If you’ve ever had a hard time getting or staying disciplined, you may have been
struggling with a lack of motivation. Motivation and discipline usually go
hand-in-hand because without motivation, it is nearly impossible to become
disciplined. Ironically, once you become disciplined you rarely need to be
motivated to keep your life running smoothly.
Discipline is a willingness and commitment to do what needs to be done. Without
discipline, our lives would be in disarray. Think about the things you do on a
daily or weekly basis that are required in order to maintain your life properly.
Housework, laundry, grocery shopping, fueling and maintaining your vehicle,
working, bathing, paying bills, balancing the checkbook, sleeping, and more are
all required activities. Without them, what would your life look like?
If you already have a strong sense of discipline, you likely do these things
without much thought. You know they must be done, so you just do them. On the
other hand, if you lack discipline, you may find yourself procrastinating and
putting your duties aside – which can create a colossal mess if it’s done too
frequently.
Discipline is also required when you are working toward a goal. If you don’t
complete the steps that will create the outcome you desire, you will not meet
your objective. When you first set your goals, you may have strong motivation
which can help you gain some valuable momentum.
However, ingrained habits and an undisciplined mind may eventually prevent you
from establishing continuity; and without some kind of inner or outer motivation
you are unlikely to develop the discipline you need.
In order to escape this stagnant cycle and develop a strong sense of
self-discipline, you need to get and stay motivated! How can you do this? There
are several ways, but here are few to begin with:
Focus on the benefits. With every task or chore you do, spend a few moments
emphasizing the benefit you will receive from doing it. In order to get and stay
motivated, it is crucial to have some sort of payoff in mind. Even if your
payoff will come at a future time, remind yourself why this task or chore is a
good thing.
See the big picture. Remember that this task is only one part of a larger
puzzle. It’s hard to get inspired about scrubbing a toilet, until you envision
your entire home clean and shining. By looking at the big picture, each little
task will retain a measure of importance in your own mind.
Do it for the discipline. In order to develop strong discipline, you’ll need to
keep strengthening your “discipline muscle” bit by bit. The only way to do this
is by pushing yourself to do the things you have to do! As you complete each
task related to your goal (or even your household chores) keep affirming that
you are developing stronger and stronger discipline with each passing day.
Eventually you’ll find yourself easily doing what needs to be done and it won’t
be a struggle anymore – because you’ll already be disciplined!
Excuses Are for the Weak
If you’ve ever used excuses to avoid taking action on something you wanted to
do, you were likely laboring under an illusion.
Excuses can seem incredibly strong and valid at times, to the point where we end
up believing they are absolute truth. However, excuses can not only cause us to
miss out on a few opportunities, they actually have the power to destroy our
lives if we let them.
When we continually talk ourselves out of doing things we want to do, we create
a powerful downward spiral of decreasing opportunities, dwindling abundance, and
diminishing self-respect. Ultimately we end up being an empty shell of the
person we could have been.
Don’t let your excuses destroy your life! Excuses are for weak-willed
individuals who have no desire or willingness to grow and develop themselves.
They have talked themselves out of creating the lives they truly want, and they
will not budge from where they are right now unless a life crisis forces them
to.
Is this you? Or would you rather be someone who laughs at limitations and faces
their fears head on?
If you are in the habit of buying into excuses, you probably utter phrases like
these often:
“I can’t . . .”
“I don’t have the talent . . .”
“I wouldn’t be strong enough . . .”
“I’m too old . . .”
“I don’t have enough time . . .”
“I don’t have the money . . .”
“I don’t have the brains . . .”
“I’m not good at . . .”
“It would be too hard . . .”
“It’s nearly impossible for someone like me . . .”
How many times have you said things like this? They are excuses, plain and
simple.
Here’s the worst part: even if an excuse actually holds some merit, like if you
really don’t have enough money to go back to school or start a business – the
excuse itself prevents you from even TRYING or working toward the goal in some
way. Just because you don’t YET have the money, time, talent, courage, or
whatever . . . does not mean you won’t have it at some future time. It doesn’t
mean that you can’t save up until you have it, or work on it little by little.
Here’s the good news: if you refuse to believe in excuses, they suddenly cease
to be true.
Starting today, take a good hard look at your own excuses. Are they really true,
or have you been fooling yourself because it seems easier than shattering the
illusion?
If you question the beliefs you hold about yourself and your capabilities, you
might be surprised to learn that you’ve been held hostage by excuses. But since
YOU formed the excuses, you can easily dismantle them too, one step at a time,
one faulty belief at a time.
When you begin doing this even in small ways, you begin to develop greater
strength and empowerment within yourself, and your whole life will begin to
shift and change in miraculous ways.
