How to Motivate Yourself to Become More Productive

By Luke Howeth  

Photo: img.gawkerassets.com
 
Motivation

"Motivation is defined as the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. Motivation is what causes us to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge."

Motivation in real-life terms, is the drive in which takes us to action and success. It is what gives us the will to work, usually the result of the enjoyment of the work itself and/or the desire to achieve success and goals. And success consequently is what such work results in.
It's essential to not only have but to maintain motivation, not only to succeed online but in life itself. Motivation is the one thing that allows us to look at failure as opportunity, motivation is the one thing that doesn't let you sleep until 2:00AM and gets you up at 5:00AM only to carry on working, it's that one thing that FORCES you to go the extra mile. But ultimately motivation is the one thing that naturally allows you to reach success!

Motivation within marketing

Motivation plays a crucial role in actually taking action and going forth in order to see results. As clear as that may sound - 9 times out of 10, people (myself included) start to connect with a company/individual, full of motivation for the soon future. But, maybe when you've been involved for 3 month, a month or even a matter of weeks and you STILL haven't made that sale, or your site STILL isn't ready to put launched or whatever it may be; your motivation begins to slowly disappear. Eventually, you'll accept the fact that 'you're just not good enough, it's too hard', or 'you haven't got enough time' or 'the Internet's just not for you'. Every single person goes through these stages, I can guarantee you that no body has every just came onto the internet and found success - it takes determination, desperation to find a better life... and above all healthy motivation.
How I motivate myself

I'm not saying that you should just work-work-work. That wouldn't probably play an even more negative affect, you need to keep y

ourself happy otherwise you'll become less efficient and the quality of your work will suffer.
One thing I do to both keep myself happy but also decrease procrastination is I make a deal with myself that I will do something/be allowed to do something after I've completed a certain amount of work. This could be anything from having a few beers or going to that party, to just having a walk in the park.
Set large goals. I'm a big believer in setting big, general goals as opposed to smaller ones. Big goals mean big effect, and big affect creates motivating images in your mind!

Always give recognition to your success, this can be a great motivation booster - keep some sort of journal of all the successful tasks or pieces of work you've done - no matter how big or small.
"Never ever fear failure - instead redefine it as feedback as a natural part of a successful life" - Michael Jordan

This is probably the biggest one for me. When working on a project or whatever it is you're doing. Don't just think of what you'll get as a result of it; perhaps money. But think of what your life will be like as a result of the work. For example, you could immigrate, buy you're dream home, provide a life a wealth for your family and friends. Retire your parents early - whatever you want.
If possible, find pictures of things that motivate you. Things that hold meaning within them! Things that really get your blood pumping! Somewhere you'd love to live or somewhere you'd love to go!
Just do it!

Make each day count! Everyday when you awake, think positively with a smile on your face, this little trick will make your day a lot more positive resulting in you taking more action. Resulting in those actions to naturally producing more success!

Thanks for reading! If you want to know more about how I implement these tricks into my daily life as an online marketer working online. Check out my site - http://lukehoweth.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Luke_Howeth

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8125878

Share

Do You Want Success, Or Just Avoiding Failure?

By Richard Brody  

Photo: maximizemylife.com
 
Although being successful and the components of success are so often discussed, doesn't it seem somewhat strange that it often appears that far more individuals expend the majority of their energies and attention in the quest to avoid failure, than in the pursuit of success? After over thirty years of offering personal development seminars and coaching to over a thousand individuals, I have come to realize that, for many, even the concept of personal success appears to be a fuzzy one, and thus many people merely try not to fail than to succeed! There are certain components that each of us must both define for ourselves, as well as clearly identify, if we truly wish to succeed. These include: 1) What's your plan?; 2) How do you balance and analyze risk versus reward?; 3) Will you procrastinate and thus stagnate, or be proactive and pursue greatness?; and 4) Do you fear failure, or are you afraid of success?

1. There is rarely any likelihood of true success unless we begin and focus on our plan! What is your plan, and why? How does that plan propel you forward towards the achievement of your goals, and are you willing to commit to taking the needed action?

