STAYING MOTIVATED

In one of the excellent articles (#62) in the just released, 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol. 3, the writer discusses motivation and how to keep moving, even when your motivation supply is running low. The message for me was this: any situation can be used either to motivate or de-motivate you to achieve your goals. It all depends on your approach.

I decided to test the theory in a simple way. As I looked out the door one morning I contemplated whether I really "wanted" to take my dogs for a walk since it was so windy outside. Mind you, the dogs don't care what the weather is, so they weren't having the same mental conversation! Was I looking for a reason NOT to go? Absolutely!

So, I decided to see how I could use the wind, instead of as an excuse for not walking, as a tool to improve the results I got. I pulled on my jacket, leashed up the three dogs and set out. I noticed a couple of things almost immediately: 1) By changing the conversation in my head from how miserable it was to be out in the wind to how wonderful it was to have the fresh air blowing through my hair, the experience shifted from being painful to pleasant; 2) I realized that walking against the wind increased the resistance, which improved the benefits I obtained from walking. If I wanted, I could actually shorten the walk because I was getting more benefit due to the wind. (I was still looking for a reason at this point to cut our walk short!) By the way, I ended up taking my customary 30 minute walk that day and enjoying it immensely.

It made me wonder how many other experiences might be transformed if I shifted my perspective ever so slightly and asked the question: "How can I use this to my advantage?" "How" and "What" questions tend to be motivating because they set up the shift from a reactive to a proactive focus. "Why" questions almost always lead down a circular path that results in blame or shifting responsibility to someone or something else. Questions like, "Why is this happening?", "Why did the wind have to come up?", or "Why do they keep doing whatever?" create a victim mentality...a sure-fire quencher of the motivational fires within.

What are you struggling with right now? Could it be that instead of waiting for some kind of divine intervention to motivate you or for external circumstances to change that you could instead ask the question: "How can I use what is here right now to motivate me? How can I use the feedback I'm receiving from this experience to make me stronger, smarter, happier? How can I transform this moment from resistance to resilience?"

I'm convinced we don't need a whole new life or set of experiences as much as we need to seek a whole new way of looking at and being engaged with the the life and experiences we have right now, using them to motivate and move us forward. Experiment this week and see if you can't become your own greatest motivator. Whether it's exercise, working toward a goal or overcoming procrastination, the moment you begin seeking the resources from within rather than waiting for the "motivation fairy" to strike, you become empowered to create and live your best life..

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes."
~~Marcel Proust

Imagine having 101 of the best and brightest coaches, experts and advisors available at your fingertips to give you strategies to improve every aspect of your life--from relationships to communication, from goal-setting to time management. That's what you'll find in my new book, 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Vol. 3. For more information click on "What's New" or go to: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=1818894.

Is 2007 the year for you to find a great life or business coach? If so, I'd love to talk with you! I currently have openings in my schedule for 2-3 motivated, goal-oriented coaching clients. If you're ready to launch a new business or major project, want to refocus or discover what's important to you, or simply know you'll achieve more by having a powerful accountability partner, please contact me to schedule a complimentary coaching session.

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