Showing posts with label positive change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label positive change. Show all posts

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Uncover Why You Want It


I have been researching over 94 super achievers over the past five years. My research has led me to a number of very interesting hypotheses regarding the characteristics, personality traits, philosophies and behaviours, they all possess. My objective has been to try to understand why some people achieve greatness. Yet more talented people, with so much pent-up potential, just seem to keep spinning their wheels throughout their lives and never seem to achieve anything meaningful. My research, so far, has revealed some interesting results to me.
Characteristics common to Super Achievers
  1. Vision
    Without exception, every one of them had a crystal clear picture of exactly what they want to achieve in the future and when asked to describe it, they passionately look up to the right and deliver a passionate, description, of this picture of possibility, as though they have already achieved it. There is not even a moment's pause, as they easily describe what they see in the future. Can you describe and articulate your vision as easily? If you are not clear on what you want, then the way your future will turn out, is out of your hands and will be left to the whims of the world and those around you. Do you want to surrender your future to chance and have no control over how things will turn out? Wrestle back control of your life right now, by clarifying the direction you want it to go by, describing your vision for the future.

  2. Belief
    The second characteristic, which I observed in every super achiever, was an unwavering belief in their own ability to achieve their vision. When asked a series of questions about the possibility of living their vision. Without exception every one of them believed that they had what it took or they could acquire the knowledge or support they needed from someone who did. There was not a shadow of doubt in their minds that they would achieve their vision in the future. How do you feel about yourself? Do you have what it takes to achieve greatness or are you constantly engaged in negative self-talk, where you constantly doubt yourself and your abilities? Building belief is a process and is not something, which will happen in a day. If you get support to help you build your self-belief, self-esteem and are 100 % committed to your future success. You can gradually build your crucial self-belief, to a point where it will support you to achieve the picture of possibility, you have envisioned for the future.

  3. Commitment to Life-Long learning
    As Jim Rohn said, "A formal education will get you a job, a commitment to lifelong learning, will make you a fortune" Without exception, every super achiever, I have researched was committed to their personal growth. They were almost like sponges, always looking for ways to grow and improve. They did not only read and/or listen to audio books, attend seminars etc. They were committed to grow every day, and it was so inspiring to be around them and to observe the hunger for knowledge. They were constantly asking questions, exploring, observing and consciously storing away any new lessons or experiences they had each day. How much time do you invest into your personal development every day? I cannot say when you will start to see remarkable results start to unfold in your life. But I can confidently say that if you invest a minimum of 2 hours a day into your personal development and growth, you will over time, exponentially increase your pace of progress and attract incredible levels of success to yourself.

  4. Work Ethic
    Success in whatever form it may come is the result of consistent hard work, persistence and patience. Every one of the super achievers I have researched worked tirelessly every day on their success. Not one of them had any unique talent, unusual ability or social advantage. They were clear all just very clear on what they wanted, believed in their abilities, constantly worked to improve their knowledge, worked really hard and knew why they wanted to achieve greatness. How hard are you willing to work? Does the thought of giving up some of your leisure time scare you? If you want to achieve the meaning and fulfilment you have only dreamt about until now. Accept that it is going to require work, do the tough stuff daily and the doors of possibility burst open on a future of wonder. Commit to do what it takes, be clear about what and why you want, believe it is possible for you to achieve it and "NO-THING" is beyond the realm of possibility for you.

  5. Why do you want it?
    All the super achievers also had absolute clarity about why they wanted to achieve their vision. The reasons ranged from significance, to legacy, to helping and supporting others, etc. All their reasons why they wanted to achieve greatness were focused on things greater than themselves. Yes, all of them at one stage or other had been driven by selfish, self-interest. But without exception, they all stated that, as soon as they changed their focus from self and instead focused on others or a reason greater than themselves, their whole world changed and greatness flowed in. What is your reason why you want to achieve anything meaningful with your life? Uncover your reason why and everything just gets easier. Even when the inevitable challenges do come your way, you will have the drive, passion and deep rooted inspiration, to support you to mitigate or overcome all of them.

