Tapping into Personal Motivation

Does the word “Motivation” have a charge for you? Do you notice that when you get ready to begin certain projects curious personal behaviors emerge? Have you noticed the desire to stop reading this article altogether? This topic can be a bit overwhelming.

How many of us have listened to motivational speakers and wanted someone to just, oh, I don’t know, perhaps shush them up!!! Or how about reading books on motivation and finding that you don’t even have the motivation to finish the book? As a human and a coach this issue comes up often. The common thread is that many of us have behaviors that seem to undermine the desire to complete something that we really want to do.

I looked up the word “motivation” in my dictionary and could not find a definition. I was going to leave it at that and thought, “Well, since I am writing an article on this subject, I probably could be a bit more thorough” (a curious behavior of mine is sometimes giving up too quickly!). So, I read further and found the definition for motivate.

Motivate means: to provide with a motive.

This was interesting, though this did not say much. I read further, I was becoming more motivated now to find a definition that I could work with to make this an interesting and exciting article that would inspire readers! Here was the next definition I found.

Motive means: an inner urge that prompts a person to action with a sense of purpose.

Much better! So there is an inner urge and a sense of purpose, and the only part that can hinder us is the action. Let’s play with this a bit. The first step is to notice the inner urge. Maybe you have an inner urge to clean out your closet, paint a wall a different color, or write a book. Give this urge a voice. Maybe you could write about it, talk about it, or read about it.

The next step is to get clear about what this sense of purpose is for you. Maybe the clutter in your house is driving you nuts and you are tired of feeling crazy. Your purpose for painting may be that your walls were painted dusty rose in the 80′s and you just want to bring in a more modern feel. The book? Well, that has been a secret dream for years and the purpose is to share something with the world that is uniquely you.

Now it’s time to get clear about what needs to be in place in order for you to take action. Maybe you need to set aside more time or save more money. For larger projects finding supportive people to talk to may be helpful. Maybe you need an organized space for creativity. Being honest with yourself about what needs to be in place will support you in taking that action that could make your life a lot less crazy, a lot more modern and a lot more creative.

Take some time to release the charge around how you motivate and watch yourself!

About the Author
Lynne has spent years gathering tools to assist others to tap into their inner wisdom. Her work is about ways to accept, love, and honor Self, and to take the great leap of faith into being authentically you! Learn more at her website and her blog–you’ll be glad you did!

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Is This The Secret To Success?

I want to discuss a key that is vital in your quest to achieve you life goals.

Ask any successful person what was it that enabled them to reach goals that to the ordinary person appeared beyond comprehension, they will tell you they took action. If you do not take action on a goal or a dream it will eventually die.

Being decisive and taking action fortunately is a skill that can be learned. Successful people do the opposite to unsuccessful people in as much as they make decisions quickly and change them slowly, if at all, unsuccessful people make decisions slowly and change them quickly.

Unsuccessful people want everything in place BEFORE embarking on a goal achieving journey; they continually ask ‘What If Something Happens?’ Successful people ask ‘What if it doesn’t happen?’

Top achievers do not wait until every ‘I’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed before they decide to take a course of action. Once they feel they have enough information to make a decision that is just what they do, they then use the time on their journey to modify plans, take different directions, even stop and re-consider. But they took the initial action to get going, un-achievers procrastinate and are subject to inertia.

It was Dr Martin Luther King who said, ‘Take the first step; You do not need to see the whole staircase before you, just take the first step in faith.’

You see there is no shame in failure. To successful people failure is only finding out that what they were doing needed modifying, they learn from the experience.

I have experienced both situations, although I have always been known as a person who makes decisions quickly, embarking on some activities that were doomed to a lack of success. But each time I did not succeed another lesson was learned what I was doing was not the correct way to reach the goal I wanted. Time for analysis and modification – so what at least I was going toward my goal not sitting hoping something would happen.

