Designing Inspiring Environments

By: Jan Marie Dore, Professional Certified Coach

The influence of your personal environments on your health, creativity, and well-being is often subtle, yet profound. You can use the environments you live in to support you in feeling good about yourself, to experience less stress, and to be more productive.

Personal environments can include your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, your work environment, networks, ideas, learning environments - and your physical environment - such as your home, the community you live in, nature, your garden, the technology you use, the information you absorb - everything that you surround yourself with. It can also be the foods you keep in our house, the beautiful objects and colors around you, the books, magazines and newspapers you read, the movies you watch, and the thoughts you think.

Personal environments can also include your 'internal surroundings' - your belief systems and thought patterns. As you work on raising your awareness of your inner thoughts and eliminating negative or unproductive thoughts, you might notice increased levels of energy and focus.

It's possible to revitalize your surroundings or environments and design them so they bring out the very best in you, so that they evolve you toward a successful, inspiring, struggle-free life. As you develop your personal environments, you develop yourself and your capacity to be creative and to receive ongoing inspiration and support.

The goal is to design supportive environments that will inspire you to be your best and do great things. Success and personal development are more sustainable when there are environments and failsafe structures which support it.

ASSESS YOUR PERSONAL ENVIRONMENTS
Being fully alive calls you to play a much bigger game in life...evolving to your optimal potential or 'greatness'. Do the environments around you bring out your best? Do you receive enough creative inspiration? Do you know what sparks your muse? Is there enough intellectual and spiritual stimulation in your life?

1. When you are feeling fully alive, what is going on for you?

2. How do you feel as you walk into your workspace? Into your home?

3. On a scale from 1-5, with 5 being the most desirable, how much would you say your environments are supporting you in living the life you most desire?

4. What is something in your environment that you are tolerating that could be removed?

5. What is something that is missing from your personal environments that, if added, would inspire you to do and be your best?

6. What methods do you use on a daily basis to raise your energy level?

7. What beliefs most profoundly affect your way of thinking?

TRY THIS
If inspiration is an energy that flows through the spaces we inhabit, it is wise for us to remove any items that might block its path, and add items that would increase its presence.

Choose one physical environment in your workspace or home to concentrate on. If you could change one thing in your surroundings starting today, what would you change? Each day, do one task in that environment to establish order, create space, remove items that block your creativity, add items that you love, perhaps add color - and design surroundings that will inspire you to be and do your best.

Creating an environment that truly supports you in being your best can be a very worthwhile long-term project. Envision what an inspiring, stimulating environment would be for you, and have the patience to build that vision a step at a time. It's worth the work!

FINAL THOUGHT
"If you have not used something in the past year, regardless of how attached to it you are, pass it along. You have used up its usefulness to you... letting go of attachments is a rewarding way to feel positive about yourself, and to keep things flowing back into your own life as well." ~ Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Author Bio
Jan Marie Dore, Professional Certified Coach, Speaker, and Writer, publishes articles like this one in her free ezine 'Living From Intention', designed to inspire, challenge, and support you in creating a life that is meaningful, authentic, and a joy to wake up to every day. For free resources and programs on living a purposeful life, visit Jan Marie's website: www.janmariedore.com.

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Motivational Art in the Office

By: Ashvin Ramasawmy

In today's business environment, motivational art has quickly become the darling of entrepreneurs. Why? Simply because it works! In short, motivational art posters/prints are photographs or drawings that carry an inspirational message that corroborates the picture. Therefore, they make the perfect office wall décor. Not only do they add some esthetics to the room but surrounding yourself with motivational art will help inspire you and boost productivity.

Here are 5 power tips when buying inspirational posters online:

(1) It does not matter having more than 1 inspirational print in your room. You can have as many as you want, as long as you don't end up cluttering your wall.

(2) Every motivational artwork will deeply influence your mood. Therefore, try to find a print that not only serves as a good office décor, but also as a therapy during hard times. For example, if you procrastinate a lot, find an artwork with a compelling statement about procrastination. This will motivate you to stop procrastinating and finally get the job done.