  6. Love What you do
    The other area where the super achievers really stood out, for me, was that they loved what they did. They woke up every day excited by the prospect of their day, anticipating the challenges and rewards it would bring. Do you love what you do, or are you waking up every day wondering how you will get through the day, week or year. Learn the art of loving what you do and you will have uncovered an incredible secret to success.


Example:
My Purpose and Vision
To live, to love, to be mega happy, consistently growing, helping millions of people invite similar levels of meaning and fulfilment into their own experience, for the greater good of all concerned.
Action Idea: Invest a little time today to think about all the above characteristics. Explore your own characteristics, to see how you can sculpture or mould your own so they can become more prevalent. You are a super achiever, the only person, who does not believe it is "YOU"
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Thursday, August 2, 2018

How To Create A Productive Mindset



When it comes to create a productive mindset, a lot of us seem to have the hardest time. Most people get into procrastination mode which is usually an easier choice but is the habit of putting off what you want to start. Therefore, how you can win the battle to build a fruitful frame of mind?
But what is a productive mindset? And what occurs when your intentions to get things done are crumbling? How does it happen? What can you do to focus on what is essential to your progress?
We all have experienced this before. I am no stranger to it. You have the feeling like you are running around and being busy all the time. You spend all day working and doing things, but at the end of the day, you look back and realize that you have done very little. It appears that of the ten different tasks you wanted to complete, you achieved only two or three of them.
Well, it often happens because of your mindset not being established in the right way. To have a productive mindset is to make the best use of your combined resources, time, energy, and efforts. Being productive is something you and I strive to realize.
I said it numerous times in other articles but let me repeat it; your mindset is everything. It is the groundwork for every achievement, victory, and success in your life. So, it is necessary for you to cultivate a productive mindset. If I am saying this, it is because if you want to reach your goals, you need to create an efficient set of mind.
First Steps to a Productive Mindset
As you know, each of us is different, so it is quite important that you structure your day in a way that works for you. First of all, you should observe your daily routine and be honest with yourself by looking if you do have a productive mindset or if you are just being busy, and correct that.
To be productive means that you are clear minded and focused on what you want to accomplish. It also means that you are using all of your resources to achieve your goals profitably. The next step involves morning habits that would help you get more done through the day.
To continue creating a productive mindset, you have to choose which vital assignment to start doing when you sit down for work. You have to make the right choices so you can kick off your day with dynamic momentum.
Primary Elements of a Productive Mindset
How productive your mindset often begins with your thoughts and habits. You always must start your day by being grateful for what is about to start. Always be ready for possibilities. Plans often change or get rescheduled leaving you with some free time.
Rather than being upset about it or feeling let down, use this time to read a chapter of a book, or listen to an audiobook. Each afternoon, I walk for two hours and during that time I hear some audiobook to educate myself. You could also make some calls, or write a thank you note.
You must have the willingness to know and learn new things. And it is also a great way to get your day back on track. But let me show you some of the primary elements of a productive mindset.
Vision and the Productive Mindset
You have to picture what you want and visualize it. It helps you focus and gives you an ideal image of what the outcome could look like. Without a picture in your mind, it is quite challenging to have the productive mindset to achieve a goal. People with a vision can accomplish what seems impossible.
Inspire Your Frame of Mind
You have to cultivate and motivate your mindset for it to be productive. Without motivation or inspiration, there is nothing to drive you to set goals, apply, improve and make progress. Inaction and procrastination destroy any improvement you wish to make or dream you want to realize.
Self-confidence is a Mindset
You have to believe that you are capable of doing what you set your mind to do. Self-confidence can help you reach your full potential and a more productive mindset. Stress is a natural reaction, so you have to relax by taking a deep breath and a small reflective pause. Then refocus on the day ahead. It will give you greater confidence.
Methods for a Prolific Mindset
In today's world, our mind runs through a list of dozens of things simultaneously. Some of those things keep us living in the future, while memories, good or bad, retain us in the past. Yet, to create a productive mindset is to live in the beauty of the present.
Be in the present. Focus and fully engage in whatever essential task you have to assure your best work and quality. Here are some essential productivity methods to create a prolific mindset.
Having Positive Outlook
In creating a productive mindset, your attitude has to be positive rather than negative, because it can make you or break you. When you have a positive outlook, it allows room for opportunity and option, while having a negative attitude defeat your frame of mind before you even begin.
A Productive Mindset is Being Persistent
Most of us know that the path to success does not come easily. So, you have to be persistent and willing to overcome any barrier or adversity coming your way. Push yourself beyond your limits and persist to achieve your goals. Do not let setbacks, circumstances, or even the opinions of others influence your actions and your determination to become successful.
Refreshing Your Mindset
To experience a productive mindset, you have to be at your best. That means you have to take care of yourself. Getting some rest and enough sleep each night is essential. You have to eat right and give yourself a few small breaks during the day. And you should always be aware of how you feel.
Tips to Create a Productive Mindset
  • Write a to-do list for the day the night before. It will help you keep focusing on what you need to get done so that you will have a more productive mindset.
  • Get enough sleep, because if you do not, your fatigue will eat away at your productivity. A lack of sleep has an apparent impact on any mental performance.
  • Be motivated as it is a crucial element in working towards your goals. You need to have something that is pulling you towards achieving the success you want in life.
  • Start your work with the most essential task. It is an excellent approach if you have the discipline to see to it.
  • Cultivate the persistence to keep going, even when it is hard. To be persistent and never giving up is essential to any long-term success.
  • Always hold a mental picture of the vision of the life that you want for yourself. It is that vision that will guide you and help you to create a more productive mindset through your day.
  • Control your attitude and how you feel about things, no matter the circumstances. Even if you feel like you cannot control outside factors, you should positively view everything as it is an absolute necessity.
  • Create a routine that helps you awaken your brain and mind, give you motivation and shows you a clear picture of your vision.
  • Have an evening routine. Following the same ritual every evening, such as making yourself a caffeine-free hot drink, brushing your teeth, then dressing for bed, helps you get into the right state of mind for sleep.
  • Take time to regenerate, recharge and refresh. That way, you will always keep a productive mindset.