Integrity is its Own Success
The future lies before you, like paths of pure white snow. Be careful how you
tread it, for every step will show. - Author Unknown
If you’ve ever been tempted to do something unsavory in order to get ahead in
life, you may have wondered whether it would be worth it or not. Perhaps you
were tempted to take a shortcut that would detract from your quality of work
just so you could churn out greater volume and make more money. Or maybe you
were hoping to cheat your way to the top of your field because you’ve seen
others getting away with it and figured, “Why should I do all the hard work if
they don’t have to?”
You may think it doesn’t matter how you reach your destination as long as you
get there, but you may be surprised to know that every step you take on your
journey will have an effect on your outcome – and your character. That’s because
the caliber of your person is what will determine the quality of results you
get, and your ability to enjoy those results when they show up. Other people may
never know that you cheated your way to success, but you’ll know. And the
universe will know. “So what?” you might be thinking now.
Maybe nothing bad will happen if you follow this type of path. Or maybe the
people you interact with will sense that you are not genuine and decide to work
with someone else. Maybe your customers will sense that something isn’t quite
right with you and your products or services. Maybe your own conscience won’t be
able to rest because of your past actions and you’ll end up making grave errors
in judgment at some time in the future. The way it all comes about doesn’t
really matter – but the experiences you get in life will be dependent upon your
intentions as you create them. The truth has a way of making itself known, and
it’s amazing how creatively it sometimes does so. Every shady step you take will
detract from your character and set you up for a negative consequence later. If
you instead make it your priority to do what’s right, you’ll get right results.
Focus on being the person who deserves the level of success you desire, and you
will achieve that level of success easily.
Is Your Mind a Landfill?
Every one should keep a mental wastepaper basket and the older he grows the more
things he will consign to it - torn up to irrecoverable tatters. - Samuel Butler
It’s amazing how much junk we tend to absorb into our minds and allow it stay
there, festering and tainting everything we do. Most of have minds that are
cluttered with unproductive thoughts like negative comments by friends or family
members, derogatory messages we’ve fed to ourselves, and restrictive messages
received by society. All of this trash will continue to degrade our performance
unless we clear it out occasionally.
Take a few moments to think about the types of thoughts and beliefs you hold
about yourself and your life. Are you still operating under your father’s
assertion that you’ll never amount to anything? Are you still hearing the voice
of your third grade teacher who said you wouldn’t go far in life because of your
inability to pay attention in class? Make a list of all the beliefs and
limitations that others have placed upon you. Also be sure to include the
limitations that you have placed upon yourself. You know the ones that claim you
can’t do such-and-such because you’re just not good at it, or the things you’ve
tried but didn’t have much success with the first time around, so now you
believe you’ll never be successful at it. When you’ve written down everything
you can think of – read the list over once more, and then BURN it.
Everything on that list was simply a perception, whether yours or someone
else’s. Perceptions are flexible and subject to change. You now have a clean
slate upon which to write your own empowering perceptions. You can start by
writing the opposite of the beliefs and messages you just burned, or you can
come up with entirely new ones. What truths do you want to apply to your life?
That you’re wealthy? That you’re successful and confident? That you are eager to
try new things? Whatever you want to do in life, add it to the list and then get
moving on it! Periodically, repeat this clearing-out exercise to be sure you’re
not reabsorbing restrictive messages again. Keep your mind free of unproductive
trash and debris, and you’ll have plenty of room to store the thoughts you
actually WANT to keep in there.
Let Your Anger Work for You
German theologian Martin Luther once said, “I never work better than when I am
inspired by anger; when I am angry, I can write, pray, and preach well, for then
my whole temperament is quickened, my understanding sharpened, and all mundane
vexations and temptations depart.”
Anger is powerful stuff, all right!
Think about the last time you got really angry about something. Didn’t you feel
an unequalled strength within yourself? Weren’t you filled with fire and passion
and ready to take action?
While anger is often used in a destructive way, you can also learn to use anger
to motivate yourself to higher and higher achievements.
How do you do this? First, you obviously need to get angry about the right
things, and then you need to direct that anger in the right direction.
Look at your life the way it is right now. Are you satisfied with your career
path, your financial situation, the state of your relationships, and the state
of your health? If not, get mad about it! Let yourself get angry about your bad
habits, your tendency to procrastinate, and the many missed opportunities your
behavior has caused. Get mad about your inability to get and stay motivated long
enough to make positive changes. Get mad about ignoring the problem until it
became a chronic condition!
As Martin Luther described above, let your anger clear all confusion and mundane
thoughts from your mind. Let it focus your thoughts to a laser point, and then
turn that point onto any situation in your life that displeases you.
Use your anger to propel you into action. Decide that you’re “mad as hell” and
you’re not going to take it any longer! Let your anger serve as a fire under
your rear end to propel you into doing that which must be done to change your
life once and for all.