(3) Never ever try to decorate your wall with bare posters. They look cheap and sweetly degrade your whole office décor. Remember that motivational art is nothing short of art! Always either laminate your artwork or frame it for a better coup-d'oeil. It is also good to mention that you should only buy from companies that have an in-house framing and laminating service.

(4) Place your artwork in a strategic position where you will often come to have eye contact with it. Do not place it in your back unless you have a good reason for doing it, as in if you receive people in your office and want them to peep at it while talking to you. (... ) This helps create a friendly atmosphere and puts people at ease. You might also want to place a few in your waiting room if you have one.

(5) As far as possible, purchase "art prints" instead of "posters". Motivational art prints are printed on a higher paper grade and does not degrade easily in time. Posters are, well, just the contrary.

As simple as it might seem, the right inspiring words can make a real difference to the right person. Whatever is your objective in business or real-life, motivation is a key factor to success and having a motivational print on your wall is the first step to success.

Author Bio
Ashvin Ramasawmy is a young netpreneur who sells art online. You can visit his www.motivational-posters.net website by following the link.

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An Inspirational Poem for Mother's Day

By: Nicola Kennedy

If you are looking for an inspirational poem that shows an understanding of what a mom has to deal with, this is the one. Every mom, young or old, knows this by heart and can only hope that her children will understand when they grow up.

"You don't love me!" How many times have your kids laid that one on you? And how many times have you, as a parent, resisted the urge to tell them how much? Someday, when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I will tell them.

A MOTHER'S LOVE GOES DEEP

I loved you enough to insist you buy a bike with your own money that we could afford and you couldn't.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover your handpicked friend was a creep;
I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your bedroom, a job that would have taken me fifteen minutes.
I loved you enough to say, "Yes, you may go to Disney World on Mother's Day."
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, mistrust and tears in my eyes.
I loved you enough not to make excuses for your lack of respect or you bad manners.
I loved you enough to admit that I was wrong and ask your forgiveness.
I loved you enough to ignore "what every other mother" did or said.
I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall, hurt and fail.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your own actions, at 6, 10, and 16.
I loved you enough to figure you would lie about the party being chaperoned but forgave you for it after discovering I was right.
I loved you enough to shove you off my lap, let go of your hand, be mute to your pleas and insensitive to your demands...so that you had to stand alone.
I loved you enough to accept you for what you are, not what I wanted you to be.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say "no" when you hated me for it.

THAT WAS THE HARDEST PART OF ALL.

Author Bio
Nicola Kennedy has enjoyed some great Mother's Days, both as a grateful mom and a loving daughter. She can help you find great Mother's Day gifts with tips and news, information and views at http://www.I-Love-My-Mom.com

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How to Find Hope When Hopelessness Attacks

By: Melissa Quiter

Often, life can seem very overwhelming. When you are constantly being faced with one challenging situation after another, it can begin to feel exhausting to continue trying. What is the point of constantly fighting back when the only reward is, yet, another challenge to take care of? Hopelessness sets in and the world looks very bleak.

The feelings of hopelessness can be devastating. They can make you do things you wouldn't normally do and think things you wouldn't normally think. However, in those moments when the feelings attack you, normal no longer exists. There is only the fight to get through those intense feelings or the fatigue of just finally wanting to succumb to them.

I can so clearly appreciate these feelings. In fact, I know these feelings first hand. I am a survivor of hopelessness. And I choose the word survivor intentionally.

First, I believe that people who prevail in extreme situations are not victims. Victims don't make it. A victim of a murder is dead. A survivor is someone who says, "I am not done. I am still here and the power is mine to reclaim."

Second, I chose the word survivor because there were many times, when I really was just as happy, if not happier, with the thought of checking out of this world and calling it done. In my over-worked and over-achieving mind it seemed to make sense that, if I wasn't finding a purpose and had no happiness, what was the point in pushing through all this pain and struggle and fear?

The amazing thing is that I am still here. I discovered the answers that I so desperately needed, and now I want to share those answers with others who also know there is so much more than that what you may be experiencing.