There were times in the past however when I used to blame anything around me, people, events situations for my lack of success, I always had an excuse. You know what is the wonderful thing about our minds? We cannot tell ourselves lies. Think about it, when you are looking to blame someone else for you lack of success isn’t that an outside thing, don’t you just know deep inside yourself that the responsibility really lies at you own door.

Remember when you point a finger there are always three fingers pointing back.
There are three types of people in the world as far as I am concerned.

Those that make things happen; Those that sit back and watch what is happening and finally those that say ‘Uh! What happened?’
To which group do you belong?

Fortunately for me I learned to take responsibility for my own actions, and everything that is in my life NOW is a direct result of ME bringing it into my life, no one else – ME!

There again it is amazing how little effort you need to exert to start off making things happen in your life. As you start toward your goal you attract more and more energy that drives you toward success. Getting into action helps you maintain action; it’s the simple law of physics, once a body is moving it is easier and easier to keep it moving.

I can only use the analogy of driving a car, at first as you press the accelerator you move slowly but the law of physics takes over and the car moves easier and easier with less pressure on the accelerator (Gas pedal for our American colleagues).

Look at your goals you have written down. Just take one of them and decide to take action on it NOW! Ignore the fact that you haven’t planned out the finest detail, ignore the number of times your negative self tells you it cannot happen Just DO IT! Choose a reward you will give yourself when the goal is achieved; no matter if it is just a goal to clear the garden of weeds, take action and you will quickly learn that the only way to achieve a goal is to take action in the first place.

As Martin Luther King jnr said “Take the First Step In Faith” This is where your journey begins but only if you take that fist step with ACTION!

About the Author

Are YOU tired of watching other people succeed when you find it difficult? – After 20 years of helping people succeed David Dutch has written a guide that guarantees you can savour success within 30 days. Your First Step To Financial Freedom His Free report filled with hints; tips, ideas and secrets to successful goal achievement is on on the same link.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Secrets To Control Your Path To Success: Top 7 Ways To Maintain Control Over Your Time

Have you ever asked yourself how you can control your path to success? Is there even a possibility that you can control it? Well, actually it is actually possible to control your path to success and there are actually numerous methods to do so. But for today, I will first show you several little known secrets on how you can control your time, so as to lead you to better success.

So here are the top 7 ways you can control your time:

1) Identify how much time you need. You must be clear on the amount of time you require to carry out certain activities like bathing, eating, working, etc each day. Always remember that you only have 24 hours a day – no more, no less – and once the 24 hours is gone, there is no way of reclaiming it back.

2) Identify whether you are performing any of the time annihilators. Time annihilators are basically things or actions you do that waste or annihilate too much of your time such as chatting unnecessarily. Think of ways on how you can avoid or at least minimise them.

3) Make a list of things you need to do. Let’s face it, not many of us are memory experts. So, in order to remember important things, schedules and appointments better, make a list on either a notebook, an electronic organiser or even your cell phone.

4) Set time bound goals. This basically means to set a fixed date for you to accomplish certain goals. For example, if you need to complete a project by the end of this month, write down 30th June 2007 as the targeted date to accomplish it.

5) Make a timetable. Divide your day / week / month according to the basic activities you need to carry out and the actions you need to take to achieve your goals. Try to follow your timetable as closely as possible.

6) Fight procrastination. I understand that this can be quite hard to overcome for some but try your very best to do it. Be focus on your goal and set your mind to achieve your goal while at the same try to remain motivated.

7) Take effective actions. You must take the proper and appropriate steps and measures into carrying out your tasks, goals, aspirations so as to obtain the most optimal results.

There you have it, the top 7 ways to control your time and in turn control your success. Now, it is time for you to take charge and put what you have just known into action.

About the Author

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How Fast Are You Going?

