Cultivating a Positive Mindset for Motivation
Motivation is a complex and often nuanced topic. Those who spend their time convincing others to be motivated share one common point of truth: it's not about what you do, but rather how you feel about doing it — your mindset. We often feel unmotivated by our daily routines, but turning that into positive motivation can take little effort. Ask yourself these four questions about your current day-to-day life and work back from the answers to find your personal motivation.
Am I doing what I love?
This question is often easier to answer when your life is at its most comfortable point, like on a vacation. When you're back in the daily grind, however, figuring out how much of your day-to-day life is devoted to work that you actually enjoy can be difficult. If you can't pinpoint even one activity that makes up part of your typical day without hesitation or regret, then it's time to consider changing something in order to find greater satisfaction. It's possible that the line between work and personal interests has become blurred and needs to be reexamined. If you're able to identify several activities that you enjoy, but they all fall into the same category or related categories, then it's possible that you need to explore other areas as well. It's also possible that your current job or choice of career is not something that naturally lends itself to your interests, and thus a career shift may be in order.
Am I effective?
If the answer to this question is yes, then giving yourself positive motivation is as simple as reiterating the value of your work. If the answer is no — which it may be if you're being completely honest — then take some time to determine exactly why this is the case. Perhaps you're in an ineffective position to perform your duties well. If so, then it may be time to reassess your current situation and act accordingly. On the opposite end of the spectrum, perhaps you're a highly effective individual but are working on tasks that don't suit your strengths. In this case, it may be time to speak up about your feelings and help steer things back onto a more positive path.
Am I taking care of myself?
Taking care of yourself doesn't mean that you need to go out of your way or make grand gestures in order to achieve this goal. It simply means that you're doing what's necessary on a daily basis for your mind and body to function at their highest level possible. For example, if you work nights at a restaurant, then getting a full night's sleep before going to work is important for your personal well-being. If you can't seem to hit the hay at the right time of night, then it may be worth scheduling a doctor's visit to ensure that you're in good health.
Am I grateful?
We often focus on what we lack in our lives rather than what we have. Even if you do all of the above, chances are still good that there's plenty of room for improvement in your current lifestyle or job situation. No matter how bad it may seem at times, however, remember to look upon your life with gratitude rather than discontentment. You have all of the resources you need right now to achieve your goals, and you can always add new things later. The benefits of a positive mindset far outweigh any unwarranted worries about the future. Even if only one person is inspired by your words, or even if no one is influenced in any way, the act of giving yourself positive motivation is a worthwhile endeavor.
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The following are just a few that I found most useful. If I missed anything please do post it in the comments section below. Enjoy! A Positive Attitude: Why some people become successful, and some don't , by Anthony Robbins .
"I am determined to be cheerful and hopeful about the future, not because the future is certain to be bright but because I believe that there is a future which is certain to be bright." -- Helen Keller . Don't you hate it when you don't have any motivation? This article will help you change that.
Positive Attitude Motivation | Dave Kelleher Life Hacks
The main thing that this article and all the others like it are missing from their secrets to positive motivation posts or even this blog post is actionable steps. You can give me all the motivation in the world but what good is it if I don't act on it? To give you an example, when I use to teach public speaking and persuasion, I would almost always have a course on building self-confidence. It made a big difference in how people viewed themselves and their ability which led to higher performances in all areas of life. Now you take a person who doesn't have that confidence and try to motivate them and tell them that they are good enough, etc., but they are so out of practice and convinced of their own mediocrity that it just doesn't work. What does work is showing them how to do something. Activity leads to confidence — not words. After they have the confidence, then you can use positive motivation to lift them higher, but you have to start with action.
So if you want some real actionable steps that will help your personal life and professional life, check out my Super Targeted Public Speaking Program . It will give you tons of tangible things that you can do immediately and it is guaranteed to build your self-confidence, public speaking skills and get you real results.
Breathing exercises – The Power of Pause By Erika Beras Good breathing is a fundamental skill for life and for achieving success. Everyone knows we should breathe deeply and regularly but very few know the art of breathing well. If we breathe well, we have the power to change our state of consciousness. We are aware of our breathing and its influence on us. Breathing is so simple and yet it can be so empowering! You can use your breath to control your emotions, improve athletic performance, relax during stressful situations, or even become aware when you're in "fight or flight" mode. The respiratory system (lungs, throat, mouth) is part of the autonomic nervous system that controls functions not consciously controlled such as breathing. Each time you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and flattens creating negative pressure in the lungs which pulls air into the lungs.
Conclusion:
So, once again, the question to ask in this situation is: What are you going to do about it? Are you going to let those negative emotions control your life and allow them to destroy your relationships and inhibit your success? Or are you going to use this knowledge and actually DO something about it? Well, my friends, the decision is up to you. But I can assure you that the path of least resistance is always NOT taking action. The path of least resistance will suck all your energy away from you and leave you feeling stuck. Those negative emotions aren't going anywhere until YOU make a choice – a conscious choice – about how they're affecting your life.