Words Of Wisdom - Motivation

Motivation is an important piece to living a good life. With motivation, we can take on difficult tasks and get things done. Without motivation, we can be doomed to a life full of abandoned projects and unfulfilled dreams.

From giving up smoking to starting an exercise program, motivation is a huge factor in our success. The more we know about motivation, the more likely we are to succeed.

There are only two kinds of motivation when you get right down to it. Only two ways to motivate yourself that make a difference. Positive and negative.

Negative motivation is the most common form. We are motivated to avoid a negative consequence. What happens if we don't go to work? We get fired. Then we can't pay the mortgage and lose our home. So we are motivated to go to work to avoid those negative results.

There's isn't anything wrong with negative motivation. It can be helpful in some instances. If you want to give up smoking, thinking how bad it is for your lungs and health can help you take action to start avoiding those negative health consequences. But the thing about negative motivation is that it is negative. Yes, we go to work with NM, but we'll drag ourselves in grumbling all the way.

Positive motivation, on the other hand, is very energizing. Normally you may not like getting up at 5AM. You may grumble and moan all the way to work. But if you are getting up at 4AM one day to catch a flight to Hawaii, you may literally hop out of bed singing a happy tune. The positive result of being in Hawaii motivates you with enthusiasm and excitement. Positive motivation is a great way to do things with with zest and energy.

It takes a little practice, but you can learn to positively motivate yourself to do a lot more things in your life. Think of how great it'll be when you fulfill a dream, like writing a book. As you think about it, the positive energy can start to fill you to the point where you want to get started. If you are stuck and blocked in some area of life, think of positive results and see if it helps you take action.

Taking action is the key to motivation of any kind. Positive motivation will just help you to take action with some excitement and enthusiasm, instead of being dragged kicking and screaming into your future. Try more of it in your life and see how it feels.

Action Steps:

1. Take one thing you are negatively motivated by now. You do it, but you drag yourself to do it.

2. Think of a positive result you get from doing it. Say it is exercise. Think of how good you'll feel when done, how slender and fit you'll be after a month, etc. Focus on that for 5 minutes while suiting up and see if you don't get pulled to do it.

Wisdom