2. Everything we choose to either do, or we fail to do, should be evaluated on the risk versus reward scale! Many times, we permit our fears to nearly paralyze us, and we therefore procrastinate rather than taking proactive steps. True success is potentiated when this risk/ reward concept is evaluated, and we proceed forward after weighing potential risks, and daring to do what others seem to fear. The reality is that there is rarely any possibility of success unless we commit to doing rather than avoiding, and it is the ability to take smart risks that propels us towards genuine and meaningful success.

3. When one selects procrastination rather than action, it almost always leads towards often harmful stagnation. Unless one acts, there is little possibility of meaningful success, and our greatest successes are a result of having the courage to dare to act when others are controlled and dominated by their fears.

4. So many people seem so fearful of failing that we often misconstrue this with the reason that individuals procrastinate. I believe, however, that in many more situations, it is the fear of success that creates this procrastinating. Why would someone fear success? Unfortunately, far too many people are satisfied in living up (or down) to the lowest and minimal expectations, and therefore come to become comfortable with mediocrity.

If you want to be successful, plan accordingly and take timely action on your planning. It's never enough to settle for merely avoiding failure!

Richard has owned businesses, been a COO, CEO, and Director of Development, as well as a consultant. He has professionally run events, consulted to over a thousand leaders, and conducted personal development seminars, for over 30 years. Rich has written three books and well over a thousand articles. His company, PLAN2LEAD, LLC has an informative website http://plan2lead.net and Plan2lead can also be followed on Facebook http://facebook.com/Plan2lead

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Brody

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8169501

Share

How to Deal With Stress at Work

 By Janet Wolfe 

Photo: mentalhealthy.co.u
 
Did you know that a full time job from age 20 to age 65, means spending over 93,000 hours working? If you don't know how to deal with stress at work, that's a lot of unhappy hours. And job stress can spill beyond your work day as well. It is possible to handle the stress of your job, however, so it doesn't take over your life. You just need a plan.

Create a DIY job stress relief plan. In a 12 Step program for job stress, this is where I would stand up and say, "Hello, I am a workaholic." Or a recovering one at least. I used to go to bed worrying about work, dream about it, and wake up stressed again. I gave it every ounce of my effort, developed a whole host of stress related ailments, and collapsed on my days off.
So, I am here to tell you, it's not worth it. If your company starts to go under, as many of mine did, your investment of blood, sweat, and tears will mean very little. Instead, if you create a plan to deal with your stress at work today, it can also help you deal with job hazards that might appear tomorrow.

1. Acknowledge that being stressed at work does not equal doing a good job. You may think your boss has to see you stressed to understand how hard you work. But letting the job stress get to you actually keeps you from doing your best. Your mind will be sharper, and you'll get more done, with a good night's sleep.
Organize the end of each work day to be ready for the next one, and you'll feel more confident going home. Get some exercise to work off tension, or do some enjoyable activity to refresh your mind. Turn off your phone, don't check your work email, and reclaim your evenings. Clear your mind before bed, and start fresh tomorrow.

2. Evaluate where your stress is coming from. Is it the work itself? Are you confused or feeling in over your head? If so, a good boss would rather you ask for clarification than do things wrong. Ask if extra training is available, or take classes to further your understanding. The more you know, the less apt you are to feel overwhelmed.
Look at all the other sources of job stress the same way. It could be your co-workers, your work schedule, or a non-stop pace. Dealing with each stressor individually is far more effective than trying to tackle them together.

3. Drop the gossip. Gossip in the workplace is a parasite. It constantly needs feeding, and only leaves bad feelings wherever it goes. At first, you may have just wanted to belong. But if the gossipers talk about everyone else, before long you'll begin to worry what they say about you. You'll stress about who might want your job, or whatever else someone might do to sabotage your career.
When you pull yourself away from workplace gossip, a lot of stress at work will magically disappear.