Although I don't know you personally, I do know this. Up to this point, you have pushed through too. Regardless of the strength and will it has taken to do so, you have not given up. And, the even more amazing thing I know is that you are now taking an active role in creating a different future than you have experienced in the past. You are doing that by reading this article. The only way to create something different from what you have already experienced is to add new information, new tools and new resources to your life.

What I discovered that changed my life, and will change yours too, is that without tools, humans would stop growing and evolving. There is no world, as you and I know it, without the tools we use to live on a daily basis. If you think about it then, it makes perfect sense that being the creator of an amazing, joyous, productive and fulfilling life also requires the proper tools. You cannot do this alone. You aren't supposed to do it alone! And what is so exciting is that -- even though you have been struggling and pushing and scraping by without all the tools -- you are still here and still making it. Think of what is going to be possible when you do have the proper tools. You won't believe how much more fun this thing called life can be!

The tools that I teach are the tools that I discovered, modified and combined to deal with my own dire need to find the missing joy and purpose I knew was possible. I knew there had to be a better way than constant struggle.

Tools are what set humans free. Through the use of tools, you can write, cook, create music, build homes, drive, fly and achieve feats never before thought possible. Tools are what allow humans to be more than they could otherwise be. Even research into our animal kingdom shows the use of tools is prevalent for daily survival.

It only makes sense that in order to create a life that you most desire, you must have knowledge and access to the tools of creating and manifesting. Through extensive research and trial and error on my own journey, the following combination of tools is what I found to be the key to living and creating the life you desire.

First, the foundation of creating is based on understanding the general principles of how the world works. The Universal Laws provide this foundation from a spiritual and scientific combined perspective. There are seven universal laws with one overriding law that governs every experience you have. The overriding law is based on Quantum Physics, and is says that everything is made of energy. Everything. From the chair you sit in to the thought you have about the chair to the feelings you get when you sit in the chair. All physical and non-physical "things" are simply varying speeds of energy in varying forms creating the world in which you and I live. By understanding and applying each universal law, you open your mind up to the multiple options for what is actually possible.

For example, if you were to fly a plane, but you had no understanding of the laws of gravity and aerodynamics, flying the plane would, in theory, still be possible. You could get behind the controls and hit the gas. However, you would most likely not have a pleasant or safe flight. You certainly wouldn't experience the joy and ease of flying and the truly amazing experience you could have if you had the proper tools and knowledge to assist in that endeavor.

Closely related to the foundational tool of the Universal Laws is the Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction applies the theory of all "things" being made of energy and explains how creating and manifesting is based on focusing and attracting. This law states that whatever you place your energy and focus on is what you attract back to you - wanted or unwanted. This means that by learning to focus on what you do want versus what you don't want, you have access to attracting every desire you articulate. For example, if you desire to have a safe trip home. You must focus your energy on the safe trip as opposed to focusing on not having an accident. When you focus on not having something, you are actually still putting your focus on that thing you don't want - in this example the accident.

The challenge with this tool is that is requires the use of three other imperative tools in order for it to work with 100% success. Many people have been frustrated with the Law of Attraction not working, thinking it is flawed. However, I found that it is not the law that is flawed, but the application of the law without the other tools. Just like a hammer is an amazing tool for building, but only if it is combined with a nail. Without the nail, the hammer is extremely limited in its full capacity. The same is true for the nail! Learning and knowing the Law of Attraction is imperative to being a master creator of your life.

One of the tools required to apply the Law of Attraction is the tool of self-awareness. This is a tool that is often under appreciated and taken for granted. Truly understanding where you are right now in your life, why you are there and, most importantly, how you got there is imperative to knowing where you want to go, why and how you plan to get there. The tool of truly understanding yourself is not always as easy as it appears. This is why there are multiple tools for getting a closer look at who you really are. These tools include the 4-eVer evolving! Life Assessment, the Gallup Poll's StrengthFinder^TM and delving into your past to discover passions, patterns and themes. Without knowing where you are starting, you cannot know in which direction you need to go to get to your destination. You also may not truly understand your destination. When you know where you are starting, what is pulling you forward and exactly where you want to go, the plan for that journey naturally unfolds before you. You cannot create and manifest without an articulated plan.

