Personal Development & Success - "Creating the Motivation You Need" by Jeffrey Miller

Have you ever heard someone say something like, "I haven't felt motivated lately," or, "I'll do it as soon as I feel motivated enough?" I know that I have and, truth be known, am guilty of using these and similar phrases myself. You see, I, like many others, used to believe that action only happens through motivation. That, I must wait around for the so-called "feeling to move me" before I will get anything accomplished.

Well, I was wrong. And I believe that I was wrong for two reasons. First is that I was unable to see the 'big picture' - the reason that the 'thing' had to be done in the first place and how that 'thing' relates to other things that I wanted to accomplish, do, enjoy, etc.

And secondly because, quite frankly, I just didn't know how I operated. Oh sure, I liked to believe that I was in control of myself, but why then was I not able to motivate myself if I did indeed have so much control?

Motivation is really like creativity, or any other drive or impulse. We can wait around for it to magically appear, which it often does and often at the most inopportune times (remember all the really great ideas you've had while driving down the road without a notebook or tape recorder to capture it? Or how about the times we're motivated to do something cool that our friends or family would really like but everyone else's schedule doesn't fit our 'moment of brilliance.' Remember?

No, the secret with motivation is to realize that it cannot be relied on to create action. It does, but in no predictable, usable way. Without the unpredictable variable such as luck, coincidence and the like, to rely on an emotional impulse such as motivation to drive us forward is like waiting for food to appear in your cupboards without going to the store to buy it.

How then do we create motivation? The answer, ironically, is in the question itself. How do we create . . .?

To create anything, we take action - we have to 'do' something. And actions themselves come in three forms - as thoughts - as speech - and, of course, as physical deeds. It is here that we find the necessary ingredients for 'creating' the motivation we need.

How? Let's take a look at the grocery scenario and ask another question: "What motivates us to go shopping for groceries in the first place?

Most people would answer, "I don't have any food in the house." But, a Ninja looking at the bigger picture would ask another question focused on the "why." Why don't I have groceries in the house? Because I or someone else ate them. Actions preceding the need for motivation is precisly what 'causes' the motivation to occur. Once we understand this little secret, we are then free to use the same formula to do it again and again.

Groceries are one thing, you say but, what about my goals. After all, groceries are a necessity, my goals are just dreams, wants, and wishes.

Here-in lies the answer to my first problem. Remember?

Right. The inability to 'see' (a mental action) how my goal was a necessary part of living the life I wanted to live. Because, once I was able to see how vital it was that I attain my goal - how I could not accomplish other things I wanted to do, I was then endowed with all the motivation I could handle to do what needed to be done.

So, it is true that motivation leads to action, but only, and I mean only, after it is caused into being by a previous action. There must be something in place, a thought or dream, a promise (verbal action), or something that must be handled (like an assailant's attack) that requires action NOW, before motivation will be the compelling drive for us to move.

Can you imagine using the same excuse for not achieving the goal you want when confronted by an attacker? I really don't think that "I'm not motivated to do anything right now," is going to make him or her go away - do you?

19 Rules to Live By. Follow Them and You Will Succeed by Lana Kravtsova

1.You fail only if you quit. There is a great quote "Failure is not fatal, success is not final, it is the courage to continue that counts." There is another great quote "It is not that I am smarter I just stay with the problem longer." Failure is just a step closer to your dream. As long as you get up and keep moving, you will succeed, there is no way around it.

2.Do something every day to get out of your comfort zone. This is the only way to grow and learn. Fear is your biggest enemy on the way to your dreams. The more you go out of your comfort zone the less you fear. You cannot succeed if you always stay in your comfort zone. Make it a point to do something every day, even if it is something small, to get out of your comfort zone.

3. Know exactly what you want.Make a vision out of it. Write it down.

4.Focus on what you want, ignore what you don't want. What you focus on multiplies and grows in your life.

5.Live in the present moment, take things one day at a time. Especially when times get tough, don't think of the future, don't think of anything else but the present moment. You can get through anything one moment at a time. Know your long term vision and then take each day one at a time.

6.Keep moving, don't stand still.Always strive for taking action. The longer you stand still the harder it is going to be to start moving again. Do whatever it takes to take action toward your dreams. Even if it is something small, small steps add up into massive success over time.

7.Always find something to be grateful for. Think about what you are grateful for every day. If you can't find anything, think about the children starving in Africa, I bet you will find something after that.

8.Take full responsibility for everything you have in your life. Only when you take full responsibility for what you have, do you give yourself power to change your life for the better. You can't change anything while in the victim mode.