4. You are not responsible for other people's problems. Are you the person co-workers and subordinates turn to for support? It's nice to feel needed, until you are weighed down with their personal problems. A great boss reminded me once that camp counselor was not in my job description. It was a valuable lesson that helped me lose a lot of stress at work, and probably helped the other people learn to cope on their own.

5. If the job is wrong for you admit it and consider a change. Sometimes what was a great job once becomes not so great any more. Maybe the work itself changed, or the people you valued are gone. Or maybe you knew from day one.

Continue to do the best work you can, because you owe it to them and yourself to do so. But begin to plan an exit strategy from a position of strength. Studies have shown that a lot of job stress occurs when we have little control. Taking control of your future, and moving to a job that is a better fit, can make a significant change in how you feel, so you'll have far less stress at work to deal with.
What's your biggest stress at work? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to share us on social media. We love hearing from you.

For more tips and great information on how to deal with stress, check out ClearYourStress.com. You'll also find many guided exercises and meditation methods to relieve stress, connect with your inner wisdom, and enjoy a balanced lifestyle. Visit ClearYourStress.com now to get started.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janet_Wolfe

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8128266

Share

Achieving Success: Minutes, Hours, Days, Years

 By Weldon Smith 

Photo: standard.co.uk
 
A successful life is made up of a string of successful days. A successful day is made up of successful hours. A successful hour is made up of successful minutes. What does a successful minute or hour or year look like?

We see people whom the less-wise and less-intelligent among us might think of as successful, and who are not really as successful as they are wealthy or famous. They could lose their wealth, their looks, or their fame just as fast as they gained it and there would be nothing left. We do, in fact, see that all the time. For example, professional athletes who age-out of sports and within a few years are bankrupt, in spite of having made millions of dollars per year for several years. It happens. They did well in their working lives, and they made a lot of money, but they were never successful and didn't know how to handle the downsides of life.
As we study successful people, we see that they have trials and opposition, the same as anyone else. They just deal with them much better.

We see other people who are very wealthy and lose it or a large portion of it, and they go to work and build it back. The wealth didn't make them successful. The success helped them become wealthy.
I have seen people who are extremely successful and have never been wealthy, and will probably never be, because they don't care about it.

We see people who seem to be successful by the world's standards, but who don't seem to have any sense. Politicians, CEOs, movie stars, athletes, and rock stars give in to very unsuccessful emotions and ruin their marriages and families through extra-marital affairs. They ruin their lives with alcohol and drugs. They break the law trying to get or stay rich. In today's world, people seem to adore them no less, and many of them keep their offices or the status or their wealth and work. But none of them can be thought of as successful. A successful person would not reach such a lofty position and then chance the ruination of it through any form of stupidity.

A good bit of success is remembering to stay successful. It's easy to get to a place where many other people wish they could be, and then think too much of ourselves, and become proud and cocky, and lose it all or do things that an intelligent person should never even consider.

Every minute, every hour, every day, every year are important to those of us wanting to be successful. And that should be everyone. Success is getting to the end of our lives having gotten as close as we are capable of being where and what we should be. For those who don't know where or what they should be, part of success if learning where and what they should be. Successful people know. If we never try, or if, anywhere along the way we give up, we can't be successful.

Now that we know what a successful life is, we can understand that each week, day, hour, and minute are the same. A successful minute is one where we are learning and working toward becoming what we are supposed to become. More of those than not in an hour is a successful hour, and more of those hours than not gives us a successful day.

Each year, I spend a week at a lake, boating, skiing, water boarding, tubing, eating, conversing, playing, and having a very good time. Is that a successful week? It is for me. I'm still learning. I'm still watching other people, and I know they are watching me. I'm still thinking. I'm still considering what I should be doing, and what I should be becoming. I'm still thinking about the beginning of my life and the end of my life, and all that is in between. And I am resting and recreating, which are important for a successful life. We can no more go through our entire lives without resting and recreating than we can go through our days without sleeping. We have to charge the batteries sometimes.