One of the most important tools needed to create your plan is the Nine Environments of Holistic Living. Your life does not only consist of one area in which you create your experiences from. There are multiple areas of importance that, at varying times, get more or less focus. By using the Nine Environments of Holistic Living, you can break down your life into manageable segments. When you start articulating your goals and desires in each of the separate areas, you quickly find where there may be conflicting intentions occurring. And this is where so much of the hopelessness and frustration is caused.

Conflicting intentions are two desires that, if realized, actually cancel each other out. If you have conflicting intentions that you are not aware of, you often end up not creating either one, or you get a very watered-down version of one or the other. The worst thing that can happen is that you get the opposite of what you intended for both desires creating havoc and chaos in your life.

The best tool I have found to work with the Nine Environments of Holistic Living is Neuro-Linguistic Programming - otherwise known as NLP. NLP is an advanced form of communication that not only improves communication between people, but also opens up communication with all the parts of your subconscious mind. NLP is a tool that allows you to go beyond your conscious into your subconscious mind, where your behaviors and beliefs are formed. It takes you to the source. And, it is only at the source that anything can be affected and changed for long-term growth and evolution. NLP provides multiple exercises and techniques that allow you to determine exactly what is happening within all the various parts of you. Without an understanding of the largest segment of your mind, reported to make up 88%, you cannot possible focus on the destination you most want to manifest. Without proper focus, you attract more of what you don't want, and forgo creating and manifesting what you do want.

The last tool I created to pull everything together. The Process of Deliberate Creation is a daily tool that uses the information uncovered and discovered in creating your plan to assist in applying the proper focus needed on a daily basis. If you are not creating deliberately, it is too easy to fall into default creating. Default creating is not knowing what you desire in each area of your life. It is not knowing what conflicting intentions may be sabotaging your progress and success and producing hopelessness and sadness. Default creating is not using the Universal Laws to assist in reframing what you see and ultimately what you experience.

Deliberate creation is about combining all of these tools and giving yourself the gift of hope; giving yourself the gift of living the life you came here to live. Deliberate creation is about being a survivor without the struggle, sadness and hopelessness. It is about immediately knowing how to shift every situation and challenge to propel you forward. It is about shifting your mindset to see the possibilities instead of the blocks. It is about having the proper tools to create and manifest for building the life of your dreams, painting the masterpiece of your imagination and making music that fills your soul.

Creating and manifesting is about becoming aware of the tools, which you have done in this article, and learning how to use those tools to begin living your life as a survivor of hopelessness.

I did it and I know, with the combination of these tools, you can too!

Author Bio
Melissa Jean Quiter is an inspirational life and business strategist with Provocative Communications. She is the author of the 4-phase, life and business-changing program, "Being Spiritual Doesn't Mean Being Poor! How to remove what blocks you from making money & creating happiness," based on the Law of Attraction and the three required elements (the universal laws, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the Nine Environments of Holistic Living) to ensure your success 100% of the time. To get started, visit: www.ProvocativeCommunications.com/takingcontrol.html. Melissa also teaches a simple, yet profound, daily process for deliberately creating your life in her book, "My cat made me a millionaire (and how yours can too!)," available here: www.ProvocativeCommunications.com/cat.html . E-mail: Quiter@Texas.net or call: [512] 341-0556.

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What's Your Excuse for Not Being Successful in Life?

By: David Neese

Excuses! Excuses! When we fail to do something we are expected to do, we almost always have an excuse for it. However, if we analyze it closely, an excuse is a self-destructive alibi for having failed to do something, especially when it involves attaining a goal. Instead of trying to persevere in finding ways to continue achieving a goal, some of us resort to excuses.

Even a handicap cannot be used as an excuse. Many handicapped but determined people have become achievers and champions. Instead of using a handicap as an excuse, let us turn it into an asset. Let us explore this further.

A handicap need not be a reason for failure. On the contrary, a handicap can be a reason for success. People with a handicap always have an offsetting strength that allows them to overcome problems better than others.

A person with a handicap has one obsession - to lead a normal life. Depending on the handicap, a person would prefer to be as independent as possible. So he struggles and finds ways to overcome his impediment. When he is able to achieve his goal, this raises his self-esteem. In turn, he inspires others.

