Motivated: How To Get and Stay There. PART ONE.
We all have things that we wish to do or accomplish, but we lack or THINK we lack the discipline or motivation to get there. You may aspire to run your own business, pursue a healthier lifestyle, or have better relationships. Maybe you wish to write and publish your own novel, take up running, or travel some place on your bucket list. I'm sure we've all heard someone (maybe even yourself) say something along the lines of, 'I wish I could loose 10 pounds, find a new job, start knitting sweaters for cats.... but I don't have the discipline/self control/motivaton. Boo-Hoo. Whoa-is-me.'
I am here to tell you that we all possess discipline, self control, and motivation. It is inside of every single one of us somewhere. But it's our choice whether or not we use it. If you want something bad enough you WILL make it happen. If you don't want it bad enough....well. It won't.
Motivation has two mortal enemies.
Doubt. And excuses.
In part one of this blog we're going to break down doubt and excuses and expose the truth and lies behind them both.
DOUBT.
Doubt has a way of getting in our heads and tainting what would've been perfectly good thoughts and actions. Doubt can alter the energy of your work and interactions. Doubt can be seen, felt, and heard if it is present. And doubt will certainly devour motivation if allowed to take over.
Doubt and lack of confidence are fraternal twins. Often times, when we doubt ourselves it is a result of low self esteem and poor confidence. Posture and body language are indicators of ones level of confidence. If you could use a boost; try making a conscious effort to sit and stand up straight. A small adjustment like this can lead to big changes in how you operate.
Try making habits of writing down the things you like about yourself, or give yourself a pat on the back when you've accomplished a goal. If you catch yourself thinking something negative redirect those thoughts to something positive. Hang around people who make you feel good and encourage you to try new things. Stay away from energy vampires.
If you want something you have to first believe you can have it. If you allow yourself to doubt this certain thing is attainable, the chances of you getting it will decreases immensely. Think positive!
EXCUSES.
Now to excuses.... Excuses are pounds of lies with just a sprinkle of truth on top to make it seem more ok. Excuses are the lead cause of procrastination, and the justification of lazy and morose behavior. I'm sure you've heard some of these before...
"I'll strive for my goals one day but I've had a bad week, so now I'm going to do nothing to better myself and wallow in self pity. I deserve 12 months of unproductive self loathing because blah...blah...blah...."
"This person made me upset earlier. I don't care if I am training for a marathon, I'm going to eat this entire pizza and down a couple forties because I have the sads. I'll make up for it tomorrow."
"It's Friday."
"It's Saturday."
"It's Sunday."
"It's Monday."
"Tuesday's I like to lay on the couch and shove pie in my face because I'm still devastated about Monday."
"It's Wednesday."
"It's Thursday."
"I'll start Monday."
Excuses are good for nothing except causing us to plateau. In order to defeat the excuse, we must first admit to ourselves that we are making them. Write down your excuses and expose them for what they are. LIES. Find out what you can do to help benefit yourself instead of making the excuse. Yes. maybe you did have a rough week and feeling all sorry for yourself and drowning the pain with a couple sixers of Zimas with Jolly ranchers seems easy and warranted. Think again. What could you do to help yourself here instead? How can your filter your emotions into something productive?
Recognize the excuse. Kill the excuse. Cultivate the better person within.
Ok.
Now that we've touched on a couple of the motivation killers, let's take some time to recognize where we can clean some things up in our lives to make room for success. What are your goals? What is the first step to achieving this goal? Is doubt or an excuse in the way of you taking this first step?
Thanks for reading this weeks post. Part Two will dig deeper into helping you get and stay motivated. I look forward to your questions and comments in the section below.
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Gem Steady adj. 1. The art of vibing out to the max. Being so incredibly awesome it almost hurts. Focusing on the good and trying your best all da tiz-ime. Spreading that positive energy everywhere you go. Word.
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