50 SIMPLE MOTIVATION IDEAS
Here are just a few, simple ideas that can help you get motivated.
1. WRITE YOUR STORY
Write down, in a paragraph or two, the story of your desired future. Write down
what you'll be doing, where you'll be living, and the successes you'll be
enjoying. This will be a motivator for you in both the immediate present and the
future to come.
2. VISUALIZE INTO THE FUTURE
Close your eyes and see yourself doing whatever it is that you wish to be doing.
If you want to get in shape, picture a slim, healthy you running or working out.
If your dream is to start a small business, see yourself on opening day,
greeting customers and employees.
3. VISUALIZE BACKWARDS
When you visualize backwards, you see where you were and how far you have come.
If your goal was to get organized, and you have made enormous improvement in
that area, visualize back to when things weren't going so well. This will keep
you heading in the right direction.
4. DREAM BIG
When you think about your future, don't be afraid to dream big. This will make
short-term failures easier to handle. When you hit an obstacle it won't stop you
because your eyes are set on a bigger goal.
5. EDUCATE YOURSELF
Learn, read, talk about, listen, experience everything you can about your
particular goal or dream. If you wish to be an author, you can take classes,
read books, write, talk with other writers, join work-shops, etc.
6. GET ORGANIZED
A clean, tidy, and well-organized home, office, and life is a must for the
motivated mind. Physical clutter can easily lead to mental clutter. Keep your
life organized, and you will find more energy and clarity in every day.
7. PLACE MOTIVATORS IN YOUR HOME AND OFFICE
Place symbols, signs, notes, or objects that remind you of your goals and dreams
in your home, office, car, wallet, planner, or calendar. These reminders will
guarantee a constant stream of motivation.
8. VOLUNTEER
Volunteer your time to helping others. When you give of yourself you will
realize how much you have in your own life, and how satisfying it is to make
other people happy.
9. HELP OTHERS WITH MOTIVATION
Only when you teach others do you fully understand the subject at hand. Help
your children get motivated, help your friends set effective goals, help your
husband or wife achieve personal dreams.
10. SPEND TIME WITH CHILDREN
Spending time with children will put things in perspective for you. You may be
stressed out from work and worried about getting everything done on time, but
when you play with your kids the worries and stress seem to melt away. Children
have a simple way of looking at things, and that is something we could all
benefit from.
11. CREATE A BUDDY SYSTEM
Do you have a close friend who is trying to accomplish something? Is your wife
or husband setting goals for improvement? If so, join them in a buddy system.
You will each serve to motivate the other, offering words of encouragement and
helpful reminders as you both progress towards your particular goals.
12. FIND A ROLE MODEL
Choose a role model to learn from. You won't have to reinvent the wheel when you
can follow an exemplary example of someone you respect.
13. TAKE A WALK OR DRIVE
Take a walk around the block or a short drive through the neighborhood to relax,
reflect, and enjoy some quiet time. We all need a break now and then, and a
quick walk or drive is the perfect solution.
14. READ SUCCESS STORIES
Read the success stories of those around you. In the daily newspaper alone there
are dozens of small success stories that can serve to motivate and inspire you
to action. The library is filled with autobiographies and biographies of
ordinary men and women who have done extraordinary things.
15. LISTEN TO MUSIC
Music can calm, excite, sadden, and even motivate. Listening to Rocky's theme
song while running is a great way to use music as a motivator. What's your
motivating song?
16. WATCH MOTIVATING MOVIES
One reason people enjoy watching movies is because of the hero's tale. A young,
unexpecting hero is called to action. After struggling throughout the movie, he
learns, grows, and is victorious in the end. This is motivation at its best.
Make a list of movies that motivate you and build a small library to use as your
motivation station.
17. READ MOTIVATIONAL QUOTATIONS
Located on the Internet and in books are thousands of quotations that inspire,
motivate, and cause us all to think about our lives in a different way. Search
the Internet for quotations and you will find millions of pages that match just
what you are looking for.
18. CREATE A HEALTHY DIET
Energy is very important to living a happy life, but that is dependent on eating
healthy. Be sure to create a healthy diet that includes all of the necessary
nutrients, minerals, and vitamins for your system. Following the basic food
table is a good guide for starters.
19. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Some people can get by on six hours, while others require seven to eight.
Regardless of what you need in sleep, make sure you get enough. A few nights in
a row of only three or four hours a night will takes its toll on your
motivation, energy, and attitude.
