The perfect day of your life, how would it look like? How far away do you think you are from this perfect day? What can you do to make this perfect day reality? Let’s find out by doing the following exercice! The right side of your brain has retained the image of that you came here to do on this Earth. Your education and the influence of society have taught you to rely on the left side of your brain, and you have lost contact with the right side. But this contact can be easily restored. Your right side works with images. When you are imagining about your perfect life, the images that pop up come straight from the image archive room in the right side of the brain. These images of the perfect day and what you wish to do, your dreams, are not arbitrary. They are the reflection of your mission, your true task here on Earth. This mission is calling you and encourages you to discover it. Do this revealing exercice on paper : image the perfect day, even as you go about all your daily responsibilities. So it’s not a holiday at the beach! Describe as accurate and detailed as possible what you are doing, how you are doing it, what activities you are involved in, what people surround you, and so on. Let your imagination flow freely and do not limit yourself to the usual restrictions. Remember: this is an exercise of imagination. No need to take reality into account. You are free to fill in the blanks as you wish! Do make sure you are working in the environment of your choice, doing exactly what you like to do. See yourself using your main talents and feeling a deep sense of enthusiasm offering your key talents to other people around you. Visualize how your job gives you total satisfaction. Ask yourself: “If I loved myself, how would I spend my day?” Come up with as many practical details as possible: what time are you getting up, what are you wearing, what are you having for breakfast, do you commute to work or do you work at home, what’s your job exactly, from when to when are you working, where and with whom do you take lunch, etc. Detail the entire perfect day right until the moment you go back to sleep. Write in the present tense, as if you were living the perfect day right now. Do not use negative words like : not, no, without… Important : write down your perfect day, so you can read it over again. Take at least 15 minutes to do this exercice, you are worth it! What have you learned from doing this exercise? Could it be that your mission is already partially accomplished without you noticing it? Since you were able to write down your perfect day, where you use your talents and offer them to others, it must be that you are closer to that reality than you think! This exercise provides you with a clear image of your true mission. Have a look at your notes and make a guess about how close you are to this perfect day. Give it a note from 0 to 10. What can you do right now to get closer to 10/10? What do you need to change in your life to be able to live your perfect day, day after day? What does it need to live as if you loved yourself? What is withholding you? Is it a person, a belief, the circumstances? Don’t forget you create your own life, according to your belief system. If your life doesn’t match your perfect day, make some changes! You are worth it! Do this exercice every 3 to 6 months. Remember you don’t need to undergo circumstances. You are the creator of your life! Write down your perfect day on a regular base and do things to get closer to it. It’s all up to you!
The perfect day of your life, how would it look like? How far away do you think you are from this perfect day? What can you do to make this perfect day reality? Find it out here! Do the exercice and start living your perfect day, day after day.
Senin, 14 Juli 2008
Discover the Secret to Staying Motivated During Your Diet By Trudy Bannister
What can you do about being better motivated to start and maintain your diet? Maybe you're reading this because you're 10, 15, 30 pounds or more overweight? You know if you don't lose the weight you can have some severe health issues and end up an invalid or worse; Dead! But you also know your will power to stick with what really may be a life saving diet is virtually nil o,r for all practical purposes, next to nothing. This article will offer tips on how you can improve your commitment to maintaining your diet and maybe even saving your on life.
You're well aware by now that your lack of motivation is the single most common reason you'll give up on a diet before you've even really started it. And because you don’t see results in a day or two, it’s gotten really difficult to even get started anymore. But you also know it is absolutely vital for you to stick with it for at least a month. And you also know that the first week is the hardest. I'm here to tell you that if you can just stick to your new diet and exercise for at least one week, it's going to become much easier from then on.
Of course, choosing the "right" diet can also make all the difference in the world. Diets that are too restrictive for too long would be difficult ever for the like of Gandhi, so - as Neo was told in the Matrix - choose wisely.
Making a change to a new diet is a big deal. You're literally changing your lifestyle. More than likely, if you were a bad eater before, you are going to have to give up a lot of food you enjoy.
This is the point where youll probably become the most discouraged. However, there is a way to overcome this discouragement. The key is to replace the enjoyment you used to get from food with other more healthy activities. Take the time to ride a bike with your children. Go for a walk with your partner. Enjoy the beauty of a sunset or sunrise. It sounds crazy and really simplistic, but you'll be pleasantly surprised how good these little things can make you feel.
Studies have shown that for a great many overweight people, junk food or excessive eating is an emotional problem rather than a physical problem. Therefore you're may need to consult a professional councilor to root out the problem. But once you know the real reason behind your weight problem, your motivation for getting rid the weight will skyrocket and the weight will start falling off.
To assist with your dieting motivation consider getting your mind off food altogether. When you stop thinking about food you'ill be surprised how your cravings for food will decrease. Keeping busy is the one key to sticking to a diet, and this means taking up hobbies or reaching out to others. Find a passion in your life and the cravings for food may seem like a distant memory.
Results from dieting can often be slow to materialize. But don’t let that ruin your motivation! You can speed up the weight loss process by combining it with exercise, with the result being even faster weight loss. In my own case, I lost 37 pounds in the months of November and December (yikes!), and the majority of that weight didn't come off until the last month. The first 2 weeks I only lost 3 pounds.
Once you do start seeing results, though, your motivation can sky rocket. It's this first indication of your new body to come that literally makes you never want to go back to your old bad habits. The first time you truly get a glimpse of what your body is going to look like in the end, having motivation is rarely a problem.
So, what else can you do to motivate yourself to stick to that diet? Rewards are an excellent idea if you are still craving that chocolate cake or soft drink. It's not necessary for you to eliminate every single food or drink that you enjoy. The process of dieting is about reduction and moderation, not elimination.
Set yourself a goal to stick to your diet for 4 straight days, then on the 5th day you can enjoy some chocolate cake or ice cream (in moderation). When you know you'll be having a treat in a few days or so, rather than making it the forbidden fruit, it'll do amazing things for your motivation.