It is so easy to be caught in the whirlwind of busyness that our lives spiral out of control. The days start to blur together and before you know it days turns into weeks and months turn into years. While you try frantically to get more done, your life is passing you. The demands of modern society means we are constantly driving ourselves that much closer to burn out. And yet how many times do we get a yearning to slow down our lives, to have a respite from the frantic schedules we create for ourselves. In 1985, physician Larry Dossey, in his book Space, Time and Medicine, coined the term “time sickness” to describe the illnesses that nag us because we believe we’re in the race of our lives against a ticking clock. We use every product, day planner, appliance, and trick we know to win that race, even as we backfill more and more activities into our already busy schedules. According to philosopher Jacob Needleman, our frenetic pace of life is a “new kind of poverty.” And it is killing us.

Amongst the backdrop of fast food, and fast pace there is now a growing movement that embraces the simpler life. The simplicity movement is more than just trying to live a frugal life. It’s not just a matter of reducing clutter or saving money … it’s a matter of slowing down to enjoy life more, of savoring life’s simple pleasures, of rejecting on some level the materialistic culture we are all caught up in and embracing fellow humans instead. It is about changing our values and priorities.

This no-rush attitude doesn’t represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means reestablishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the “now”, present and concrete, versus the “global”, undefined and anonymous.

If you feel that the time is right to embrace the simplicity approach to life then here are some simple tips:

1. Fight the technology itch. Technology has enabled many people to be constantly connected in. But there is also a grave downside. There is a growing number of people who are simply unable to unplug at home, with laptops, e-mails or conference calls keeping them working into the wee hours. To fight the technology itch you have to be willing to unplug yourself from work for at least a few hours a day. You have to be willing to believe that the world won’t unfold around you if you don’t answer that call or reply to that email that very instant. Most times it can wait, so give yourself permission to enjoy your personal time fully.

2. Take time to enjoy your food. One of the greatest pleasures in life is savouring a great meal. With more and more people rushing around during their lunch hour to squeeze in a meal before getting back to their work there is now what has come to be known as The Slow Food movement. It was founded as a resistance movement to fast food. It has since expanded globally to 100 countries and now has 83,000 members. The main objectives of the slow movement is to encourage people to eat healthier food options. So why not make every meal an opportunity to enjoy the conversation if you’re dining with others, or peaceful solitude if eating alone.

3. Stop watching the clock. You don’t need to schedule every moment of your life. Some things in life just aren’t conducive to scheduling. Imagine trying to schedule time for your children when they come to you with problems. Instead of having your clock dictate the rhythms of your life, why not take the weekend as an opportunity to let go and chill. Let yourself be woken by your body’s natural rhythm instead of the alarm clock and spend the day without your watch.

4. Take time our and relax. Organise a short day or weekend retreat every few months so that you can just escape your fast paced world. Approach it without a care in the world, leave behind your cell phone and work commitments. Just spend it in nature or a small slow paced town and just enjoy the world go by. You will be surprised as to how much you will feel rejuvenated and more productive when you come back to work.

About the Author

For the young at heart, find inspiring and motivating articles for every aspect of your life. For more information visit: www.4evayoung.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Prospering Through Tough Times Both Personally and Professionally

Los Angeles, CA – One of Dick Gunther’s first lessons in philanthropy came at an age before he was able to understand what he had witnessed.

“One of my only memories of the Great Depression was when I was five years old” Gunther, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist recalled. “I remember a nicely dressed man coming to our door and politely asking my mother if she could give him something to eat, as he was hungry and had no money. She asked him to come around to the kitchen and she fixed him some food. I remember being very upset and wondering how it could be that this nice man who looked prosperous could be hungry. I was young and lacked the form of reference to understand that the economy had tanked, and that even the rich had become the poor practically overnight.”

Gunther’s recollections are collected in his memoir, How High Is Up: the Tale of a Restless Spirit (Greenleaf Publishing, 2009), (www.dickgunther.com), written to share his lessons in life with his three sons. His message is simple—times are tough now, but they have been tough before, and if we can manage to keep our eyes and our hearts focused on things that truly matter, we can reduce and sometimes defeat fear and anxiety. More importantly, the key to a fulfilling life lies within our ability to think and be of service to others.