20. NEVER STOP LEARNING
This is the most important lesson of all. Never stop learning about the world
around you. Read, listen, and learn about the things that interest you. Instead
of asking a question and being satisfied with an 'I don't know' answer, go out
there and find the answer. Be curious.
Without goals, long-lasting changes are hard to make in life. Use the tips below
to set effective and efficient goals.
21. USE GOALS IN YOUR LIFE
This is the most important tip about goals - use them! Without goals you will
have a difficult time improving any area of your life. Leaving your future up to
chance isn't a good way to get what you want. Make use of goals throughout your
life and enjoy the success and happiness they bring.
22. BRAINSTORM
Get out a clean sheet of paper and a pen. Sit in a quiet, well-lit area, and
think, think, think. Write down any ideas that pop into your head. Financial
goals, personal goals, relationship goals, health goals, etc. Write down every
idea, and when you're finished you'll have more than enough goals to work with.
23. WRITE YOUR GOAL DOWN ON PAPER
Once you select a goal to work towards, write it out on paper. This makes it
more tangible and concrete. A goal that is left to float around in your head may
be forgotten before you have had a chance work on it.
24. MAKE YOUR GOAL SPECIFIC
Goals must be specific in order to be effective. Improving your relationship
with your children is an important and worthwhile goal, but it may be too broad.
Instead, your plan could include a play-day once a week, family dinner time each
night from 6:00 to 7:00 and a game night once a week. This plan has a greater
chance of success.
25. USE DEADLINES
Procrastination is deadly to your goals and objectives. A great way to leapfrog
that problem is to give your goal a deadline. As with the goal itself, make your
deadline specific.
26. USE A START DATE
Deadlines are very important to goal setting, but we can't forget about their
counterpart - start dates. Once a goal is created you may have many reasons for
putting it off. Give your goal a start date and stick to it.
27. MAKE YOUR GOALS CHALLENGING
In order for goals to be effective, they must be challenging. If your goal is
too easy to achieve, your motivation and dedication will decrease. Your goals
should make you reach and extend your current abilities and skills.
28. MAKE YOUR GOALS ACHIEVABLE
Setting a goal that is out of your reach completely will cause frustration,
anger, and self-doubt. Be sure to set goals that challenge you, but are also
reasonable.
29. MAKE A DETAILED PLAN OF ACTION
Create a detailed step-by-step plan of action for each part of your goal. One of
the main reasons many goals are not accomplished is the lack of understanding of
what needs to be done. Plan your work and work your plan.
30. DON'T OVERDO IT
Don't set too many goals at once. One to three is a good amount to start with.
Spreading yourself too thin will create a situation where no single goal will
receive the attention it requires.
31. MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS
Measure your progress as you work on your goal. You may wish to write a 300 page
novel. Don't set 300 pages as the only goal. Break it up into 25 - 50 page
increments and keep a daily tally of the pages you complete. Measuring your
progress keeps your motivation peaking during your goal's lifecycle.
32. WISH LIST
Make a list of ten things that you must do in life. Starting a business, running
a marathon, visiting Europe, learning French, etc. Put the list in a drawer in
your office or home.
33. QUICK REMINDERS
Post-it notes are a great tool to help you remember your daily tasks and goals.
Just don't overdo it. You don't want so many notes taped to your computer screen
that you can't read what's on it.
34. REWARD YOURSELF
Set a reward for yourself. If you accomplish a small step or your entire goal,
celebrate. You've worked hard and you deserve it. Go out to dinner with your
family, take a short vacation, or do anything else that makes you happy.
35. WIFM?
Why are you setting this goal? Write down 'What's In It For Me' for each one of
your goals. You must be able to state clearly the reasons why you are setting
this goal. If you cannot, delete the goal from your list and move to the next
one.
Attitude is everything. These tips will help you to create a winning attitude,
and help others to do the same.
36. USE THE RIGHT WORDS
Use statements like, 'I have a positive attitude,' or 'We'll find a solution,'
in daily conversation. The words you use on a daily basis have a major impact on
your attitude and moods.
37. STRIVE FOR OPTIMISM
I have spoken with many people who see being a pessimist or an optimist as a
50/50 chance, believing one is just as good as the other. That is a trap! Having
a positive attitude is something you should strive for. It isn't something you
are or are not, it is something you can become.