A successful life is made up of a string of successful days. Knowing that, we must press forward. Success is predictable. We can never arrive at success. If we think we've made it, we haven't. We can never stop trying to attain success. Only by keeping trying can we be successful.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Weldon_Smith

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8063732

Share

Is Fear Holding You Back?

 By Ben S. Solomon 

Photo: wholisticwomanretreats.com
 
Fear, this is something each and every one of us has to contend with, almost on a daily basis. Even the greatest athlete, the most successful business person and the seemingly courageous people out there, have to contend with their fears. The thing that separates the average people from the top performers is the fact that they find ways to deal with their fears and work on conditioning themselves to take action, in spite of the fear.
Fear is a natural response built into us. This was built in to protect us from the unknown and help us survive. But this can manifest itself now in ways that we wouldn't think of.

The next time you hesitate to write that eBook you have been thinking about or that blog post that could help a bunch of people or shy away from doing an audio or video recording of some information that you have, and think at least one other person might find useful, I urge you to take a chance. It took me a lot of courage to get off my backside and do what I'm doing. When creating content, you need to also be prepared to deal with criticism. There is always going to be a portion of the population that is going to criticize anything you do, and if you let them stop you from adding value to the world, then someone out there is missing out on valuable information that only are able to provide with your unique understanding of it.

The greatest mistake I believe we can make is dismissing ourselves. When we keep doing this constantly, either due to external input or internal self-talk. Our internal self-talk, if it is negative and self-dismissive, can be very poisonous. This can hold us back from taking action that we know we should be taking and creating content that we could be creating. One of the best things I've personally done is look at my self-talk that had been negative and self-dismissive, due to various reasons, and working on it to gain confidence.

You are worth it. Your knowledge and the information that you have to share with the world is worth every penny. So take heart, and start creating wonderful content that you alone can uniquely create. God has instilled this in each and every one of us. We need to keep exercising this skill of taking positive action, till is becomes embedded in our subconscious and becomes automatic.

Don't let fear rule over the action you can take today to provide wonderful value to others out there.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_S._Solomon

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8043316

Share

Do I Have to Be Perfect to Be Successful?

 By Ellen Farquharson 

Photo: catarinasworld.com
 
Sometimes people wonder if they have to be perfect in order to be successful. Many of us carry with us a secret insecure side of us with painful scars from our past experiences. We 'fake it until we make it', so to speak, and just hope that nobody notices or ever sees us for who we really are.

The question is, who are you really? Are you your strengths and dreams; or are you your weaknesses and scars? I believe we are an extension of God energy, and only when we forget that fact, do we internalize negative experiences and make them part of us. Those are NOT who we are. Those are just things that happen in our around us. Things that we don't like, that do not make us feel happy. That is actually a good thing.

WHY? Because they show us vividly what we do not want. Only when we identify what does not feel good and what we do not want, can we begin for focus more strongly on what we DO want. In other words, you can't taste the sweet unless you've tasted the sour. What if we interpreted negative experiences (whether we feel they are our fault or not), as KEY indicators of what we do not want. Negative experiences are almost like a yellow traffic light saying slow down, pay attention, and don't keep moving in this direction. TURN to the left or right, but do not keep going forward in this direction.

I love the idea that our hurtful or painful experiences are here specifically to teach us, through our FEELINGS, about what we do not want. Only through feeling the negative can we say, NO, I don't like this or want this. I'm going to move in a different direction. I chose a new direction that feels good to me that leads me to a wonderful place full of health, wealth, and beautiful relationships. My past pain is not going to be my future, just because it feels familiar to me. That is NOT me.

That is something liberating. Talk about making lemonade out of lemons! Were you abandoned, neglected, or abused in your childhood? Did you like it? NO! Flashing yellow light! Now you know you will be double focused on being a devoted, loving, present parent that teaches your child a new way of living. Your children will grow up happy, secure, with their needs met. If you never say "NO, that wasn't right. I don't like that," then you will most likely repeat the painful pattern. Being a loving parent is your destiny. That's who you are!
Did you grow up without much money or stability? Good!Now you take very seriously the importance of working, of developing your skills, and living in abundance. Nothing will stop you or deter you from achieving your goals because you have been at the bottom and did not like it. So you are committed to being at the top! Living in abundance is your destiny. Thats' who you are!