Everybody has handicaps in varying forms and degree. That is why; it requires effort and determination to overcome them. Handicaps can either be physical, financial, or emotional. And they can either be real or imagined.

Whenever we look at a handicap, we almost always look on the negative side only. It's about time we take a look at the positive side of it. The positive side may be the difficult side, but it's the one worth looking into. It's the side that is going to lead us to excel in life.

If you think your handicap is physical, like having a weak body, you can counteract this through proper diet and training exercises. As long as the physical parts of your body are intact and mobile, there's no reason why you cannot make it strong and useful. Why? Even those without a leg (for example) can be made to walk or run normally. With the advancement of science, artificial legs can help a handicap function with great mobility.

It your handicap is financial, then the more reason you have to rise above your present status. And if your financial status limits your educational attainment to improve your life, the school is not the only place to learn. Certainly, there are help centers to get you started even from zero level. Once you are initially warmed up with the basics of an education, the rest is up to you. Make use of libraries. Once you are educationally equipped, use your brain and come up with creative ideas to improve your life.

If you are emotionally disturbed with negative thoughts, it is like you are sitting on a chair with wobbling legs. Try sitting on a chair with sturdy legs; meaning, look at the bright, positive side of life. Put aside negativity and start thinking positively. The only one who can stop you is yourself.

If your handicap is a combination of any of the physical, financial, or emotional type, congratulations. You should strive more to overcome them, because a double layer of perseverance results to more than double the achievement. Where the odds are greater, the prize gets much bigger. After all the efforts you have exerted, the prize of success shall be a well-deserved one.

So what's your excuse for not being successful?

Author Bio
David Neese is a real estate investor, hard money lender, small business owner, ecommerce marketer, writer, motivator, father and athlete. David offers a free Ecourse on quick start strategies for getting started in real estate investing that is delivered via email and tele-clinic at: www.freerealestateinvestingcourses.com and you can find more information about David at: www.digitalsuccesscoach.com.

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The Keys to Buying Motivation: Unlock the Door to Sales Success

By: Mark Dembo

One of the key things that we teach salespeople is that your job in sales is to understand what it is that people do, and then to help them do it better. For only by understanding what people do; how they do it, why they do it that way, when they do it, and who they do it with, can you be in a position to really help them and show them what will make sense to them. Notice that the emphasis here is on the prospect: what makes sense to THEM. It's not about what makes sense to you, or what you would like to sell them. Notice also that we're not talking about asking prospects about their "needs," "problems," or "pain."

As D.E.I. Management Group President and author, Steve Schiffman says in his book "The 250 Sales Questions to Close the Deal:"

What if I ask the person to describe pressing business problems that he or she will face in the future? What if I build my proposal around those business issues? I might get a decent picture of what is going on in that person's world, but I will not get the whole picture. Even if you discover everything about the person's pains, needs, and problems, you will have only learned about certain parts of their situation - the parts that are currently causing pain and problems. You won't be getting the whole picture. What about the rest of your contact's situation - the things that don't fit in the categories of pain, needs, or problems? What's going on there? If I only ask about "needs," I don't know - and if you've only been asking the types of questions mentioned above, neither do you.

Let's explore this a bit more deeply. People will only make a decision to do something if it makes sense to them. I think that's something we can all agree on. So how do we know what will make sense to someone we meet for the first time, or whom we don't know all that well? That comes through asking questions and in taking a genuine interest in the people we meet with.

Many of us in sales were taught, at one time or another, that we need to be good listeners, and that we need to show we care by asking questions. Yet how many of us really do a good job at that? We are excited about our products and services - we want to jump right in and show our prospect that we have the fix for whatever ails them. We need to learn to fight that urge to "throw-up" on the prospect with our solution to their problem - for if we do this too soon in the process we're really just guessing at what makes the most sense to them.

An understanding of basic human motivation will help you ask better questions to arrive at the ultimate plan that will make sense to your prospect. As human beings, we are all drive by two primary motivating factors; the desire to avoid pain, or the desire to gain something. Or, to put it another way - we either want to fix something that isn't working, or we want to create a better future.