Dieting motivation is all in the mind; if you have control of your mind then you can also have control of your body! Just put it in your head that you're going to get through those first two weeks, not mater what. And remember, choose your diet wisely. I lost 37 pounds and still had a great Thanskgiving and Christmas feast, but I chose wisely. You can do the same. Don't give up!
You're well aware by now that your lack of motivation is the single most common reason you'll give up on a diet before you've even really started it. And because you don’t see results in a day or two, it’s gotten really difficult to even get started anymore. But you also know it is absolutely vital for you to stick with it for at least a month. And you also know that the first week is the hardest. I'm here to tell you that if you can just stick to your new diet and exercise for at least one week, it's going to become much easier from then on.
Of course, choosing the "right" diet can also make all the difference in the world. Diets that are too restrictive for too long would be difficult ever for the like of Gandhi, so - as Neo was told in the Matrix - choose wisely.
Making a change to a new diet is a big deal. You're literally changing your lifestyle. More than likely, if you were a bad eater before, you are going to have to give up a lot of food you enjoy.
This is the point where youll probably become the most discouraged. However, there is a way to overcome this discouragement. The key is to replace the enjoyment you used to get from food with other more healthy activities. Take the time to ride a bike with your children. Go for a walk with your partner. Enjoy the beauty of a sunset or sunrise. It sounds crazy and really simplistic, but you'll be pleasantly surprised how good these little things can make you feel.
Studies have shown that for a great many overweight people, junk food or excessive eating is an emotional problem rather than a physical problem. Therefore you're may need to consult a professional councilor to root out the problem. But once you know the real reason behind your weight problem, your motivation for getting rid the weight will skyrocket and the weight will start falling off.
To assist with your dieting motivation consider getting your mind off food altogether. When you stop thinking about food you'ill be surprised how your cravings for food will decrease. Keeping busy is the one key to sticking to a diet, and this means taking up hobbies or reaching out to others. Find a passion in your life and the cravings for food may seem like a distant memory.
Results from dieting can often be slow to materialize. But don’t let that ruin your motivation! You can speed up the weight loss process by combining it with exercise, with the result being even faster weight loss. In my own case, I lost 37 pounds in the months of November and December (yikes!), and the majority of that weight didn't come off until the last month. The first 2 weeks I only lost 3 pounds.
Once you do start seeing results, though, your motivation can sky rocket. It's this first indication of your new body to come that literally makes you never want to go back to your old bad habits. The first time you truly get a glimpse of what your body is going to look like in the end, having motivation is rarely a problem.
So, what else can you do to motivate yourself to stick to that diet? Rewards are an excellent idea if you are still craving that chocolate cake or soft drink. It's not necessary for you to eliminate every single food or drink that you enjoy. The process of dieting is about reduction and moderation, not elimination.
Set yourself a goal to stick to your diet for 4 straight days, then on the 5th day you can enjoy some chocolate cake or ice cream (in moderation). When you know you'll be having a treat in a few days or so, rather than making it the forbidden fruit, it'll do amazing things for your motivation.
Dieting motivation is all in the mind; if you have control of your mind then you can also have control of your body! Just put it in your head that you're going to get through those first two weeks, not mater what. And remember, choose your diet wisely. I lost 37 pounds and still had a great Thanskgiving and Christmas feast, but I chose wisely. You can do the same. Don't give up!
7 Simple Steps to a More Self Confident Life By Wil Dieck
Your self confidence affects just about everything in your life. How well you get along with people, your relationships with friends and family, as well as your job opportunities are all directly affected by how confident you feel about yourself. In fact, how confident you feel affects how well you enjoy your life!
People that don’t feel good about themselves, people that lack self confidence, can find the prospect of a job interview terrifying. They experience poor relationships, if they have any real relationships at all. They find themselves in constant fear of losing their jobs because they aren’t able to express themselves in front of their boss of in group situations.
Socially these people also struggle. How can they find someone to go out with when the mere idea of meeting new people petrifies them? Social events and encounters are painful illustrations of their lack of confidence.
Life doesn’t have to be like this. With a change in perspective, a little help and some work, you can have the self confidence you desire. Here are seven simple steps to help you develop more self confidence.
1. Decide to make a Change
Once they’ve decided, nearly everyone finds making a change easier. Every change I’ve ever made, from getting in shape to learning how to be more personable, has been a result of deciding to make that change. All changes are relatively easy once you’ve decided to make them. So if you think you’d like to be more confident, make the decision to be more confident today. That leads us to step number two.
2. Why is it Important to You?
Once you’ve made a decision to change, in this case deciding to become more confident, its time to figure out why it’s important to you. Why specifically do you want more confidence? Is it so that you can speak up in meetings at work? Is it so that you’ll be able to meet someone to go out with? Is it so you’ll be able to learn better at school or play a sport better? Whatever it is you need to understand and define it so that you can motivate yourself with it. This leads to step three.
3. Make it a Goal
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Many people know they need to change and decide to change. They know what result they want out of the change but they don’t make it a goal. They wish their life would change, they think their life should change but they don’t take the steps needed to make the change. When you make a goal you not only decide what you want your outcome to be but you also figure out the steps you will need to do to achieve it.
Now this can’t be merely a mental exercise. In order to make your goal achievable you need to write down your outcome. Once you’ve written down your outcome you need to write down the steps you need to do to achieve it. Writing down your goal and the steps you need to achieve it does two things for you. First it makes your goal a real tangible thing instead of merely a dream. Second, writing down the steps gives you the ability to make corrections as necessary to help you stay on track.