9.When something good is over, don't cry, smile and be grateful that it was. You will attract something even better this way.

10.Don't procrastinate because you think you need more preparation time. You will never know it all. Take action and learn on the way.

11.Don't worry about making money, think about bringing value. Money will follow.

12.Find your passions. You can't bring value if you are not passionate about what you do.

13.Commit to continuous learning, you will never know it all.

14.Don't resist things you don't like in your life. What you resist persists. Instead of focusing on what you don't want, focus on what you want.

15.No one is ever misbehaving. Stop trying to control others and get upset if they don't do what you expected them to do. Just assume that no one is ever misbehaving, no one is ever trying to upset you on purpose. Life gets much easier when you assume that.

16.Even when someone does upset you on purpose they most likely do it out of fear. Forgive quickly.

17.Be kind to people. Most importantly be kind to yourself. Don't beat yourself up for your mistakes. Just say "Next time I'll do it differently". Again it is all about your focus. Focus on what you did wrong and you will do it again. Focus on how you can do it better, and you will do it better.

18.Expect only the best and you will get the best. Believe you deserve a wonderful life. You will never get more than you are open to receive.

19.Don't get comfortable. Be happy and grateful, but never comfortable. As soon as you are comfortable you stop growing. Life is about continuous progress, be happy with what you have but always strive for more.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

Let's take a popular resolution-to lose weight. This is how your thoughts might go..."I am so fat! I have to lose weight! I have no discipline!" Stop. This kind of thinking will not help you change and it may set you up to fail. Your brain hears negative thoughts, and negative actions follow.

Start sending different messages to your brain and you will get different results. Here are some examples: When you say to yourself, "I am fat," tell yourself instead, "I am going to have a healthy body." When you hear yourself say, "I have no discipline," change it to, "I am capable of doing this." Change "I do not have any time to exercise," to "I have plenty of time to exercise. When you try to justify eating something unhealthy, stop, and say, "My body deserves healthy food." Instead of saying, "I hate exercise," say, "My body loves movement."

It does not matter if you believe what you are saying right away. You are changing self-destructive talk that has been going on for a long time. This is the talk that got you to an unhealthy place. Don't worry about how you will change your behavior. Once you start changing your thoughts, your brain will work on making these things come true. You say, "My body wants healthy food," and you will find yourself looking at totally different menu items. You say, "My body loves movement," and a few days later you get the idea of walking in the morning with a friend.

You are not lazy or undisciplined. You have just gotten in the habit of thinking in a certain way. Change your thoughts and enjoy the feelings of success that will follow. Make this fun. Make it a game. Give it a try. Observe yourself and see how often you find yourself speaking in a negative way. You may be surprised at how hard you are on yourself. After practicing this for a time, you will come up with many more positive things you can say to yourself. And positive thoughts will lead to positive changes.

You can change your actions by first changing your thoughts. It takes time, but it is worth it. Try it! This could be the best year you've ever had!

Ten strategies to Successfully transform your body by Mark Lindsay

1.Honestly "see yourself"!

Since we 'see ourselves' every day, we often do not notice if we are 'slipping'. If we are not careful, before long, the image we have of ourselves in our minds will not be in sync with reality. What I suggest you do is have someone take a photo of you in a pair of shorts or swimwear. You may find this embarrassing, but trust me, it is worth it. Now take other photos every month, and put them side by side in your bedroom, on your refrigerator door… someplace where you will see them frequently. This is help you honestly see yourself.

When you look at your photos, ask yourself if you are really satisfied with what you see and feel. How do you feel inside? How do you really feel about yourself? Are you confident, energetic, and proud? Or do you now honestly feel ever more insprited to follow through on your decision to change? What are the pros and cons of continuing on in the same direction you are going? Would you like to feel better about yourself and know you are creating a brighter future? Remember, right now you are the youngest you will ever be, and time waits for no one!

2.Set specific Goals!

You might be thinking: "I have heard about this goal setting mumbo jumbo before. It can't possibly work. If it were so easy, everyone would do it." Well listen, I really do not know what you might have heard before. But I do know this is powerful stuff. And if you find those echoes of skepticism creeping in and starting to chop away at these ideas already, you might want to take a minute and ask yourself where that is coming from. Change is about being open. It is about releasing old ideas to make room for new ones. It is about creating a better future for yourself. It is not about closing your mind. And it is certainly not about being cynical and negative. Setting goals is vitally important to your success. However, I have discovered many people are not clear about what goals are - they do not know the difference between goals and dreams. It is important to clarify this - dreams are things you hope for - things you enjoy thinking about but really do not know when or if they will happen. Goals, on the other hand, are specfic things you have decided you need to accomplish within a clearly defined period of time. For example, the statement 'Someday I am going to get in shape…" is a dream. However, if you declare that, "Within 12 weeks, I will lose 20 pounds of fat and gain 10 pound of muscle," you are setting a goal.