In Gunther’s 83 years he had made millions in real estate and other businesses, helped untold thousands through charitable organizations and programs he either founded, steered or participated in and raised family along the way.

His tips for living a rich, fulfilling life apply to business as well as your personal life.

Remember That Life is an Adventure – “Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a ride’” is what author Dean Karnazes says about life. Embracing that philosophy and living life with high energy embodies Gunther’s path for the good life.

Take Reasonable Risks in Life – In living his life as an adventure, Gunther learned that if we are to get the most out of life, we have to take risks. Not crazy risks, but ‘push the envelope’ to understand our own capacities.

Ignore Failure and Learn From Mistakes – “One thing to remember is that there is no such thing as failure, unless we define the experience that way,” Gunther said. “If we attempt something in life or business and it doesn’t work, we don’t have to consider it a failure. If we do, it is a crime of ego. We either feel diminished as a person, or assume that we failed because of some deficiency within ourselves. Better to leave out the ego from the equation and simply say ‘That didn’t work, so what have I learned from it?’”

Solve Problems – “I learned a big lesson from my children,” he said. “With children, just as in business, it’s not always as important to be right as it is to solve problems. You can be right, but it may not always help the situation. Today’s economy is fraught with injustice, and many feel they are in the right to take punitive action against those who have caused it. But that doesn’t always solve the problem. My children taught me that being right isn’t always of real importance. Solving problems is.”

At 83, Gunther shows no signs of slowing down in his philanthropic work, which is based on one of his most important messages. “Always have something to do that involves helping others,” he said. “One of the secrets of a happy and serene life is that enriching the lives of others also enriches you.”

About the Author
A successful entrepreneur who made a fortune by age 34, Dick Gunther is an investor, writer, husband, father and grandfather; he is a man who learned to give. His charitable efforts have earned many awards and much recognition – to name a few: Founder AARP Legacy Award, Chairman of Operation Exodus, Co-President, Americans for Peace Now, Member California Governor’s Council on Wellness and Fitness and California State Commission on Aging, and he was a delegate to the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and honored by being named on President Richard M. Nixon’s Enemy List. He was given the UCLA award for Community Services and also serves on the Board, the Executive and other Committees of the Grameen Foundation USA, supporting major micro-enterprise loan programs, which are involved in millions of small loans around the world. (www.dickgunther.com)

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/

Time Management: Who Needs it in Retirement?

by Windsor Augustin

Time management tools, strategies and even software are useful to goal-oriented managers in the corporate environment, right? If you’re in your retirement planning years, isn’t it a waste of time (no pun intended) to focus even an ounce of energy on time management skills? After all, time is the one thing you’ll have plenty of, right?

Not exactly. Even in retirement, you’ll still want to get the most out of your day. Time management happens to be one of the most valuable skills with which you’ll leave the workforce in order have a successful retirement. If you haven’t mastered it yet, there are many benefits to getting started today.

Here’s why: The fear of no longer being needed, or the sense of not accomplishing anything can be stressful in retirement. To compensate, there may be a natural tendency to ‘think’ of a bunch of things you’d like to do. Without good time management skills, the majority of these things will never see the light of day. You’ll tend to procrastinate thinking that there’s tomorrow…until too many tasks build up and become overwhelming. This will inevitably lead to frustration, a sense of emptiness instead of accomplishment, and even missed appointments with friends and family.

However, your personal life in retirement can be as successful as your business life if you practice time management strategies. As such, it is highly beneficial to learn how to organize your day, how to schedule your time in order to accomplish more without feeling overwhelmed.

A daily or weekly ‘To-Do’ list is still as valuable in your retirement as it was in the office environment. The reason is you don’t want to trust your memory to keep track of things that should be committed to paper and ink. Further, your to-do list will always form a profile of tasks you need to keep track of in order to see where you’re spending the majority of your time.

