Motivation is one of those vague catchall words that mean completely different things to different people. We often hear these phrases,
"If only I was more motivated, I'd get a lot more done." "I get completely demotivated when I'm not appreciated."
And many wonder what is it that keeps people motivated? Like it or not, there are are human needs that scream out to be addressed- like the need to be appreciated, admired, contribution, being heard, doing something useful, receiving praise and acknowledgement, having their skills developed, having personal satisfaction of a job well done, or having competed and achieved a goal.
Here are some tips to keep yourself motivated AND address these nagging needs..
1. I am doing better than good because I clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night, and today is my brand new day.
2. I am doing better than good because I have made friends with my past, am focused on the present, and optimistic about my future.
3. I am doing better than good because I know that success (a win) doesn't make me, and failure (a loss) doesn't break me.
4. I am doing better than good because I am filled with faith, hope and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy or thoughts of revenge.
Why do we do the things we do? Human beings are strange. we need a jolt before we start to want to climb uphill on the ladder of self improvement.
Pain may sometimes be the reason why people change. Getting flunked grades make us realize that we need to study.
Debts remind us of our inability to look for a source of income.
Being humiliated gives us the 'push' to speak up and fight for ourselves to save our face from the next embarrassments.
It may be a bitter experience, a friend's tragic story, a great movie, or an inspiring book that will help us get up and get just the right amount of motivation we need in order to improve ourselves.
With the countless negativities the world brings about, how do we keep motivated? Here are some tips on keeping yourself motivated from A to Z…
A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.
C – Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.
D – Don't give up and don't give in. Thomas Edison failed once, twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.
E – Enjoy. Work as if you don't need money. Dance as if nobody's watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you'll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.
" You wake up in the morning suffused with an ineffable feeling of joy, a deep sense of well being. You go to work, to a job you love so much that you would pay for the privilege of doing it. You labor intently but are so focused that time flies by unnoticed. At the end of the day, you are invigorated, brimming with more energy than what you started. You have a penetrating awareness of the course you are charting, a clear knowledge of your place in the scheme of the universe. Your work feeds this, is congruent with it, and brings great contentment and peace.
Christmas is a reminder of love, of giving. It stems back to the ultimate love story - the love of the infinite for the finite. The Creator for his creatures. The pure for the unpure. Of ultimate and unconditional love for the unloved. Beauty for the non-beautiful. It is a reminder of the love of God towards his creatures. It is not a mere myth of baby in a manger, helpless, adored, swaddled. It is powerful, glorious, stunning in its glory. It is like a shot from heaven for the faltering creatures, faltering from lack of love, meaning and hope. The ultimate power fuel, love potion, energizer.
Clarity is power. Clarity in knowing yourself is more power.
Our unconscious actions often speak louder than words, and can be a blind spot. If you analyse your actions, you may find that pleasing others comes is more important than pleasing oneself. For what ever reason- gaining acceptance, living up to an image, or simply thinking the other person's opinion is more important than your own opinion. This often leads to unspoken frustration- that nagging feeling that something is not right, not complete, not fully done. Over time, it can accumulate and lead to anger and depression.
Other people are important, but your needs are too. You are special. You need to allow yourself some space. You could be considerate of others and at the same time you could be just yourself in order to maintain personal balance and sanity.
" Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence" Aristotle
The pursuit of happiness is yours for the taking. It is achievable, by being happy where you are right now, and not waiting for the right time, the right place, the right person. It is to be pursued now. A lot of people cannot be happy- because they do not know how. There are road blocks like low self esteem, and ghosts from the past that haunt them. Self limiting thoughts, beliefs, and erroneous messages tell them that they do not deserve to be happy. Guilt and messages from past prevail.
The reverse is true. A person who only seeks happiness and short term gratification without consideration for others, will only find that it eludes them.
Here are 15 principles for getting from where you are to getting to where you want to be.
1.Change your thinking.
" You are a living magnet. What you attract into your life is in harmony with your dominant thoughts" Brian Tracy
2.Take Responsibility.
" All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you." Wayne Dyer
If only we believed. All things are possible. If only we trusted- there is goodness waiting for us. That miracles do happen, that love surrounds you, that beauty is created for you. Belief is everything. What you believe determines your action. And your actions determine the results you create in your life. Start with your beliefs. They are everything.
Think. Yes. And you will. This piece, written in the present tense and in the active voice, creates the platform for positive actions and thoughts. It is the model for which positive affirmations should be created.
Each of us has our own positive voice, that is affirming and powerful. Say it, repeat it, do it and you will be. It all starts with the thoughts.
We slog and plod. We live, breathe, work, sleep, eat and play. We live lives that are revolved around our routines. We are creatures of habit. We live automatically. Are we growing, renewing being renewed? Sharpening the saw, renewal, self renewal, revival, restoration, revitalization.. name it what you will. There must be latency before growth, dullness before vision, reaching within before reaching without. It is the prerequisite to flashes of inspirations, ideas and changes, motivation, persistence and ultimately reaching your dreams.
"All human systems require continuous renewal. They rigidify the get stiff in the joints.
Self centeredness is inherent. It is natural. It is survival. If you don't look after yourself, who will? It is after all, a game of survival. Survival of the fittest. We must look after ourselves, and earn our keep.
Yet there is a maxim that states when you scatter, you receive.
Stumble it!
" You wake up in the morning suffused with an ineffable feeling of joy, a deep sense of well being. You go to work, to a job you love so much that you would pay for the privilege of doing it. You labor intently but are so focused that time flies by unnoticed. At the end of the day, you are invigorated, brimming with more energy than what you started. You have a penetrating awareness of the course you are charting, a clear knowledge of your place in the scheme of the universe. Your work feeds this, is congruent with it, and brings great contentment and peace. 
Our unconscious actions often speak louder than words, and can be a blind spot. If you analyse your actions, you may find that pleasing others comes is more important than pleasing oneself. For what ever reason- gaining acceptance, living up to an image, or simply thinking the other person's opinion is more important than your own opinion. This often leads to unspoken frustration- that nagging feeling that something is not right, not complete, not fully done. Over time, it can accumulate and lead to anger and depression. 
" Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence" Aristotle
Here are 15 principles for getting from where you are to getting to where you want to be..jpg)
Though everything is dark and drear, 
If only we believed. All things are possible. If only we trusted- there is goodness waiting for us. That miracles do happen, that love surrounds you, that beauty is created for you. Belief is everything. What you believe determines your action. And your actions determine the results you create in your life. Start with your beliefs. They are everything.
Think. Yes. And you will. This piece, written in the present tense and in the active voice, creates the platform for positive actions and thoughts. It is the model for which positive affirmations should be created. 
We slog and plod. We live, breathe, work, sleep, eat and play. We live lives that are revolved around our routines. We are creatures of habit. We live automatically. Are we growing, renewing being renewed? Sharpening the saw, renewal, self renewal, revival, restoration, revitalization.. name it what you will. There must be latency before growth, dullness before vision, reaching within before reaching without. It is the prerequisite to flashes of inspirations, ideas and changes, motivation, persistence and ultimately reaching your dreams.
Self centeredness is inherent. It is natural. It is survival. If you don't look after yourself, who will? It is after all, a game of survival. Survival of the fittest. We must look after ourselves, and earn our keep. 