For example your outcome is to be able to speak up more in business meetings. Your outcome might be “I will express my opinion in every business meeting.†The steps you might outline to achieving this goal might be:
1. Prepare for meetings and know what topics are going to be discussed. 2. Talk to someone or find someone to model who speaks well at meetings you attend. (see step 4) 3. Prepare a one-line comment on one of the topics. 4. Practice what you will say in the theater of your mind (see step 5) 5. Express your comment at the meeting.
Now you have a goal that is achievable you might need some help. So that leads us to step 4. 4. Find Someone to Model
From the time we are babies we model other people’s actions and behaviors. Have you ever done something and after noticing what you’ve done said to yourself, “That is exactly what my mother/father would have done?†That is a form of modeling, just at an unconscious level.
A more empowering form of modeling is when you find someone that has the characteristic(s) you want to have and purposefully model it. If you want to be able to speak well in front of groups, find someone who is good at speaking in front of groups and model her behavior. See how she stands, how she holds her head, how she speaks and uses her hands. If you are a man looking for a way to meet women, find a man who is already good at meeting women and model his behavior. What does he say? How does he dress? What are his mannerisms?
Whatever it is, there are lots of models to choose from. They include friends, acquaintances, family members, professional coaches, training videos and just about anyone else on the planet. An important point to remember is that the best model is one you like and you are able to adapt your own personality to.
Once you have someone to model its time for step five.
5. Visualize Your Success
From master pianists to NASCAR drivers, all people who are good at something have one thing in common, they practice. If you want to be good at talking in front of people you have to practice. If you want to be good at conversing in social situations you have to practice. Of course if you go about whatever you want to do without rehearsing it can be quite nerve wracking. In fact if you try something that you are not good at yet and fail completely it is possible your progress might be set back indefinitely.
So how can you prepare for a successful outcome? You can visualize your success in the theater of your mind. Let’s say you want to be able to speak up at business meetings. Find a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably without being disturbed. Now relax. Use some progressive muscle relation or just tell yourself I am relaxed and calm, relaxed and calm, over and over again until you are relaxed and calm.
Now play a movie in your mind of how you would like for the events to transpire. Make the movie as vivid and clear as possible. Use your imagination to see the details, hear the voices and other sounds in the room. Feel how you would sit. Then in your mind address the group as if you already had the confidence you are striving to develop. Notice how you appear, how your heart beats, how you breathe. Make the adjustments necessary to achieve the outcome you desire. If you are having problems seeing yourself accomplishing the task(s) well, focus on the why, the potential benefits you’ll get from achieving your goal. Practice over and over again until you have that image etched firmly in your mind.
Once you’ve practiced with visualization it’s time for step six.
6. Go Do It
You’ve decided to change. You know the reason(s) you want to change. You know your motivation. You have a model and you’ve prepared in the theater of your mind. Now its time to give it a try. If what you want to do is speak in your business meetings at work, give it a try. Even if it’s only a few words or to comment on someone else’s comments, as long as you are doing something that is moving you toward your goal, just do it. If you are looking to meet more people you might start by smiling at people you meet and saying “hiâ€. You will become more confident through the process of stretching yourself. This will move you toward your goals.
Now that you’ve actually done what you set out to accomplish its time for the final seventh step.
7. Decide that Everything is Feedback
When we start new things, from playing a new sport to meeting new people, we are not going to be excellent at it from the very start. Everything takes practice. When you do something you are not good at (yet) you are stretching yourself, you feel uncomfortable and you will make some mistakes.
Developing confidence in whatever it is you want to develop it in will also take practice. And just like learning anything, you will sometimes do things that you may not have preferred to do if you were “perfect†at it. You will make some mistakes.
When that happens remind yourself that mistakes are the way we all learn. A mistake is not failure, it is merely feedback. By calling it feedback you have re-framed or redefined your results.
So from now on instead of thinking of having “failed†when things don’t work out “right†merely observe what happens and call them “resultsâ€. Understand the feedback you have been given by your results and apply it to approaching your task differently the next time. The key is to remember that no matter what results you achieve, when you define them as feedback, they become either actions you want to do again or actions you don’t want to do again. You now are experiencing feedback instead of failure.
Once you start seeing your results as feedback you’ll begin adjusting your actions to match what you want to achieve. This will help you persist until you achieve your desired outcome. If you are committed to this process you will be able to build life long confidence in any area of your life.
So let’s review the seven steps.
1. Decide to change. 2. Decide why it’s Important 3. Understand Your Motivation 4. Find Someone to Model 5. Visualize Success 6. Go Do It 7. Decide that Everything is Feedback
That’s it, seven simple steps that can move you toward confidence in any area of you life. Seven easy steps toward achieving more out of life. So what are you waiting for? Why not start on your life long confidence journey today?
People that don’t feel good about themselves, people that lack self confidence, can find the prospect of a job interview terrifying. They experience poor relationships, if they have any real relationships at all. They find themselves in constant fear of losing their jobs because they aren’t able to express themselves in front of their boss of in group situations.
Socially these people also struggle. How can they find someone to go out with when the mere idea of meeting new people petrifies them? Social events and encounters are painful illustrations of their lack of confidence.
Life doesn’t have to be like this. With a change in perspective, a little help and some work, you can have the self confidence you desire. Here are seven simple steps to help you develop more self confidence.
1. Decide to make a Change
Once they’ve decided, nearly everyone finds making a change easier. Every change I’ve ever made, from getting in shape to learning how to be more personable, has been a result of deciding to make that change. All changes are relatively easy once you’ve decided to make them. So if you think you’d like to be more confident, make the decision to be more confident today. That leads us to step number two.
2. Why is it Important to You?
Once you’ve made a decision to change, in this case deciding to become more confident, its time to figure out why it’s important to you. Why specifically do you want more confidence? Is it so that you can speak up in meetings at work? Is it so that you’ll be able to meet someone to go out with? Is it so you’ll be able to learn better at school or play a sport better? Whatever it is you need to understand and define it so that you can motivate yourself with it. This leads to step three.
