the motivation you desire (for example, stand tall, put a smile on your face,
breathe deeply, etc.) and let your biochemistry do the rest.
3. Use your environment. Human beings tend to be influenced by their environment
more than they realise. This is why a person in a low mood can go to a
high-energy party and return home feeling much better, or why a normally upbeat
person can feel quite miserable after spending a few hours in a bleak and
depressing place. To make your environment more motivational, spend some time
making it as clean, tidy and comfortable as possible. Get a plant or two.
Introduce inspiring images by hanging a couple of well chosen pictures or
posters on the wall, or buying a sculpture you like. You can also get into the
habit of playing music that motivates you – for example, playing dance music may
help you get in the mood to do some weight training, or classical music may
motivate you to do some paperwork or catch up on your reading. None of this is
rocket science, but it can all help to create an environment that motivates you
day after day.
4. Keep your mind topped up. Whatever you focus on consistently will have an
impact on the way you feel. Focus on the rantings of pessimists and you will
eventually feel pessimistic. Focus on inspirational ideas and you will feel
inspired. This being the case, it makes sense to inspire yourself on a regular
basis. Bookmark this web site and others like it. Always have an inspirational
fiction and non-fiction book on hand to dip into (see http://www.rational-living.com
for recommendations). Heck you could even listen to motivational CDs from time
to time.
5. Just do it. The final step to motivate yourself is to dive in and get
started. If you’ve taken responsibility for your own motivation, adjusted your
physiology, worked on your environment and kept your mind topped up with
inspiring ideas, getting started on a task won’t be difficult. And the great
thing is that getting started is the hardest part! As soon as you’re busy at
work, study or out running, your motivation to continue will swell
automatically. Well done, you’re on your way!
About The Author
Ian Bruce is a best-selling author and the founder of
http://www.rational-living.com
- a web site providing free information on how to live a more rational,
productive and rewarding life.
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