This is interesting: when you accomplish your goals, you are reqarded with a tremendous boost of positive energy, which allows you to set and achieve ever grander goals! So, once you get this process started by achieving your first goal, you will feel it, and you will allo f the suddent start to create many exciting dreams for your life. That creates optimism and hope, which both feel pretty darn good to me! When I am optimistic, I can't help but focus on the future. It is just so exciting, I can't wait to get there!

The bad news is, when you don't set and achieve specific goals, you can't create greater dreams, and when you stop dreaming, you don't have anything to look forward to, so you don't look forward, you look down or back… you lose hope.

Here is a tip on how to set goals: find an example - someone who has achieved what you want to accomplish with your body and/or life - and set your goals based on that. Find someone who was in your present condition, or thereabouts, and take a long look at what he or she was able to achieve. The fact that they have done it is proof you can too.

A simple, yet very powerful practice is to be sure that you write down your goals. It works! Here's proof: back in 1953, a Harvard University study showed that 3% of the students graduating that year actually wrote down their specific career goals. Twenty years later, a team of researchers interviewed the class of 1953, and found that the 3% who had written down their goals were worth more financially than the other 97% combined. (Make no mistake, writing down goals pays off, big time!)

3.Make a conscious decision to change!

Why do so many people, who say they want to change, remain the same, year after year? I will tell you why. It is because they overlook the essential first step - the step which begins to close the gap between knowing and doing. That step is… making a conscious decision to make a change. I am not talking about making ambiguous claims like, "Yeah… this year I'm gonna get in shape." Most people tell themselves this is one of their objectives every month. But how many people are truly moving in that direction? Unfortunately , very few.

And the reason? Because it is one thing to just talk about changing and it is a completely different thing to decide to actually do it. You see, when you make a conscious decision to make a change, your mind 'awakens' and starts searching for a way. You begin to develop a feeling - a deeply rooted need to make it happen. That sensation is what many people call 'desire'. Before you know it, you will crave that change all day and night - the desire becomes a 'burning desire'.

Fortunately, we all have desire. We may have buried it. But it is there. You have to let your desire propel you toward the goals you have decided to achieve. Do not let people, your surroundings, or circumstances convince you that you really do not have desire. When you decide you are not going to go on living the way you are living, when you decide the way things were last year is not the way there are going to be in this, you have taken the first step.

4.Find a reason!

"So I need to make a decision to do something here, to get off my butt and start moving. And keep moving. That is fine, but how do I do it?" Well, you just have to find a reason to change. I will say it again. Find a reason. It is one thing to tell yourself you would like to get fit this year. It is a whole 'nother matter to think of the most dreadful thing imaginable heppening if you do not get control of your body and your life, pronto! It is having a reason that fuels the intense desire and power (the inspiration, as I call it) for getting started and for following through. There is a world of difference between simply wanting something and having to have it.

Please made sure you clearly identify your reason for deciding to change, write it down, and read it every morning and night. Be particular. I know that you know deep down inside you have a reason, actually several reasons - good reasons - to decide to change.

5.Honor self-promises!

When you set goals, what you are really doing is making promises - not to me, your family, or your friends, but to yourself. The promises we make to ourselves, although they are the 'easiest' to break, are by far the most important ones to honor. You see, the very essence of confidence is self trust. Would you trust anyone who repeatedly lied to you? Someone who broke the rules of the game, again and again? Of course you would not? So, if you have developed a pattern of not honoring self promises, this is a great time to make a change. If you can't honor, trust, and depend on yourself, well that may be the root of a lot of the challenges in your life - a lot more than you realize.

The thing about lying to ourselves is we never, never get away with it. We may fool our conscious mind into ignoring or not admitting what we are doing, but deep down, in the place where all truth resides for each of us, in the place where we know and see ourselves as we really are - in that place, we are causing pain and damage every time we are not totally honest with ourselves. Lie to yourself often enough and your self trust - your confidence - will fade away. Into that emptiness will seep uncertainty, anxiety, and a whole lot of complex crapola you do not even want to know about.