3. Make it a Goal
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Many people know they need to change and decide to change. They know what result they want out of the change but they don’t make it a goal. They wish their life would change, they think their life should change but they don’t take the steps needed to make the change. When you make a goal you not only decide what you want your outcome to be but you also figure out the steps you will need to do to achieve it.
Now this can’t be merely a mental exercise. In order to make your goal achievable you need to write down your outcome. Once you’ve written down your outcome you need to write down the steps you need to do to achieve it. Writing down your goal and the steps you need to achieve it does two things for you. First it makes your goal a real tangible thing instead of merely a dream. Second, writing down the steps gives you the ability to make corrections as necessary to help you stay on track.
For example your outcome is to be able to speak up more in business meetings. Your outcome might be “I will express my opinion in every business meeting.†The steps you might outline to achieving this goal might be:
1. Prepare for meetings and know what topics are going to be discussed. 2. Talk to someone or find someone to model who speaks well at meetings you attend. (see step 4) 3. Prepare a one-line comment on one of the topics. 4. Practice what you will say in the theater of your mind (see step 5) 5. Express your comment at the meeting.
Now you have a goal that is achievable you might need some help. So that leads us to step 4. 4. Find Someone to Model
From the time we are babies we model other people’s actions and behaviors. Have you ever done something and after noticing what you’ve done said to yourself, “That is exactly what my mother/father would have done?†That is a form of modeling, just at an unconscious level.
A more empowering form of modeling is when you find someone that has the characteristic(s) you want to have and purposefully model it. If you want to be able to speak well in front of groups, find someone who is good at speaking in front of groups and model her behavior. See how she stands, how she holds her head, how she speaks and uses her hands. If you are a man looking for a way to meet women, find a man who is already good at meeting women and model his behavior. What does he say? How does he dress? What are his mannerisms?
Whatever it is, there are lots of models to choose from. They include friends, acquaintances, family members, professional coaches, training videos and just about anyone else on the planet. An important point to remember is that the best model is one you like and you are able to adapt your own personality to.
Once you have someone to model its time for step five.
5. Visualize Your Success
From master pianists to NASCAR drivers, all people who are good at something have one thing in common, they practice. If you want to be good at talking in front of people you have to practice. If you want to be good at conversing in social situations you have to practice. Of course if you go about whatever you want to do without rehearsing it can be quite nerve wracking. In fact if you try something that you are not good at yet and fail completely it is possible your progress might be set back indefinitely.
So how can you prepare for a successful outcome? You can visualize your success in the theater of your mind. Let’s say you want to be able to speak up at business meetings. Find a place where you can sit or lie down comfortably without being disturbed. Now relax. Use some progressive muscle relation or just tell yourself I am relaxed and calm, relaxed and calm, over and over again until you are relaxed and calm.
Now play a movie in your mind of how you would like for the events to transpire. Make the movie as vivid and clear as possible. Use your imagination to see the details, hear the voices and other sounds in the room. Feel how you would sit. Then in your mind address the group as if you already had the confidence you are striving to develop. Notice how you appear, how your heart beats, how you breathe. Make the adjustments necessary to achieve the outcome you desire. If you are having problems seeing yourself accomplishing the task(s) well, focus on the why, the potential benefits you’ll get from achieving your goal. Practice over and over again until you have that image etched firmly in your mind.
Once you’ve practiced with visualization it’s time for step six.
6. Go Do It
You’ve decided to change. You know the reason(s) you want to change. You know your motivation. You have a model and you’ve prepared in the theater of your mind. Now its time to give it a try. If what you want to do is speak in your business meetings at work, give it a try. Even if it’s only a few words or to comment on someone else’s comments, as long as you are doing something that is moving you toward your goal, just do it. If you are looking to meet more people you might start by smiling at people you meet and saying “hiâ€. You will become more confident through the process of stretching yourself. This will move you toward your goals.
Now that you’ve actually done what you set out to accomplish its time for the final seventh step.
7. Decide that Everything is Feedback
When we start new things, from playing a new sport to meeting new people, we are not going to be excellent at it from the very start. Everything takes practice. When you do something you are not good at (yet) you are stretching yourself, you feel uncomfortable and you will make some mistakes.
Developing confidence in whatever it is you want to develop it in will also take practice. And just like learning anything, you will sometimes do things that you may not have preferred to do if you were “perfect†at it. You will make some mistakes.
When that happens remind yourself that mistakes are the way we all learn. A mistake is not failure, it is merely feedback. By calling it feedback you have re-framed or redefined your results.
So from now on instead of thinking of having “failed†when things don’t work out “right†merely observe what happens and call them “resultsâ€. Understand the feedback you have been given by your results and apply it to approaching your task differently the next time. The key is to remember that no matter what results you achieve, when you define them as feedback, they become either actions you want to do again or actions you don’t want to do again. You now are experiencing feedback instead of failure.
Once you start seeing your results as feedback you’ll begin adjusting your actions to match what you want to achieve. This will help you persist until you achieve your desired outcome. If you are committed to this process you will be able to build life long confidence in any area of your life.
So let’s review the seven steps.
1. Decide to change. 2. Decide why it’s Important 3. Understand Your Motivation 4. Find Someone to Model 5. Visualize Success 6. Go Do It 7. Decide that Everything is Feedback
That’s it, seven simple steps that can move you toward confidence in any area of you life. Seven easy steps toward achieving more out of life. So what are you waiting for? Why not start on your life long confidence journey today?
Utilizing Strategic Motivation in the Workplace By Benedict Smythe
Utilizing Strategic Motivation in the Workplace by Benedict Smythe
A good understanding of motivated behavior is an invaluable tool towards improving productivity in the workplace.
How does this work? Put simply, motivated employees are workers that are more productive. If people are properly motivated, they are likely to be more good-natured about their work and will less likely need constant supervision. The reason for this is because they want to achieve defined goals. These goals serve as their motivating factors.