A Final Word of a Fruitful Mindset
Finally, whether you are already committed, wandering on the path of least resistance or basking in the waters of procrastination, you now have different tools to be more productive. To be productive means that you are doing what you said you would do, and usually in a specific time frame.
Observe and check your habits and routines, and then create a productive mindset to get more done in a day. I know you can and will achieve more. So set yourself up to be successful with a prosperous start by following these simple methods.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

What Drives You? The Secrets To Motivating Yourself

"Your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln
Bianca rose to the sound of pigeons cooing and traffic grumbling on the street below. As she yawned and stretched, she thought about what was waiting for her that day.
She felt her motivation slowly drain away with each deadline and commitment that zipped through her thoughts. As Bianca began to wither and wilt internally, she remembered the motivation pills she had purchased last week from the Good Value Pharmacy.

There were yellow pills labelled 'Money', pink pills labelled 'Pride', green pills labelled 'Family', purple pills labelled 'Respect' and some ugly grey pills labelled 'Nagging Advice'. The chemist had told her as he dispensed the pills that some would work for her and some would not... he could never tell in advance which pills would work for which customers. With that advice in mind and a smile on her lips, Bianca reached for the one she knew would be just right for her...
One of the best things you can do for yourself on your journey of self discovery is to work out what drives you. The first step is to identify your values as they provide the fuel for your motivation and the drive behind everything you do in life. If you value something you will always find the motivation and energy to do it. If you don't value something, you will always struggle to find the motivation and energy to do it.
Values
Your values are what are important to you. They are the broad concepts that guide your decisions in life and form the basis of your character. Your values also determine how you spend your time. For example, if your most important value is health, you will spend your time quite differently from someone whose most important value is career or family.
Values also drive all your motivation. You won't pursue a course of action unless it relates to something you value at some level. Identifying your values allows you to kick-start your own motivation, set goals that are appropriate and spend time on things that are important to you.
How Your Values Are Formed
Your values come from a number of sources including your family, friends, religion, school, teachers, country and the media. They are also shaped at any time in your life by significant emotional events such as natural disasters, emotional abuse, global depression or war.
Your values change as you grow and evolve. When you change your values, you will also change some of your beliefs and the way you live life.
How To Identify Your Personal Values
Identifying your personal values helps you to:
  • Understand why some issues are a problem for you;
  • See why some things motivate you and others don't; and
  • Identify and overcome problem areas of your life.
For example, assume you have weight issues. You determine your personal values and find that health and fitness doesn't even rate a mention within your values. You may have found the reason why you are having weight issues, i.e. health and fitness is not something you value. While this remains the case it will be very difficult for you to lose weight and gain a greater level of health and fitness in your life as you will not have any motivation to do so.
You can identify your values by asking yourself:
  • What is important to me in relation to my life, career, relationships etc?
  • What would cause me to leave my life, career, relationships, etc?
When you have an understanding of your values, it is useful to see how they affect your motivation.