Go on a rampage and clear out your bad habits. Eliminate your unproductive
tendencies and replace them with empowering ones. Evaluate every aspect of your
life carefully, and be willing to let go of anything that isn’t working for you.
If done correctly, this works like a charm.
Once you can reach a point of intolerance about your existing circumstances, you
will find yourself feeling really angry, and really ready to make changes. THAT
is the moment when you hold a powerful force for change right in the palm of
your hand. Just remember to get angry about the situations and habits that
detract from who you want to be, and be sure to direct your anger in
constructive ways.
You may not be able to change everything overnight, but you can at least take
the first steps today and then keep up with the process over time. You’ll also
probably have to keep rekindling your anger from time to time because it tends
to be short lived, but this is a good thing because it allows you to use it in a
very precise and focused way.
Talk Less, Act More
Promise only what you can deliver. Then deliver more than you promise. - Author
Unknown
Are you a big talker? Are you always rambling on about how great your
achievements are, how much you’re capable of, how far you’re going to go in
life? Speaking confidently about yourself and your activities is a good thing –
but NOT if you’re just blowing hot air. Some people do this in an effort to
build up their courage or seek approval from others. They lack a strong sense of
inner security and belief about who they are and what they do (or want to do).
While we can easily understand and sympathize with this temptation, we need to
focus on not falling into the trap ourselves.
Rather than letting your mouth tell others who you are and what you can do, let
your actions do the talking. Promise less but give more. Give WAY more. Let
everything you do shout your worth to the world. In fact, you’d be surprised how
much of communication is actually non-verbal. Words are only icing on the cake.
It’s your countenance, your demeanor and your attitude that speak the most about
you. If you blow a lot of hot air, all you do is steam up the room and create a
fog that makes it difficult for people to see the genuine you. You may think
this obscures the less developed parts of yourself, but most people have
surprisingly good radar and can smell a façade easily.
Actions, however, tell the whole story. What you do is who you are. You are what
you do. Your achievements, your energy and your character will reach out and
grab the attention of those you wish to align yourself with. If you always
strive to do your best in everything you do and push yourself to be not just
“good” but GREAT, you will infuse your unique energy into every activity and the
results you get will astound not only you but everyone you touch. Remember, a
truly great person doesn’t have to say a word about their success because it’s
written all over them.
What is Your Personal Mission?
Do you have a personal mission? Do you have a compelling reason to get out of
bed each day and work consistently toward a clear payoff?
If not, you may be lost in a cycle of inertia. Inertia occurs when your life
lacks forward progress and stagnant energy begins to build up. Stagnant energy
buildup will eventually create persistent lack, emptiness and lethargy in all
areas of your life.
You don’t need lofty goals to avoid stagnation and lack, but you do need to be
focused on some type of progress and movement rather than staying stuck in one
place. Creating a personal mission can motivate you to climb out of the rut of
mediocrity and blast stagnation out of your life permanently.
In order to choose a personal mission, first remember that everything in life
has a payoff - both good and bad. Even bad habits like smoking and overeating
provide some kind of payoff, or people wouldn’t keep doing them!
Here’s another example of a positive payoff received from a negative situation:
if you are in the midst of financial hardship, the payoff might be that you
don’t have the funds to start that business you’ve always dreamed of, so you’ll
never have to face your fear of failure. It seems like a negative situation, but
on some level it’s working for you so you feel no real incentive to change it.
Do you have other situations that keep you locked into mediocrity? Write them
down and review them carefully. Then ask yourself if you are willing to form a
personal mission that will boost you out of the rut.
You cannot be motivated to change anything about your life until you have a
compelling reason to do so – and that is where your personal mission comes in.
Your mission has to be a reason so STRONG and so IMPORTANT that you cannot deny
it.
Examples:
“It is vitally important to me to create financial security for my family.”
“I choose to enjoy a greater sense of fulfillment in my work.”
“I choose to feel proud about my accomplishments.”
“I’m taking control of my life and avoid playing the role of victim.”
“I’m going to show that jerk Mike next door that I’m better than he is.”
That last one is a joke, by the way. ;-) Make your personal mission about you or
your family, not about others. Choose something that really speaks to your
heart, way down deep inside. It should be something that makes you feel as
determined and fired up as possible. Then write a clear statement that describes
your personal mission.
Once you have your mission statement, you have to keep imprinting it on your
mind daily – preferably several times a day. Keep reading it to yourself. Write
about it in a journal. State your reasons for wanting it. Vow to keep moving
toward it no matter what.
Make it the most powerful goal you’ve ever pursued, and you’ll have all the
motivation you need to make lasting changes.
What Will You Do Today?