Above all, you need to learn the importance of time. Although it may seem to be plentiful at first, it remains even more so a precious commodity. It is important to make your list and your schedule around your own concept of time.

Your mastery of this important skill will serve to put your own life in perspective as well as help you avoid the stress associated with the feeling of accomplishing little to nothing in retirement.

Notice you will not need much in terms of tools. Sophisticated software or bulky planners are not necessary. As long as your chosen tools work for you and you are comfortable using them, you’re all set. But at the bare minimum you should have:

• an activity log to track your activities (however frequently you wish to track them – daily or weekly)

• the habit of scheduling important events in your life (especially leisure time – because contrary to popular belief, all your time will not be leisure)and,

• a sense of your priorities so you can assign a time barrier to all the tasks you want to accomplish that are important to you.

Don’t forget to stay flexible. You’re no longer doing this to climb a corporate ladder or to prove your competence.

There’s no need to plan every minute of every day of your life. But at the same time be mindful that you are playing with the most precious of all commodities you’ve got left. Make it count.

About The Author
Windsor Augustin is a Financial Strategist and a Home Equity Management expert. His mortgage planning practice in Naples, Florida focuses on the needs of the entrepreneur, the small business owner and the soon-to-retire with strategies that allow them to retire earlier with zero mortgage debt. Visit him at www.trusted-retirement-planning-tips.com.

Mrs. Mom – Trials of a Reluctant Housewife

By Lisa Earle McLeod
www.forgetperfect.com

I’m a housewife again. And I’m even worse at this job than I was the first time I did it.

After a three-year stint of manning the home front while he looked for a business, my husband has tossed me the minivan keys and gone back to a paying job.

Turns out I’m not only a bad housewife, but I’m a cranky one, too.

It’s just amazing how much there is to do, and how ungrateful people are when you do it.

The kids expect to be picked up from every activity they attend. The one time you forget and leave a middle-schooler waiting for 30 minutes in the gym parking lot, they chastise you like you abandoned them on the highway.

The orthodontist charges after the second missed appointment. Like I’m supposed to see that little card at the bottom of my purse. The bank closes at 4, the dry cleaners don’t deliver, the Christmas decorations won’t pack themselves away and the milk refuses to multiply.

It’s like a bad Mr. Mom movie. Only instead of the clueless husband trying to figure out how to work the washer and dryer, I’m trying to remember where we keep the vacuum and what to do when we run out of plates. Technically, I’ve always been at home; that’s where my office is.

But it’s been years since I did any actual work here. Before hubby became head houseman, I sustained the operation with a string of baby sitters, house cleaners and other assorted helpers to take the edge off my domestic pain.

However, now that I’m saddled with the full cornucopia of domesticity, it’s obvious that I’m not woman enough for the job.

The worst part is dinner duty. My family seems to think that they should eat something EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. Yet when I look in the fridge, there isn’t any food for me to cook with. How am I supposed to do this job if no one gives me the proper equipment

I confess: I’ve been spoiled.

I married a man who can cook. He not only cooks, he cooks very, very well. As in cooking classes, cookbooks and fancy kitchen gadgets that now sit on the counter in silent judgment, mocking the new chef who has no idea how to use them.

With the old cook spending 12 hours a day getting a business started, the current kitchen manager is struggling to fill his fry pan.

I’m finally being paid back for all those times as a kid when I greeted my mother at the door with, “What’s for dinner” or whined about the frequency of Tuna Helper.

I got creative one night and put frozen blueberries on top of cereal, and did my children thank me No. They whined for Daddy’s bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. I served boiled broccoli with my special Tofu Scrambler, and did they appreciate the healthy, home-cooked fare No. They asked if we could order pizza.

In addition to criticizing my cooking, they also fail to appreciate the usually signed permission slips, the mostly remembered ice cream money, the sometimes given baths and the occasionally tidied TV room.

I know every home needs a backup person, but why does it have to be me

Most women never get a three-year break. But I’ve tasted the good life, where someone else picks up your cleaning and all you do for dinner is show up at the table, and I want it back.