Motivation
Your values drive your motivation. If you set goals that are aligned with your values, you will have the motivation to help you achieve them. If you set goals that are not in line with your values, it will be an uphill struggle to achieve them.
When you understand your values and their impact on how you are currently motivating yourself you will have a wonderful insight into why you achieve the results that you do in life. You will also know how to motivate yourself more effectively in the future.
Motivation comes either from within you (intrinsic motivation) or from an external source (extrinsic motivation).
Extrinsic motivation is provided by some factor external to you. It can take the form of inducements (rewards) or punishments. The rewards can be tangible or intangible (such as praise).
Intrinsic motivation is evident when you engage in an activity for its own sake without any external incentive. It appears from research done by Albert Bandura that if you have more self efficacy (belief in your own abilities to control your environment) you are more highly intrinsically motivated than other people.
As intrinsic motivation is the only one you can take with you and call upon at any time, it is the most important in terms of self motivation.
Intrinsic motivation can be broken down further into 'towards' motivation and 'away from' motivation. 'Towards' motivation is motivation towards something you want and 'away from' motivation is motivation away from something you don't want.
'Away From' Motivation
'Away from' motivation is driven by pain. Pain motivated performance is not pleasant, produces inconsistent results and disappears when the pain is no longer present.
'Away from motivation' does, however, give you a strong initial motivation to move away from the thing you don't want in your life. A problem with using this type of motivation is that you wait until things are bad before you take action to change them. Another problem is that you don't have a target or goal that you are aiming for (just something you are running from) so you don't tend to achieve results.
Sophia uses 'away from' motivation in relation to her weight. As a result she is the classic yo yo dieter. Her process goes like this. Sophia looks in the mirror and sees that she is overweight. She says to herself, 'I don't want to be fat anymore'. She then goes on a diet to ensure she is no longer fat. (She is moving away from being fat). At some point she looks in the mirror and sees that she looks fantastic and is no longer fat. As she is no longer fat, she has just lost the source of her motivation (to no longer be fat). As there is no longer any motivation, she no longer stays on the diet and discards her exercise regime. She will not be motivated to do whatever she needs to stay fit and healthy. At some point in the future she will look in the mirror and again form the judgment that she is fat and the process will start all over again.
When you are motivated away from something that you don't want in life, you tend to focus upon the very thing you don't want and that is what you attract into your life. As examples:
  • If you constantly say to yourself, 'I don't want to be broke', your focus is upon being broke and that is where your unconscious mind will aim.
  • If you constantly say to yourself, "I don't want to be single", your focus is upon being single and that is where your unconscious mind will aim.
Motivation away from what you don't want can motivate you, but it doesn't do so for long and you can't be sure what results you will achieve. It can give you a fantastic initial boost of energy, but you can never guarantee where you are going to end up as you don't have a firm direction in mind, just a place you want to get away from. If you use away from motivation in your life, you will tend to create a series of crises to keep yourself motivated.
'Towards' Motivation
If you use 'towards motivation' you will take action to move towards your goal and you will achieve them more often than not.
'Towards' motivation is the best way to motivate yourself. When you are motivated towards what you want, you tend to stay consistently motivated until you achieve your goal (provided you desire it enough).
