Self Motivation

Self Motivation

Years ago, an old gentleman went on a cruise. When a storm blew in from sea, a young woman leaning against the ship's rail lost her balance and fell overboard. Immediately, someone plunged into the water and held on to her until a lifeboat arrived. To everyone's astonishment, the hero was the oldest man on the boat B well over 80 years old. That evening, a party was thrown in the hero"s honor. "Speech!" "Speech!" His fellow passengers shouted for him to speak. The old gentleman rose slowly, looked around at the enthusiastic crowd, and said, "There's just one thing I'd like to know who pushed me?"
Are You Waiting to be Pushed?
No one should need to push you toward your success. Be the hero or heroine in your own life. Do you know someone who seems to be constantly excited and enthusiastic about life? And these same people seem to experience continual success and achievement. You may tell yourself, "Of course they're always happy, look at all the good things happening in their life!" The fact is, these individuals use every ounce of their potential to stay motivated and to pursue happiness and success.
The secret to motivation is SELF-motivation. You must push yourself. The people who succeed are those who give themselves the nudge when they need it. There are times when we don't know the limits of our potential until an external stimulus forces us to test our limits. That is why those who dread their jobs, often perform poorly and those who love their jobs excel.
The power of motivation is the thrill of it all. There are times when even the best of us
lose motivation. We get down, burnt out, fatigued and there are times when nothing seems to be going right. We may feel like packing up and walking away to forget about it all. Call it a wash and start fresh somewhere else with something else. During these troubling times, we begin to search for the source of our misery and the cause for our challenges. We look on the outside for something to blame as we lose value in ourselves. We focus on what is not going right.

We say to ourselves, "I can't get any more bookings!" "I can't interest anyone into joining my team!" "I can't keep a good Consultant!" No matter how hard we try, we can't find a way to replenish the strength that we lose with each defeat.

But, there is a way to empower our selves! End the confusion, regain your inner balance, quiet the storm, get your business back on track and get your thrill back in groove! Call on your resolutions, your purpose and reaffirm the very things that sparked your interest and motivation with your business in the beginning! Reach into your well of motivation and bring your spark, your thrill, your dreams and desired back up to the surface. Get in touch with your purpose. What are you here for? What are you working for? What do you wish to gain? What do you wish to contribute? The only one stopping you from getting back on track B is YOU.

There's an old fable about a dog that boasts of his ability to run at high speed. One day, he chased a rabbit and failed to catch it. The other dogs teased him mercilessly. Frustrated, the dog finally replied, "What you don't understand is that rabbit was running for its LIFE. I was only running for my dinner."

Get in touch with the motivation and thrill that will create the life you dream of.
Below are some suggestions to help you get in touch with your motivation. Keep the thrill alive!

Know Thyself
Have a strong sense of who you are, what you will and will not do, what thrills you and what drives your energy.

Commit to lifelong change
Take the initiative to maintain and enhance your skills. Never stop learning and growing.
Be your own personal best
Give full attention to what you do. Whatever you do B do it to the best of your ability.

Stay Organized
Have a written list of personal goals. Know what you must do daily to move closer to your goals. Stay focused and prepared.

Expand your network
Maintain and continuously strive to broaden the network of people you meet. Research
networking opportunities in your community, join local organizations, volunteer at charities and fundraising events.

Have a Positive Attitude
People are drawn to happy, confident people. A pleasant personality is a necessary asset to your business.

Be Confident
Look your best from head to toe. Maintain a demeanor of success that reflects the image you want to convey about your business. Have self-confidence.

Grow
Push yourself to go the extra mile. Never be stagnant. Now that you know how to get that motivation back, here's what you need to do to stay energized!

Get Plenty of Rest
Humans NEED 6-8 hours of deep sleep every night. You will do your best work and you
will be your most charismatic and outgoing self, when you are well rested.

Be Good to Yourself
Treat yourself the way you would treat others or the way you would want others to
treat you. Sometimes we get into the roll of caretaker and neglect to show ourselves a
little TLC. Show others how to treat you by treating yourself well.

Know Your Limits
Even though it may appear that way to others, you are NOT a super hero! Don't set
yourself up to fail by biting off more than you can chew or taking on too much at one
time. Re-read #'s 1 & 2 above.

Leave Work at Work
Even though you work at home, there must be some distinction between work-time and
the end of work. That is one reason that a dedicated phone line and separate workspace is so important. When you are finished working, remove yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.

Work Smarter Not Harder
Become organized and efficient so the energy you use is put to the best use. Don=t
waste time and energy, concentrate on the task at hand and get it done to the best of
your ability.

Broaden Your Horizons
Continually strive to improve your state of mind, skills, knowledge, inner peace, balance
and health. Stay connected with friends. Spend quality time with family. Make alone
time a priority B even if it=s only for 15 minutes each morning and night. Exercise, eat
well and welcome new thoughts and experiences.

Be Realistic
Take a good look at your goals and reassess them periodically. There's nothing wrong
with reevaluating and creating a plan that works best for you. Life is ever changing.
Being realistic means being flexible and open to change.

My father told me a story a long time ago about a young man boarding a ship to seek his fortune. The man was told to remember "The Three Bones" and he would be just fine. The three bones are the Wishbone, the Jawbone and the Backbone. The Wishbone keeps you chasing your dreams. The Jawbone helps you ask the questions and gain the knowledge to achieve your dreams. The Backbone keeps you standing strong in the face of adversity so you can reach your dream.
Each of us must use The Three Bones to chase our dreams, find the knowledge and resources to achieve them and remain strong until we reach them. Many people ask me how I built my business. I tell them I didn=t start out with much, but I used everything I had! Are you going talk about it or are you going to become it? The thrill is on!

This article is a mixture of great story telling that inspires me. I wanted to pass it along to you so that you too can find inspiration.
Best Wishes,
Michelle Hayes
For Your Pleasure, inc
Regional Director, Advisory Board Member, CIBA
www.NationalPleasures.com