If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much
today. - Author Unknown
As wonderful as past achievements may make you feel, they cannot compare to what
you are capable of today. It’s natural to want to reflect upon our previous
accomplishments because they make us feel good about ourselves. We can remember
the glory of the battle, the difficulties we overcame during the journey and
glow with pride as we point out, “I did that.” That’s great, but the very next
words out of your mouth should be, “What will I do next?”
Instead of pacifying yourself with memories of what you’ve done before, you can
choose to make it your mission to always keep growing, evolving and producing
ever greater works. If you do this, you may be surprised to note that you rarely
feel compelled to look back at your past accomplishments. Why? Because you’ll be
too darn busy being productive! Rather than dwelling on your past success, let
it fuel your next endeavor. Besides a feeling of pride, your accomplishments can
offer something else of value: confidence to try something new! Sometimes we do
just the opposite and use our past accomplishments as an excuse not to do
anything more. Whether we fear not being able to top a previous victory or we
simply don’t want to try, we decide it’s safer to stay where we are and bask in
the afterglow. Ridiculous!
Let excitement about your next endeavor fill you up. Let it quicken your heart
and flush your face as you look forward to your next phase of growth. As
exciting as your past achievements may have been, they cannot hold a candle to
what you will do today! When you are too old and infirm to produce anymore, THEN
you can look back and be proud of all you accomplished. Until then, you’re not
nearly done yet. You’ve got mountains to climb, fears to face, doubts to
overcome, and astounding achievements waiting to be realized. Go to it!
You Are Never Really “Stuck”
You've got a lot of choices. If getting out of bed in the morning is a chore and
you're not smiling on a regular basis, try another choice. - Steven D. Woodhull
Believing that you can’t change your circumstances is one sure way to feel
powerless. You can spend all the time in the world bemoaning your job, your
relationships, your finances, your lack of opportunities, or your streak of “bad
luck” . . . but doing so only keeps you locked into an illusion of permanency.
The truth is you always have choices. You may not like the choices available,
but they are still yours. You can choose to act, or not act; you can choose to
be optimistic about the possibilities that exist for your life, or you can
accept limitations at every turn. Deciding which choice is best is the tricky
part.
Fear can also disguise itself as a condition of powerlessness. You may know on
some level that you have choices but refuse to acknowledge them because you fear
the unknown. You know you can leave a dissatisfying job, but then what will you
do? Will you find another job to replace it, and if so will it be a job you
enjoy, or be worse than the one you just left? You know you can dissolve an
unhealthy relationship, but is being alone really any better? At least now you
have someone there, even if it’s not the person you’d prefer be there. Rather
than face uncertain outcomes, you avoid making choices at all.
Whether you really believe you have a shortage of options or you are simply
making excuses because you’re afraid to move forward, know that it’s ALL within
your control. Just like every other person on the planet, you always have the
most basic opportunity before you now: resign yourself to staying where you are,
or roll up your sleeves and make something happen. If you worry about making the
wrong choice, know that you can always make another choice. You can keep making
choices as often as you’d like until you find something that works for you. To
avoid making choices altogether doesn’t serve you, because in the end even not
making choices is a decision all its own.
Your Purpose is to Be Uniquely You
Whatever you are be a good one. - Abraham Lincoln
Are you still waiting for a sign from the heavens to figure out what to do with
your life? Are you hoping that the sky will crack open and a loud booming voice
will tell you exactly what to do, where to go, what to focus on? If only it were
that easy. There is nothing wrong with believing in a pre-destined life purpose,
but it does tend to keep you feeling powerless and adrift if you can’t figure
out what it should be. Not only is the uncertainty maddening, there is also the
fear that you might choose wrong and set a cataclysmic chain of events into
motion. That might sound overly dramatic, but it can certainly feel that way at
times! What most of us overlook is the thrill that can come from choosing our
own purpose.
Whether you’re more comfortable thinking you have a distinct destiny to fulfill
or you think of it in terms of having the free will to choose your path, you can
still be proactive in choosing your own life mission. Think about it this way:
your life purpose will be something that makes you feel passionate and
fulfilled. It is designed that way on purpose – so you “know” what you’re
supposed to be doing! Your purpose is to do that which is most aligned with who
you are, and uses your natural talents and abilities to their fullest extent.
Only you can say what that is exactly, and you may not have the foggiest clue
right now.
So begin finding out! If you already know what makes you feel inspired and
purposeful, do it more often. Find a way to share it with others. If you don’t
know what your passions are, go exploring and find them. Try new things and see
if any of them resonate with you. The activities themselves don’t really matter
except that they should make you feel wonderful and provide some kind of benefit
for the world around you. Think about your existing talents, skills and
passions, constantly work on developing new ones – and find a way to share them
with others. Then, no matter what else you do, you are definitely fulfilling a
grand purpose here on earth. Is it “your” purpose? It is if you choose it to be!
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