When you are motivated towards what you want, you constantly set and achieve goals each time stretching yourself further. By using motivation towards what you want you give yourself a far greater chance of achieving what you want out of life.
How Do You Know If The Motivation You Use Is 'Towards' Or 'Away From' Motivation?
We now know that values drive your motivation and that motivation can be either towards what you want or away from what you don't want. Now it is time to review your values to discover whether the underlying motivation for each of your values is:
  • towards what you want; or
  • away from what you don't want.
To determine whether the underlying motivation for each value is 'towards' or 'away from' ask yourself, "Why is that value important to me?" then listen to your self-talk and note what you say to yourself. The clues to whether you are using towards or away from motivation for that value are:
You are probably using 'towards' motivation if you:
  • talk about what you do want
  • don't use comparisons in your explanation (better than, worse than, more than)
You are probably using 'away from' motivation if you:
  • talk about what you don't want
  • make comparisons in your explanation or use words such as 'better than', 'more than', 'less than', 'best' etc. (These show you are unhappy with where you currently are)
  • use words such as 'must', 'need', 'have to', 'got to' etc
As an example, assume that 'money' was your highest value in relation to your career. You then ask yourself, "Why is the value 'compensation' important to me in relation to my career?"
If your answer is, "Because I want to make a lot of money and live in luxury", the response would indicate 'towards' motivation for this value.
If your answer is, "Because I don't want to be broke and I have to be able to pay my bills", the response would indicate 'away from' motivation for this value.
Your chances of achieving goals relating to 'money' are much greater if you are using towards motivation.
If you find that you have identified 'away from' motivation in relation to any of your values, you will find:
  • This area of your life is one where you will experience the most difficulties;
  • You will not be achieving the results in this area of your life that you might wish; and
  • There are unresolved issues to be cleared away and healed in relation to this area of your life before you will experience the success you desire.
This is wonderful information to have as it identifies areas of your life for you to focus upon.


Problems With Motivation
We all experience problems with motivation at some point. Those times when you just can't seem to find the desire to do things you know you should. The problems can arise because:
  • You are low on energy. There are some easy things I'm sure you do when you are feeling 'low' to get your energy back. Remember too that sometimes in life, you need and deserve a rest.
  • The thing you are aiming towards is not something you value. (In this case, question whether you should be exerting your energy in that direction); or
  • You have a problem with your motivation strategy (see below).
If it is your motivation strategy that is causing you challenges, identify which part of the strategy is causing the problem and then use one of the following techniques to assist you to change it. If you are not motivated because:
  • You feel overwhelmed, break the goal down into smaller steps and do them one at a time.
  • You are only using 'away from' motivation, identify where you are aiming and focus upon the positive outcomes of attaining it.
  • You feel obliged to pursue the goal, either accept the goal is not for you and let it go or focus upon the positive outcomes you will get from achieving the goal.
  • You are scared, identify what could go wrong and what you would do if it did.
In Summary
If you understand your values, you will understand what motivates you and why. If you discover whether you are using towards or away from motivation in different areas of your life, you will have answers for why some parts of your life are successful and others are not. If you use one of the above techniques to overcome common motivation problems... and you take action... you should be on your way to success!
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