How to apply motivational strategy
First, understand the basic concept of motivation. This usually operates on the principle of rewarded behavior. Many of these "rewards" are sometimes seemingly so miniscule that they are often overlooked. Things like commensurate pay or "equal pay for equal work," a healthy working environment, and good working relationships can, by themselves, already be good motivation.
If you think about it for a moment, this is a basic means towards ensuring loyalty. Not all workplaces have healthy working environments, and most people usually leave a working environment due to a host of small, unsatisfactory details that together make up what to them is an unbearable working condition.
If you think that these details and factors are so small that they do not warrant too much attention, think again. Seen in the proper light, they involve basic needs - the need for harmonious relationships, for satisfactory pay commensurate with the work that people put their efforts into, and being able to work in an environment that is clean, safe and non-threatening.
Motivation for Driven Growth
When you have those basic factors taken care of, you can now look towards using proper motivation to promote growth and development.
Make it sufficiently clear that a particular type of behavior will be rewarded. Hence, loyalty to a company, extra effort and creative contributions will be rewarded by promotions, recognition, benefits, and salary increases. Furthermore, these kinds of rewards will be doled out in a fair, merit-based and democratic manner.
Affirmative Motivation
You can, of course, motivate by means of threats, pressures or intimidation. And maybe threats might even work, too. But this is a very poor means towards encouraging teamwork and building cooperation, not to mention keeping people working for you. Should people decide that they simply cannot work with you, they will eventually leave.
Affirmative motivation, on the other hand, has exactly the opposite effect. Not only that, but such incentives and opportunities can actually encourage people to contribute to the company's growth - even outside of their normal duties and responsibilities.
If people like their work, are loyal to and appreciate the company or organization that they are working for, they are more likely to want to contribute to its growth. The value of having such motivated employees is priceless.
The Human Aspect
Hence, recognizing the various levels of motivation in a person makes for a healthier working environment all around. This means that you realize that workers and employees are also human, driven by needs, wants, and opportunities.
Recognizing the human aspect in the workplace can open the doorway for the formulation of better office policies. Instead of coercing people to do their work, it would be better to seek to promote motivated behavior. You might find that growth follows quite naturally in its wake.
A good understanding of motivated behavior is an invaluable tool towards improving productivity in the workplace.
How does this work? Put simply, motivated employees are workers that are more productive. If people are properly motivated, they are likely to be more good-natured about their work and will less likely need constant supervision. The reason for this is because they want to achieve defined goals. These goals serve as their motivating factors.
How to apply motivational strategy
First, understand the basic concept of motivation. This usually operates on the principle of rewarded behavior. Many of these "rewards" are sometimes seemingly so miniscule that they are often overlooked. Things like commensurate pay or "equal pay for equal work," a healthy working environment, and good working relationships can, by themselves, already be good motivation.
If you think about it for a moment, this is a basic means towards ensuring loyalty. Not all workplaces have healthy working environments, and most people usually leave a working environment due to a host of small, unsatisfactory details that together make up what to them is an unbearable working condition.
If you think that these details and factors are so small that they do not warrant too much attention, think again. Seen in the proper light, they involve basic needs - the need for harmonious relationships, for satisfactory pay commensurate with the work that people put their efforts into, and being able to work in an environment that is clean, safe and non-threatening.
Motivation for Driven Growth
When you have those basic factors taken care of, you can now look towards using proper motivation to promote growth and development.
Make it sufficiently clear that a particular type of behavior will be rewarded. Hence, loyalty to a company, extra effort and creative contributions will be rewarded by promotions, recognition, benefits, and salary increases. Furthermore, these kinds of rewards will be doled out in a fair, merit-based and democratic manner.
Affirmative Motivation
You can, of course, motivate by means of threats, pressures or intimidation. And maybe threats might even work, too. But this is a very poor means towards encouraging teamwork and building cooperation, not to mention keeping people working for you. Should people decide that they simply cannot work with you, they will eventually leave.
Affirmative motivation, on the other hand, has exactly the opposite effect. Not only that, but such incentives and opportunities can actually encourage people to contribute to the company's growth - even outside of their normal duties and responsibilities.
If people like their work, are loyal to and appreciate the company or organization that they are working for, they are more likely to want to contribute to its growth. The value of having such motivated employees is priceless.
The Human Aspect
Hence, recognizing the various levels of motivation in a person makes for a healthier working environment all around. This means that you realize that workers and employees are also human, driven by needs, wants, and opportunities.
Recognizing the human aspect in the workplace can open the doorway for the formulation of better office policies. Instead of coercing people to do their work, it would be better to seek to promote motivated behavior. You might find that growth follows quite naturally in its wake.
How Can I Controll Stress? By Gary Kenneth Archer
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired? Stress is a major contributor to many maladies that inflict us humans. Day after day we drudge on worrying about every imaginable thing some so trivial that it's just plain stupid.
Humans are the only earthly animal that has such a problem.(as far as we know!) Other animals go about go about their business undaunted of stressful situations. We are seemingly addicted to stress. Stress has literally taken over our lives. It is as if we fuel our bodies on a daily basis with stress. Seems ridiculous doesn't it, but you know exactly what I'm talking about, we thrive on everyday stress. Well if we thrive on it why eliminate it; what's the point? The point is stress is a killer, it's out to get you, throw you to the ground and stomp all over you.
Stress is a killer
Talk to any doctor and they will tell you unequivocally that stress damages the body immeasurably in countless ways. Stress is the silent killer that infiltrates and then does it's damage overtime. Okay you know you are stressful and you don't like it one bit but how in the world can we eliminate something that is so much of our life? You don't eliminate stress you control stress. A certain amount of stress is actually good for you, it produces a sense of urgency, a motivation, a driving force. Stress can be compared to an adrenaline rush in as much they both create a burst of energy a sense of urgency. The trick is to harness stress so it works for you not against you.