38. WHAT COMPANY DO YOU KEEP?
Do your friends have negative attitudes? Does it rub off on you? Many times the
company we keep can affect our attitudes. If your group at work or at home
negatively affects your attitude, take the necessary steps to change the
situation.
39. WHEN YOU KNOW YOU NEED A CHANGE
When you know you aren't happy, admit it to yourself and take action to reverse
it. This is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you aren't in the mood
to admit things to yourself. It may be hard, but it is worth it. When you are
being negative, realize it and change it.
40. LISTEN TO WHAT OTHERS SAY
We may like to tell ourselves that we are positive people, but it's not always
true. Listen to what your friends and family say about your attitude. They may
say things that you don't want to hear, but sometimes the best changes in life
come from constructive criticism.
41. LEARN WHAT MAKES YOU TICK
When you know what makes you upset, you will be able to avoid these situations
and save yourself the tension and frustration they bring. If it is a situation
that you cannot avoid, learn how to make the best of it.
42. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?
This is vital to your attitude and mood. Your 'happy' buttons will serve to
improve your attitude again and again. When I'm not in a good mood, I first ask
myself if I have eaten that day. More often than not, after getting food into my
system my attitude does a complete 180 degree turnaround.
43. GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
Give yourself a quick time out now and then when you are becoming stressed or
upset. Often a short break can help you to put things in perspective and return
to the situation with a positive demeanor.
44. THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU ACT ONCE
Before you act, think about what your action with cause. If an employee does
something wrong that negatively affects you, don't attack. Think about the best
response Only after you have done this twice should you take action.
45. REACT VS. RESPOND
These two words are the difference between a happy, enthusiastic, positive
person and a sad, frustrated, negative person. When anything happens in life
that affects you, both directly and indirectly, respond to the situation.
This means you think about it, use reason to find a solution, and take the
appropriate measures. When you react, you skip the reasoning stage and do what
comes naturally in the moment. This only serves to cause more problems and
frustration. Respond, do not react.
46. APPRECIATE THE THINGS YOU HAVE
Look around you and learn to appreciate everything you have in your life. Your
friends, family, career, home, etc. This is enough to create a positive attitude
because no matter how bad things get in life, we still must be thankful for
everything we still have. Put things into perspective, and enjoy the good things
in your life.
47. YOU DON'T ALWAYS HAVE TO BE HAPPY
Being in a down mood is okay, sometimes. You don't always have to be upbeat,
excited, and outgoing. This could lead to burnout or a blow-up. There are days
when things aren't going right, or we just feel a little out of it. These days
are okay, and the problems will pass.
48. THINK ABOUT IT
Look at problems logically. When you let emotion take over, you may do things
that made sense at the time but in the end weren't the best choices.
49. DON'T JOIN THE GOSSIP
Don't join in on the negative conversations around you. If you see a
conversation heading towards that road, excuse yourself politely and leave.
50. START IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
Wake up with a smile and with energy. You have a lot to accomplish and enjoy
today. Life is short, and you are going to make the most of this day, and every
day after that.
MOTIVATION MYTHS
Many people have a goal in mind, but don't take the steps to achieve them. Why?
Because of the myths they believe in. Following are some of the major myths that
people believe, and why you should avoid them.
- I can't do it. -
Yes you can! What others have done, you can do. With the same size brain, same
two arms and legs, and with the same amount of time during each day, men and
women have done extraordinary things. What they did, you can also do.
- I can start tomorrow. -
Maybe you can't. Never put things off that you can do today. Tomorrow is never a
guarantee, and no one can know what the future holds. All you can be sure of is
that right now, this moment, you are here and can accomplish your goals.
- It may not be right for me. -
You'll never be 100% sure that what you are striving for is the perfect thing
for you. This develops over time, and you will take many turns along the way.
Don't wait for the perfect opportunity knocks on your door. You must go after it
yourself.
START TODAY Whatever goal you may have, whatever dream you want to achieve,
start today. After you are through reading this idea-kit, you have a choice. You
can go about your days and weeks like you have been for the past few years, or
you can set a goal, dedicate yourself to it, and do what it takes to make it
come true. - I'll start tomorrow.- I'll start this summer.- I'll start when I
graduate.- I'll start when the kids get out of school.- I'll start when the kids
go back to school.- I'll start when the weather gets better.- I'll start when I
get a new job.- I'll start when the moment it right. The moment is right. Start
today.