But you can change that. It is a lot easier to keep the promises we make to ourselves than it is to break them. And keeping those promises unleashes enormous energy and potential - that potential emptiness created by self-deception can also be filled with strength, certainty, and yes confidence if you honor self-promises. (We have all heard the phrase, "The truth shall set you free." Well, nowhere is that more true than when we apply it to our relationship with ourselves.) Better yet" "To thine own self be true."

6.Face your fears!

Most people are afraid to change. They're afraid to face the uncertainty which we all feel when we leave our 'comfort zones.' Some afraid of failing, and others, believe it or not, are afraid of succeeding. What is sad is most people do not realize they have become paralyzed by their fears. Millions of people with great potential have been ruined and their entire lives wasted because they do not face their fears head on. You may recognize people who are afraid and hiding out in their comfort zones by their constant complaining about people who are moving forward. "See that guy over there? I'd have a great physique too if I worked out," (Well then, why don't you do it instead of just talking about it?) Rationalization and excuses have become the only form of "exercise" many people get.

Remember this: if you move away from your fears, they will eventually dominate your life. But if you move toward your fears and face them head on, they get smaller and smaller.

7.Focus on your future vision!

Unfortunately, most people will never delovep a strong future vision for their lives. They will never admit to themselves, or anyone else, what their dreams really are, and they won't put a deadline on those dreams and transform them into goals. Thus, most people will never even begin to harness their true potential. What they don't realize is if they are not focused on their futures - if they are not consciously creating their lives - ten they are living accidentally, not intentionally. They are merely reacting to life. When you have faith in your future vision, it creates resilience: when things do not go your way, you will be able to pick yourself up because your future vision will be stronger than your setbacks. Doing the particular things you need to do to move toward that future vision will become automatic, a habit. It is close to the certainty of religious faith - the comforting, assuring feeling that whatever happens will happen, but in the end, you will succeed.

It helps me to surround myself with photos and reminders which keep my future vision and goals on my mind. This is another simple yet powerful strategy.

Remember that everything we experience in the 'real world' is merely an external manifestation of what has already happened in your mind. That is where the relatively well known maxim, "If your mind can conceive it, you can achieve it" comes from. And it is true. If your mind , you see, anything is possible. So nourish your mind with postivie uplifting images… it's worked wonders for me!

8.Make mistakes fast!

One of the things I have noticed is, people who try to get in shape or make another change, don't measure their progress often enough. This is not good. I call this "failing in slow motion." Some people do not notice what is not working until months or even years have been squandered. Then they look back and realize their error - they did not notice their mistakes sooner! If you want to succeed fast, you need to be willing to make mistakes fast. And you must learn from your mistakes.

Don't be one of those people who do exactly the same things in the coming months that did not work in the past and expect a different result. If you have not achieved the level of success you want, do not be so naïve as to think that if you make the same mistakes in the future as you did in the past, you will get a different result. If you want different results, you must allow yourself the opportunity to learn fast and take a different approach.

So, evaluate your progress at least once a month by measuring your bodyfar percentage and having a photo taken. Remember to celebrate your progress and also look for opportunities to do even better in the future. If you are not making progress, make a change, and keep changing until you start getting the results you want.

9.Take action!

Please, don't be afraid of change! Don't do what so many good people do, which is "accidently" smother their true potential by clinging to what "seems" comfortable. Success is created by action. People who get results keep moving, even if they are a little fearful! They do not quit. Sure, there are always some forms on inconvenience and stress in your life that seem like they might be obstacles that would keep you from taking action. Your challenge is to succeed in spite of all this! Don't wait until you feel "ready" to take on a new challenge. Don't fool yourself into believing now is just "too soon". If you wait until everything is "perfect" in your life before you take action, you will be waiting forever! The time to do it is now.

The longer you wait before you take action, the more you delay the rewards that are rightfully yours. "Waiting" to change is not enough. Do something - please do something!

10.Don't give up!

At times it might seem as if your goals are not attainable, in spite of your best efforts. That is normal - we all feel like that sometimes. In every challenge, there will come a time when the going gets tough! You have to break through these barriers! When you do, you will discover they were blessings in disguise. You see, we become stronger because of them! Remember that as long as you are trying, you have not failed! When it feels like you have given it your best and it is time to let go, just keep holding on. Keep pushing like your life depends on it - it just might. Prove to yourself and others that you are a winner (winners finish what they start)! Honor your self promise! Focus on your reason for deciding to make a change and please do not give up on yourself! No matter what! You deserve to succeed! And when you do, you will feel a powerful, peaceful sense of pride and joy which no one can ever take away!