What is Stress?
Stress is negative energy (worry), bottled up inside with no where to go. Most stress is self-induced. We are a fast paced society, continually trying to go faster. For example, if a speed limit is set at 55-mph invariably most drivers will push the limit and go at least 10-mph faster. It is our nature to push the limit. We are driven to exceed, succeed, and proceed. Unfortunately stress is a part of our everyday lives so we need to deal with it.
Controlling Stress
People make things more difficult then need be. Life needn't be complicated. Simple is better. Uncomplicate your life. Set a rule of priorities for your day to day life. Make these priorities realistic, simple, uncomplicated. Know your limitations don't over extend abilities.
Here are some things that can help you reduce stress.
1.Start your day earlier then you normally would. Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready for work.2.Eat a sensible breakfast allowing enough time to actually relax and enjoy breakfast.3.Don't watch the doom and gloom news while eating breakfast start the day on a positive note.4.Allow a lot of time to comfortably get to work and if your driving listen to some good music and drive within the speed limit.
5.Limit your caffeine intake to one cup of coffee in the morning and three cups total for the day.6.Avoid refined sugar foods such as doughnuts, processed cereals, pop tarts etc.7.Don't drink any soft drinks for are loaded with sugar.8.Stop with all the competition with co-workers do your job to the best of your ability and good things will happen.9.Be happy for others who succeed in their endeavors.10.Drink plenty of clean unpolluted spring water. Water naturally detoxifies the body.
11.If possible take a short nap. I personally nap half an hour after my half-hour lunch.12.Set realistic goals. Too many people try to accomplish too much too quickly. Most good things worth striving for require a lot of nurturing.13.Stop worrying about things that are out of your control. 90% of everyday concerns are about stuff you can't do a wit to change.14.If a particularly stressful moment or situation occurs take a deep breath (or many) reflect on a pleasant memory and then proceed slowly, deliberately, maintaining control.15.Set time aside everyday for 'family talk' where family members can express their thoughts, problems and communicate one to another. This is a solid 'stress buster'.16.Eat nutrious foods high in vitamins and minerals low in calories. Good food delivers optimum health thus reducing stress.17.Live within your means don't buy things you know you can't afford.18.Only use credit cards for emergencies and plan on paying dept in full each month.19.Don't try to keep up with what others have, (I.e. neighbors, family, and friends.) be happy for them, don't resent what they have. 20.Ground your life in faith, family, and friends. Express your love for the important people in your life openly, let them know how you feel about them without any expectations.21.Laugh often, smile alot.
22.Exercise moderately at least 3 times a week.23.Sleep a sound 8 hours every night this alone will reduce stress dramatically.24.Finally accept the fact that life is unpredictable and we all will be thrown a curve ball now and then that may flatten us for a time. Find solace in your faith and know that things will get better and always think highly of yourself.Stress can be controlled however you must take it seriously and make a plan of action. The silent killer is lurking just below the surface and it wants to destroy you. Are you up for the challenge?
Humans are the only earthly animal that has such a problem.(as far as we know!) Other animals go about go about their business undaunted of stressful situations. We are seemingly addicted to stress. Stress has literally taken over our lives. It is as if we fuel our bodies on a daily basis with stress. Seems ridiculous doesn't it, but you know exactly what I'm talking about, we thrive on everyday stress. Well if we thrive on it why eliminate it; what's the point? The point is stress is a killer, it's out to get you, throw you to the ground and stomp all over you.
Stress is a killer
Talk to any doctor and they will tell you unequivocally that stress damages the body immeasurably in countless ways. Stress is the silent killer that infiltrates and then does it's damage overtime. Okay you know you are stressful and you don't like it one bit but how in the world can we eliminate something that is so much of our life? You don't eliminate stress you control stress. A certain amount of stress is actually good for you, it produces a sense of urgency, a motivation, a driving force. Stress can be compared to an adrenaline rush in as much they both create a burst of energy a sense of urgency. The trick is to harness stress so it works for you not against you.
What is Stress?
Stress is negative energy (worry), bottled up inside with no where to go. Most stress is self-induced. We are a fast paced society, continually trying to go faster. For example, if a speed limit is set at 55-mph invariably most drivers will push the limit and go at least 10-mph faster. It is our nature to push the limit. We are driven to exceed, succeed, and proceed. Unfortunately stress is a part of our everyday lives so we need to deal with it.
Controlling Stress
People make things more difficult then need be. Life needn't be complicated. Simple is better. Uncomplicate your life. Set a rule of priorities for your day to day life. Make these priorities realistic, simple, uncomplicated. Know your limitations don't over extend abilities.
Here are some things that can help you reduce stress.
1.Start your day earlier then you normally would. Allow yourself plenty of time to get ready for work.2.Eat a sensible breakfast allowing enough time to actually relax and enjoy breakfast.3.Don't watch the doom and gloom news while eating breakfast start the day on a positive note.4.Allow a lot of time to comfortably get to work and if your driving listen to some good music and drive within the speed limit.
5.Limit your caffeine intake to one cup of coffee in the morning and three cups total for the day.6.Avoid refined sugar foods such as doughnuts, processed cereals, pop tarts etc.7.Don't drink any soft drinks for are loaded with sugar.8.Stop with all the competition with co-workers do your job to the best of your ability and good things will happen.9.Be happy for others who succeed in their endeavors.10.Drink plenty of clean unpolluted spring water. Water naturally detoxifies the body.