Did you believe you had to be perfect to be successful? Did you learn through experience to get approval from others through your performance or attempted perfection? Were you afraid to let others down or lose their love and approval if you made a mistake? That hurts. And it is a prison of achievement with an insatiable monster eating up every accomplishment you dish up before you can even catch your breath and celebrate. Believe it or not, that's good too! Now you know that you can accomplish great things which drove you to success. But you now realize it takes the joy out of the accomplishment if you do it for someone else. It doesn't feel good when you say "tada," and wait for someone else to say great job. That's not you. That's the child in you.

Your destiny is to achieve your goals because you want to experience the joy of accomplishing them. Your destiny is to pursue your dreams so that your own adult life experience can be better with those results in it. Your destiny is to love, laugh, achieve, believe, and live each day for the joy of experiencing whatever it is that you want... just because you want it. If no one ever acknowledges anything you are doing, that's OK as long as you are feeling joy in the journey of it. It could be joy in the work or joy in the money you earn from it and what you can purchase afterwards. It doesn't matter.

Whatever and wherever your joy is, that's your destiny. That's who you are. And only you can define yourself by that and not let your negative 'guiding' experiences define you. They are just the yellow traffic lights telling you to move in another direction. Your life is the only place you get to be you, so enjoy it! And let the rest go.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ellen_Farquharson

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8020030

Share

Staying Motivated For Long Term Success

 By Brett Thrailkill 

Photo: info.ultimatemedical.edu
 
How many times have you let pessimistic people stop you from pursuing your dreams? Do you start doubting yourself, and your abilities to make things happen? That negative friend that means well, but always shooting holes in your goals should be avoided. Training yourself to recognize it immediately, making a decision to stay on course, and pursuing your goals with all your might, is what we're after here.

If you continue to let pessimistic people drain every ounce out of your body, you will have only one person to blame: You. Pointing your finger at your spouse, child, job, or anyone (or anything) else is not allowed, nor will it help. The most motivated people in the world keep themselves on a higher level by reading, viewing, and practicing motivational acts. Reading a great book on staying focused and attaining all you want in life is terrific, but you have to keep reading it--and others just like it. Motivation has to become a part of your everyday life. Eat, breath, and live it!

Read about people like Nick Vujici. Born without limbs due to an extremely rare medical condition, he doesn't let that stop him from writing books, speaking to thousands, and even learning to surf. The old saying, "If I can do it, you can do it," certainly comes to mind. A truly remarkable individual, Mr. Vujici made a decision long ago not to let negative people stop him from being successful in life. He stays motivated no matter what!

Michael Jordan is another fine example of someone who would stay motivated at all cost. Did you know that this basketball icon was cut from his high school hoops team? Mr. Jordan decided at that moment, that he would do whatever it took to be successful. I doubt he pointed his finger, and placed blame at everyone except for the only one that could change his predicament: Michael Jordan.

What about yours truly, how do I stay consistently motivated? I think back to a failed business, and how the lack of money made me feel. I had no confidence to speak of. But I decided if things were going to turn around for me, it would take hard work and a giant dose of positivity. I made a list of reasons why I shouldn't quit, and the lives that would be improved if I got back on track. "Start a new business that will be ten times bigger and better than my old one," I told myself. If anyone got in my way, I quickly reminded myself why I was working so hard, and why it was an absolute must to remain motivated. I am now well on the way to achieving that goal.

In summary, your success or failure in life hinges on you, and your ability to keep yourself on track and motivated. Don't allow the negative rhetoric we come into contact each day to dictate how we live our lives. Break this habit today, keep yourself motivated on a regular basis, and watch your dreams take shape!

Motivational Day is the premier site for personal development. Stop by at Motivational People or Motivational Day.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brett_Thrailkill

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8008347

Share