Sustaining Motivation

According to Scientific American , there 3 critical elements to sustain motivation. Read more here.

About You

Here is something Brian Tracy wrote in his book Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: How to Unlock Your Full Potential.

You are a thoroughly good person. You deserve a wonderful life, full of success, happiness, joy and excitement. You are entitled to have happy relationships, excellent health, meaningful work, and financial independence. These are your birthright. This is what your life is meant to include.

You are engineered for success and designed to have high levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride. You are extraordinary: there has never been anyone exactly like you in all the history of mankind on earth. You have absolutely amazing untapped talents and abilities that, when properly unleashed and applied, can bring you everything you could ever want in life.

You are living at the greatest time in all of human history. You are surrounded by abundant opportunities that you can take advantage of to realize your dreams. The only real limits on what you can be, do, or have are the limits you place on yourself by your own thinking. Your future is virtually unlimited.

6 Simple Ways To Earn Respect

Respect, like money, must be earned. Here are six simple ways you can earn the respect of others.

1.       Seize opportunity  that offers increased responsibility

Don’t be afraid to assume more responsibility. Remember, to be stand out of crowd, you must be more than the crowd. If you are doing the same as what others are doing, you will never be more than them. If there is a fund raising project in your company, get yourself involved. If your boss is looking for some extra help with a report he is preparing, offer yourself. Do not worry what others might say, just go about your way and seize every opportunity that will increase your responsibility. 

2.       Do your best in every task you are given

Always give your best. As George Bernard Shaw once said, “Do your best in whatever you do, with whatever you have, wherever you are.” Do not whine or complain if you do not have all the tools or facts to get the job done, quietly go and search for solutions. Improvise and be resourceful.

3.       Admit your mistakes

Never pass the buck. This will hurt your reputation badly and it may never recover.  The ability to admit mistakes takes courage and wins you supporters and admirers. Most importantly, it wins you respect. You must also have the courage to accept honest criticism. This shows maturity and your willingness to learn.

                            

4.       Stand your ground

Do not be made of glass. Don’t change your principles out of fear or to gain favour. If you are sure of your convictions, have the courage to stand by it. By no means am I suggesting you to be hard headed. Now and then you might have see things differently. There will be time you must back down to go forward in life but once you are sure of what you think is right, stick to it.

5.       Take complete responsibility

Your success and your failures are results of your actions. Where you are in life and where you will go depends on you. So take responsibility for your actions. Do not blame others of your failures.  And understand that your success depends on your efforts too. As a leader of man once said, responsibility is the price you must pay for greatness.

6.       Take responsibility for the failures of those working for you

You are responsible for the performance of those under you. It is your job to ensure that they will always give their best. Their failure to do so, is your failure too. Do not run away from this responsibility.  Your ability to accept responsibility for the failures of your subordinates will win you loyalty and respect.

What is Important To You In Your Job?

What is Important To You In Your Job?

What drives you?

Can you write it down in a single word? Is it recognition? Is it compensation? Is it the power?

Identifying your purpose in the job you do day day out helps to motivate you to. And if you really cannot find a purpose in the current job, it is time you move on.

Just a Little More

Sometimes when you have done everything that needs to be done and you still cannot see the finishing line, you just have to do a little more.

It is always at the end of a pursuit that we feel like giving up. It is near the top of a mountain that we feel the pain. Don't give up just yet.

Hang in there. Go that extra mile. Even if that little extra can seem a bit too much, you must find the strength within.

Remember that to be more than the crowd, to stand out, you must do more than the crowd. Nature has its way to reward those who persist.

7 Ways to Develop The Action Habit

Here are 7 simple and effective ways you can develop the action habit.

1. Avoid “desperate statements”. If you keep using desperate sounding statements, i.e. “I must do this or else..”, you are actually preparing your mind for a conflict and body responds with “fight or flight” response. This saps your energy and in the long haul you will be burned out. Use positive statements such as, “ I will”, or “I can”, instead.

2. Take the first step. And concentrate on the beginning. Do not let you mind wander too far away from the early stages. Get absorbed in what you are doing, learn to enjoy it rather than looking towards the end result.

3. Do not aim for perfection. Many people start something new only to give up because it is not perfect. The world we live in is not perfect so do not worry about producing perfection.

4. Learn to play more. When you are under pressure, break the monotony and learn to take breaks. It can be a simple solitaire game in your pc or just surfing the net looking for poetry. It does a lot of good to the mind, body and spirit if you can walk away for a little while and come back rather than straining yourself trying to finish what you started.

5. Recognize your fears. When you are about to begin something big in your professional life or personal life, the fear of the unknown can stop you dead at your tracks. It is important that you know your fears. Break them down and analyze them. Never be incapacitated by them.

6. Have a schedule. Write down the deadline to the things you want complete and the goals you want to reach. Start from that date and work in reverse. Have a proper structure and breakdown your tasks to small bits.

7. Never wait for the ideal time. It will never come.

Do You Worry About What Others Say?

Do you? If you do, then it is a good idea to stop now.

It is impossible to totally disregard what others have to say about you. After all there are certain people who have more influence in your life than most. Your parents, your spouse, your boss and your close friends. And their opinion about you counts a great deal.

But most people's opinion about you should not.

You cannot leave the life you want if you are going to be too worried about what others think about you. Let them say things about you, don't worry too much about it. in the end it doesn't really matter.

Dr Seuss once said, “Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” It is a good rule to live by.

Don't Be Made of Glass

Baltasar Gracian once said, "Don't be made of glass."

Of course you are not made of glass, in fact we are made of star dust. That is what theoretical physics tells us. Read up on the Big Bang when you have the time. It is fascinating.