11.If possible take a short nap. I personally nap half an hour after my half-hour lunch.12.Set realistic goals. Too many people try to accomplish too much too quickly. Most good things worth striving for require a lot of nurturing.13.Stop worrying about things that are out of your control. 90% of everyday concerns are about stuff you can't do a wit to change.14.If a particularly stressful moment or situation occurs take a deep breath (or many) reflect on a pleasant memory and then proceed slowly, deliberately, maintaining control.15.Set time aside everyday for 'family talk' where family members can express their thoughts, problems and communicate one to another. This is a solid 'stress buster'.16.Eat nutrious foods high in vitamins and minerals low in calories. Good food delivers optimum health thus reducing stress.17.Live within your means don't buy things you know you can't afford.18.Only use credit cards for emergencies and plan on paying dept in full each month.19.Don't try to keep up with what others have, (I.e. neighbors, family, and friends.) be happy for them, don't resent what they have. 20.Ground your life in faith, family, and friends. Express your love for the important people in your life openly, let them know how you feel about them without any expectations.21.Laugh often, smile alot.
22.Exercise moderately at least 3 times a week.23.Sleep a sound 8 hours every night this alone will reduce stress dramatically.24.Finally accept the fact that life is unpredictable and we all will be thrown a curve ball now and then that may flatten us for a time. Find solace in your faith and know that things will get better and always think highly of yourself.Stress can be controlled however you must take it seriously and make a plan of action. The silent killer is lurking just below the surface and it wants to destroy you. Are you up for the challenge?
Motivation By Claudia Miclaus
Enlarge ImageHave you ever wondered about the wheel that drives our life, our actions? What is it "made of"? Due to our personal reasons, we chose to do or not do certain things. Human actions are determined by internal and external causes and motivation is the one that represents the internal cause that leads to our behavior. Thus, motivation represents the psychical structure that orientates, sets off and energetically sustains our behavior. Motivation is a structural ensemble of our motives. However, not every cause is a motive! It is very hard to distinguish between motives, yet here is a list of the basic things that determine most of our actions and we face those most often: hunger and thirst, fear and entering the defensive mode, frustration, stress, conflicts, attachment, erotic motivation, self-accomplishment motivation and so on. Let’s see a brief explanation on each of these motives as shown below: Fear When it comes to fear, we have two kinds of fear: temporary and permanent. Temporary fear appears in certain situations and is normal and present in every person’s life. Permanent fear turns into a state of perpetual insecurity (anxiety), which can develop into a pathological state, neurotic fear. It can turn into inhibition (decrease in intellectual capability, even if attention and vigilance grow). Stress Stress can be caused by deadlines or tasks that we very well know we can not accomplish in due time. If not avoided as much as possible, putting ourselves in stressful situations can have devastating effects. Frustration Frustration is linked to the psychical state of one that has been deprived of a legit satisfaction or has been misled and been disappointed. The consequences are the rising on inner tension and a series of specific reactions. Generally, it is produced by the existence of certain obstacles, barriers. Individuals may have very different reactions depending on the existent barriers: eliminating the barrier, avoiding the barrier or searching for some compensation. Conflicts Conflicts appear when two tendencies of the same intensity are born simultaneously but become incompatible motivations that cannot be accomplished at the same time. Attachment Attachment is the ensemble of bonds between individuals. Erotic motivation Erotic motivation has biological as well as social bases. Man’s erotic conduit is very much influenced by society, by the conception existent about the role and interests of men and women. Erotic motivation is tightly glued to the feeling of love, a very complex feeling in our modern society. Self accomplishment Self accomplishment motivation manifests itself when an individual knows that his actions will be appreciated through a performance standard. It is an energizing factor, stimulated by the presence of other persons. This means permanently comparing yourself to others and sometimes desiring to dominate. This depends on the level of motivation, as well as the probability of success. Success Success depends a great deal on the motivation of an individual! Rewards motivate, praises motivate! We need to be appreciated in order to do a certain activity. Satisfaction appears only when we are content with the activity that we are conducting. A non-motivated individual is a walking disaster. Most of us sleep our life away and it’s not always our fault. If there is nothing surrounding us that can motivate us then we have no interest whatsoever in taking up a certain activity. Let’s face it: we work so we can be appreciated for who we are and also for sustaining our physical existence. If the rewards fail to come, we are not motivated and consequently, we give up. Our mistake is that we often quit too soon out of fear of embarrassment, or laziness or well, there can be a million of other reasons! It’s a tragedy to be one of the persons that are not motivated by anything. A fact that we know for certain-as all the cemeteries show- is that we’ve only got one chance to live here on Earth. Of course being born just to die, offers no motivation whatsoever if you look at it in perspective. I believe in life after death and that motivates me but this is another subject to seriously consider. So, coming back on Earth, why not make the most of our human existence? Let’s be the ones that reward ourselves and in the process, guide and motivate other people so they can find their motivation and live a fruitful life. They say ‘Winners never quit and quitters never win’ and throughout time, this saying has proved itself to be relevant in all situations. We were not meant to be quitters, but winners! We most certainly should start acting like it!
How To Motivate Yourself By Jhon Wesley
How To Motivate Yourself - Self MotivationJuly 19th, 2007 by John Wesley
Staying motivated is a struggle — our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.
There is no simple solution for a lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure. The key is understanding your thoughts and how they drive your emotions. By learning how to nurture motivating thoughts, neutralize negative ones, and focus on the task at hand, you can pull yourself out of a slump before it gains momentum.
Reasons We Lose Motivation
There are 3 primary reasons we lose motivation.
Lack of confidence - If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying?
Lack of focus - If you don’t know what you want, do you really want anything?
Lack of direction - If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it?
How to Boost Confidence
The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When you only think about what you want, your mind creates explanations for why you aren’t getting it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominate your mind. You become jealous of your competitors and start making excuses for why you can’t succeed. In this state, you tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence.
The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in your life. Make a mental list of your strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, you’ll realize how competent and successful you already are. This will rejuvenate your confidence and get you motivated to build on your current success.
It might sound strange that repeating things you already know can improve your mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively you think, the more examples your mind will discover to confirm that belief. When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to yourself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest of the world.