I love being a mom, but being chief cook and bottle washer is wearing me out. It’s a tough gig when your supervisors have less experience than you do, and no matter how hard you work, you never get a raise or promotion.

In fact, I’m beginning to wonder if being good at this behind-the-scenes job means that no one ever notices your work at all.

© Copyright 2007, by Lisa Earle McLeod. All rights reserved.

About the Author
Lisa Earle McLeod is a nationally recognized speaker and the author of “Forget Perfect” and “Finding Grace When You Can’t Even Find Clean Underwear.” Contact her or join her interactive blog at www.ForgetPerfect.com.

Health Care and Medicaid — Weathering the Recession

Here is an interesting article from the New England Journal of Medicine, written by Diana Rowland, Sc.D.

Medical Mistakes: Failure to Communicate

Check out this post from WebMD and then get your bluehealer diary so that you can be a better communicator with your doctor!

Mistakes in diagnosis or treatment plans often occur when the parties involved fail to communicate. Sounds like the movie, “Cool Hand Luke”.

The Patient’s Role: The most critical part of any medical encounter is the history (his-story, or her-story), which is typically provided by the patient. Some patients are more verbose and specific than others, however. It is the responsibility of the medical provider to ask the appropriate, focused questions to fill in the gaps. Many times, patients will not reveal the whole story. They need to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, to quote the witness oath.Communication requires a minimum of two people. In a medical encounter, those two people are the patient and the provider, and each should equally share the honest responsibility of full-disclosure…including mistakes. Always remember that we are in this TOGETHER.

Top 10 tips for planning your day

Whether you are a busy corporate professional who needs to make better use of your time both at the office and at home, an entrepreneur who works with a variety of vendors and projects or a stay-at-home mom who needs more structure to get things done, the right tools can help you work more effectively and take control of your time.

1. Throw away the sticky notes. Is your desk cluttered with sticky notes reminding you of appointments, to do items and notes for projects? This is not an effective way to stay on top of projects and meetings. Sticky notes can easily be thrown away or misplaced.

2. Similarly, keep a notebook with you to jot down the things you have to do, notes to yourself, shopping lists, etc. When you have a consistent place to record new to-dos or ideas your workspace will be clean. It also removes the temptation to start new projects right away.

3. Plan your day each morning or the night before. Try to spend 5-10 minutes each day on planning your activities with a daily to do list.

4. Manage your e-mail. Reading and responding to e-mail can quickly consume your day. Establish a time for reading and responding to email. Pencil that time in to your calendar and treat it like a meeting. For example, from 1:30 to 2:30 you will take a break from projects and address emails that require an immediate response. Choose a less productive time of day to read “important-but-not-urgent” e-mails such as newsletters and general information items. Flag messages after you read them to remind yourself of any necessary follow-ups.

5. Place your phone on do not disturb when you need to focus on a project. Like email, schedule a time each day to return calls and try to return messages within 24 hours.

6. Use one planner for both work and personal appointments. This will minimize confusion or double booking.

7. Check off items as you complete them. By placing a check mark next to completed items you will most likely feel a sense of accomplishment.

8. Arrange your work time to keep interruptions to a minimum. Set boundaries or close your door when you need uninterrupted time for concentration.

9. Learn to say “No” to commitments that don’t match your priorities, without guilt! Maybe you can’t be PTA president or the soccer Team Mom, but perhaps you could volunteer for snack duty one day a month to remain involved in your child’s activities.

10. Conduct a time study. The easiest way to do this is to print a daily calendar. Write down what each family member is doing during the day. Identify any problem times where schedules might overlap, and think about how the schedule can be re-structured to eliminate problems.

Angela Shipp has learned to balance a hectic career and stay organized at the same time. She is the author of bluehealer® diary, a personal command center for personal and family schedules. The bluehealer® diary can be found at www.bluehealeradiary.com.