Mr Gracian was telling us to be strong. Not to break easily. Life is not going to be a bed of roses. There are going to be hard times every now and then, such is life, but you don't have to crack. Easier said than done you say,but what is really hard is being fragile. To survive and thrive you need to be strong.

You cannot become strong in a single day. Character is not made like that. It is built everyday, one moment at a time. You need to build up your confidence and you must have courage. This will take time and you must persevere. You must not take yourself too seriously. You must learn to laugh at yourself and you must know when to walk away.

The atoms that diamond is made of is the same with that of graphite, carbon. The difference was the the pressure.The atoms that withstood pressure for longer period of time turned to diamond and that which didn't turned to graphite. I am sure you know which is the more valuable of the two.

Taking Responsibility

If you desire greatness, then responsibility is the price you have to pay.

Read about the great man and woman of past and you will notice one common trait in them. They took responsibility for their actions. Alexander the Great, the greatest conqueror ever lived, took responsibility for his troops and led them to conquer the known world. Napoleon Bonaparte, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King all took responsibility for their actions. They were great.

If you so desire greatness, then take responsibility for all your actions.

Take responsibility for the way you dress, the food you eat, the company you keep, the job you do, the time you sleep. Take responsibility for all that you say.
Take responsibility of your strength. Accentuate it. Focus on it but don't gloat over it.

Take responsibility for your weakness. Work on improving it. Never blame others. Don't play the victim.

When you take responsibility, you will learn to live. Your confidence will be boosted and taking action will come naturally.

Epictetus once said, "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens."

If you desire greatness, take responsibility.

Reign Supreme

Master your thoughts and control your ego and you will rule everything in your world.

The mind is a wonderful thing. The best creation of God's best creation. It is above everything, the best weapon there is. Use it wisely and you reap the benefits. Abuse it and you pay the price.

It is not easy to master thought. It takes patience and self awareness. But it can be done and there are many programs out there offering help. Most times this blog does just that.

The ego. The wild beast the roams our hearts. This beast must be tamed and makes it serve us. Let this beast free and it will bite or worse swallow you whole. There are many courses available to provide help but only you can tame your ego. Only you can bring it under control. It is a big battle, make no mistake about it. But a battle worth fighting and winning.

Sounds simple isn't it....

Talk To Yourself

You spend the most time with yourself, thus what you say to yourself is important. Don't engage in small talk or petty issues with yourself. Talk big, talk positive. Encourage yourself. Criticize yourself now and then but never talk down to yourself.

Talk to yourself. Motivate it. Encourage yourself do the best always.

Abandon

You do not always have to finish what you start. If the negotiation you have entered is taking you nowhere, abandon. The ability to finish what you started will build you an awesome reputation but it may not always be profitable. A man who is successful in everything he does is a very rare . Most of us do not possess this talent and that is fact we must accept. It is better to be abandon and gather our strength to start anew.

Abandon things that does not work out is not a sign of weakness but strength.

Inspirational Writing #13

Michael's Story ~ Author Unknown

Michael is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, would reply, "If I were any
better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Michael was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation. Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Michael and
asked him,"I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or ... I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I Choose the positive side of life."

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," Michael said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what Michael said. Soon thereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it. Several years later, I heard that Michael was involved in a serious accident, falling
some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw Michael about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied.

"If I were anybetter, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place. "The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be-born daughter," Michael replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or ... I could choose to die. I chose to live."


"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Michael continued,

"...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read "he's a dead man. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Michael.
"She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes', I replied. The
doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I
took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity.' "

Over their laughter, he said

"I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."

Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each

day has enough trouble of its own." After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

AK-47&The Honda Super Cub

The AK-47 is the most used assault rifle in the world. It is reported that more 70 million of this weapon have been manufactured and it is widely used by armies, rebels, criminals and civilians. It is so popular among African tribes that some people name their newborns Kalash. AK-47 came in as second greatest ever invented after hands and legs in the Discovery Channel’s show “The Greatest Ever”. The same show also rated the Honda Super Cub as the greatest ever motorcycle.

This is what the reviewers had to say about the AK-47 characteristics.

1. Simplicity of operation and maintenance.
2. Extreme ruggedness
3. Unsurpassed reliability

The Honda Super Cub was chosen as the greatest ever motorcycle based on the following attributes:

1. Robust
2. Easy manoeuvring
3. Cheap maintenance and abundance of spare parts
4. All-weather design
5. Regularly achieves very high mileages logged before any breakage or replacement of parts is necessary

Now, let us look at the two lists and see how we can include some these attributes in our professional and personal life. After all we are all tools for someone or something, aren’t we?

1. Simplicity

Do not complicate matters. Strive to make work and life simpler. Clear away clutter and if you are in authority, cut the red tapes.

2. Extreme Ruggedness

Adapt and be hardy. Have great endurance. Get hold of the at hand task and seize the day.

3. Unsurpassed reliability

Do not make promises you cannot keep. Do not keep excuses and always deliver on time.

4. Robust

Be a go-getter. Do not wait to be told. Know what needs to be done and do it.

5. All weather

Be consistent. Do not underperform just because your neighbour’s cat died or there is a zit on your ass.

These five attributes coupled with enthusiasm will go a long way in making you “the greatest ever” worker in your company or as the greatest ever human in your society. Keep the faith people.

Take A Look At Yourself

Where are you today? Are you happy with the way things are with yourself? Is your mind really focused on tasks at hand, whatever they may be, or do you find yourself daydreaming now and then. Do you often think why the other guy has made it while you are still stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Take a look at yourself honestly. If you have not achieved what you set to do, there is really one guy to blame. That guy is you. Don’t blame others. We humans I believe love blaming others and when we run out worldly things to blame, we blame God.

Realize that you and you alone are responsible for your success. The world does not owe you a living. Take a look at yourself and take charge of your life.