Developing Tangible Focus
The second motivation killer is a lack of focus. How often do you focus on what you don’t want, rather than on a concrete goal? We normally think in terms of fear. I’m afraid of being poor. I’m afraid no one will respect me. I’m afraid of being alone. The problem with this type of thinking is that fear alone isn’t actionable. Instead of doing something about our fear, it feeds on itself and drains our motivation.
If you’re caught up in fear based thinking, the first step is focusing that energy on a well defined goal. By defining a goal, you automatically define a set of actions. If you have a fear of poverty, create a plan to increase your income. It could be going back to school, obtaining a higher paying job, or developing a profitable website. The key is moving from an intangible desire to concrete, measurable steps.
By focusing your mind on a positive goal instead of an ambiguous fear, you put your brain to work. It instantly begins devising a plan for success. Instead of worrying about the future you start to do something about it. This is the first step in motivating yourself to take action. When know what you want, you become motivated to take action.
Developing Direction
The final piece in the motivational puzzle is direction. If focus means having an ultimate goal, direction is having a day-to-day strategy to achieve it. A lack of direction kills motivation because without an obvious next action we succumb to procrastination. An example of this is a person who wants to have a popular blog, but who spends more time reading posts about blogging than actually writing articles.
The key to finding direction is identifying the activities that lead to success. For every goal, there are activities that pay off and those that don’t. Make a list of all your activities and arrange them based on results. Then make a make an action plan that focuses on the activities that lead to big returns. To continue the example from above, a blogger’s list would look something like this:
Write content
Research relevant topics
Network with other bloggers
Optimize design and ad placements
Answer comments and email
Read other blogs
Keeping track of your most important tasks will direct your energy towards success. Without a constant reminder, it’s easy to waste entire days on filler activities like reading RSS feeds, email, and random web surfing.
When my motivation starts to wane, I regain direction by creating a plan that contains two positive actions. The first one should be a small task you’ve been meaning to do, while the second should be a long-term goal. I immediately do the smaller task. This creates positive momentum. After that I take the first step towards achieving the long-term goal. Doing this periodically is great for getting out of a slump, creating positive reinforcement, and getting long-term plans moving.
It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter periods of low energy, bad luck, and even the occasional failure. If you don’t discipline your mind, these minor speed bumps can turn into mental monsters. By being on guard against the top 3 motivation killers you can preserve your motivation and propel yourself to success.
Staying motivated is a struggle — our drive is constantly assaulted by negative thoughts and anxiety about the future. Everyone faces doubt and depression. What separates the highly successful is the ability to keep moving forward.
There is no simple solution for a lack of motivation. Even after beating it, the problem reappears at the first sign of failure. The key is understanding your thoughts and how they drive your emotions. By learning how to nurture motivating thoughts, neutralize negative ones, and focus on the task at hand, you can pull yourself out of a slump before it gains momentum.
Reasons We Lose Motivation
There are 3 primary reasons we lose motivation.
Lack of confidence - If you don’t believe you can succeed, what’s the point in trying?
Lack of focus - If you don’t know what you want, do you really want anything?
Lack of direction - If you don’t know what to do, how can you be motivated to do it?
How to Boost Confidence
The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When you only think about what you want, your mind creates explanations for why you aren’t getting it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominate your mind. You become jealous of your competitors and start making excuses for why you can’t succeed. In this state, you tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence.
The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in your life. Make a mental list of your strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, you’ll realize how competent and successful you already are. This will rejuvenate your confidence and get you motivated to build on your current success.
It might sound strange that repeating things you already know can improve your mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively you think, the more examples your mind will discover to confirm that belief. When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to yourself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest of the world.
Developing Tangible Focus
The second motivation killer is a lack of focus. How often do you focus on what you don’t want, rather than on a concrete goal? We normally think in terms of fear. I’m afraid of being poor. I’m afraid no one will respect me. I’m afraid of being alone. The problem with this type of thinking is that fear alone isn’t actionable. Instead of doing something about our fear, it feeds on itself and drains our motivation.
If you’re caught up in fear based thinking, the first step is focusing that energy on a well defined goal. By defining a goal, you automatically define a set of actions. If you have a fear of poverty, create a plan to increase your income. It could be going back to school, obtaining a higher paying job, or developing a profitable website. The key is moving from an intangible desire to concrete, measurable steps.
By focusing your mind on a positive goal instead of an ambiguous fear, you put your brain to work. It instantly begins devising a plan for success. Instead of worrying about the future you start to do something about it. This is the first step in motivating yourself to take action. When know what you want, you become motivated to take action.
Developing Direction
The final piece in the motivational puzzle is direction. If focus means having an ultimate goal, direction is having a day-to-day strategy to achieve it. A lack of direction kills motivation because without an obvious next action we succumb to procrastination. An example of this is a person who wants to have a popular blog, but who spends more time reading posts about blogging than actually writing articles.
The key to finding direction is identifying the activities that lead to success. For every goal, there are activities that pay off and those that don’t. Make a list of all your activities and arrange them based on results. Then make a make an action plan that focuses on the activities that lead to big returns. To continue the example from above, a blogger’s list would look something like this:
Write content
Research relevant topics
Network with other bloggers
Optimize design and ad placements
Answer comments and email
Read other blogs
Keeping track of your most important tasks will direct your energy towards success. Without a constant reminder, it’s easy to waste entire days on filler activities like reading RSS feeds, email, and random web surfing.
When my motivation starts to wane, I regain direction by creating a plan that contains two positive actions. The first one should be a small task you’ve been meaning to do, while the second should be a long-term goal. I immediately do the smaller task. This creates positive momentum. After that I take the first step towards achieving the long-term goal. Doing this periodically is great for getting out of a slump, creating positive reinforcement, and getting long-term plans moving.
It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter periods of low energy, bad luck, and even the occasional failure. If you don’t discipline your mind, these minor speed bumps can turn into mental monsters. By being on guard against the top 3 motivation killers you can preserve your motivation and propel yourself to success.
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