Rules of Motivation
Self motivation is huge……… An enormous challenge in all stages of life and in all arenas. Whether it’s exercise, diet choices, looking for a new job, or excelling at the job you have.
Over the years I have seen many people who had every skill imaginable to be successful, they lacked one key component, motivation. I can remember one of my first management jobs in my 20′s, I had an employee who would of made a great manager. I tried everything to motivate him to do more and try more.
One day, MY manager asked me when I was going to “stop trying to push a wet noodle”. I looked at him, puzzled…….. I asked, “What do you mean by a wet noodle?” He said, “Imagine a wet noodle on a counter, when you push it it only goes as far as your finger pushes it, and it only moves in the area that you are pushing.”
I thought about the wet noodle analogy for years after. How many times I found myself pushing “wet noodles” is too many to count. For some reason I could see a person’s potential, and that they were capable of doing and being anything they wanted to be, but they never found it in themselves to do anything than what they were told.
Are you a wet noodle? Are you waiting for your “opportunity”? Are you reaching your full potential?
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take. -Wayne Gretsky
People seldom hit what they do not aim at. -Henry David Thoreau
You can drag yourself up the same way you can drag yourself down. It is a choice you have to make every, single day. Whenever you are faced with this conflict of choices, bring with you these tiny nuggets of wisdom on motivation.
Never mind that you’re not this or that.
It all begins with little excuses like ‘I don’t feel good’, ‘I am not that smart’, ‘I don’t have enough faith in myself’. Then you start believing in these things like they are written in stone, then these negative beliefs become a part of your system, a part of who you are.
Don’t give a second’s worth of recognition on these negative self-talks. Whenever you hear that part of your brain tell you things that can pull you down, shut it out and listen to that less powerful, but oftentimes ignored voice that says ‘you can!’.
Try to have a little faith – in yourself, in what you can do, and the things you believe in. It doesn’t matter if you fail, everyone goes through that hurtful process. What matters is that every time you do, you bounce back, rebuild yourself, and give the world a better you.
Be very careful when choosing your side.
You can either talk yourself into doing the task or not, which means you can either be a part of success that one part of your head says you can be, or take part in the downfall the other side of your head tries to go to. Always take that side of your brain that believes in you, that cares about your well-being, and pushes you to be the person you are trying to be.
Try to win the debate with yourself every time. Remember that sometimes, the act of doing something is not really difficult. It’s the few minutes of mental chatter leading up to doing the act.
Hold on to that something that matters to you.
There is nothing more meaningful in life than that something that we dearly hold on to. Some people call it their passion, others call it their cause. What do you call yours?
Cause, passion, or whatever it is that propels your inner drive to accomplish something is a very powerful source of motivation. It never runs dry. It flows so long as you hold on to that thing you care about. Sometimes, it is what makes people do the impossible in the face of difficulties. And it is that thing that gives them the courage to face and get through the biggest difficulties life throws at them.
Dream big.
Big dreams inspire. It makes people work harder, with even more passion. What would happen to people if they have nothing to shoot for? Nothing. If there are no Olympic medals and several hundred Olympians to compete against, the champions will never exist. If Mount Everest is not the highest mountain, there will be no mountaineers and hikers who struggle everyday to reach the peak.
If you don’t dream big, you would stay forever in that nook of the world where everything is mediocre, where sense of achievement is an abstract concept, and where success is all but inexistent.
Compete with yourself.
Competing with others is good, but oftentimes it is sure-fire way to demotivate yourself because you will start to compare yourself with others each and every time. Run your own, personal race. How many times have you heard the saying, ‘you are your worst enemy’?
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