Consultant and author Mahan Khalsa in his book "Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play" says it well:

People who are trying to "move away from pain" will interpret issues as pain and may give us a list a problems, frustrations, and dissatisfaction. They may even use physical or emotional pain phrases like: "It's killing us", "We're bleeding", "It's a pain in the neck", "It's a real headache", It's a nightmare", "It's like pulling teeth".

People who are "moving toward gain" will interpret issues as results (i.e., objectives, goals, and outcomes). They may use phrases like" "What we'd like to see.," "What we think is possible.," "Our vision is.," "What we're excited about is.," "Our end in mind is.," "We'd like to create.," etc. Their language will give us some hints about where they would like to start. We'll just need to be aware of the language.

Our job in asking questions then, is to listen to what our prospect says and determine which mode they are operating in - listen to their language, and then ask more questions to find out more about their unique situation. In doing this, you will want to ask questions that relate to the past, the present, and the future. Asking about the past will help you determine what problems they may be dealing with that they want to fix. Asking about the present will focus in their present situation and the current "status quo". Future based questions will give you a sense of what goals and outcomes they hope to accomplish. All of these areas are important to gain a full sense of what will makes sense to the person and of what will lead them to buy.

Every conversation is unique. You need to focus on what your contact is telling you and then follow-up with a logical question to dig deeper. Each question you ask should follow from the question and answer before it. For example, suppose you are speaking with someone and she tells you that her company plans to open 5 new locations in the next year. What will your next question be? Here are some possibilities:

• That's great. I'm just curious, why five?
• That's great. I'm just curious, where will they be? How did you decide on those locations?
• That's great. What are your first year projections for those locations?
• That's great. What kinds of challenges do you typically face when you open new locations?

You could probably come up with several other questions you could use here, but the point is that the question is squarely focused on them - and may not even have anything directly to do with your offering. Remember, your goal is to understand as much as you can about them. Through question like this you are developing a real conversation. A conversation in which your contact's comfort and trust level will increase, and one in which you will gain real insight into what they "do" - what they hope to accomplish as well as the problems they need to solve.

Only once you've gained a better sense of their past, present, and future - along with problems (pain) and goals (gain) are you in a position to make a real recommendation or proposal.

Moving quickly through this step can jeopardize your opportunities to build a real relationship and to add real value to the selling situation. Take the time to truly understand what your prospect does, and you will see your sales increase!

Author Bio
Mark Dembo; President, Lexien Management Consultants (www.lexien.com).
Lexien Management Consultants is a consulting and training company providing growth-oriented companies with strategies, tools, and skills to improve their top and bottom-lines. Each month, Lexien publishes the Sales Success Newsletter. You can contact Mark at 914-682-2069, or at mdembo@lexien.com.

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The Power of Self-Talk

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• by Raychelle, on Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:36am PST

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Self-talk is the conversation that man has with himself. It is the internal feedback that he conveys to himself based on his thoughts and feelings about his appearance, intellect, emotions, health, morals, and actions. Your perception is your reality. It shapes every decision that you make and everything that you do. It can help you to move your mountains or cause you to trip on speed bumps. Mary Kay Ash said that, "If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right." It is possible to convince yourself that you cannot do something before you even try once. "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Simply put, you are what you think.

The human being is the highest life form on earth. He has free will. He can do whatever he wants to do. Birds fly, lay eggs, and migrate with the seasons. Bees pollinate flowers and make honey. Dogs bury bones, scratch fleas, and chase cars. Every other creature is born knowing its purpose. Each has innate instincts that govern how it will live and survive. Free will can be both a blessing and a curse if one's thinking is negative. Having the ability to define who you are is pointless if you place more energy into the power of "can't" than you place into the power of "can".

Where does all of negativity come from? FEAR. It comes from the fear of failure and the fear of rejection and the fear of losing. It also comes from the fear of success and the fear of acceptance and the fear of winning. It comes from the fear of change. It comes from the fear of the unknown. I read recently a quote that said, "Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of." The bad things in our lives that we have grown accustomed to like excessive debt, obesity, poor health, unhealthy relationships, underpaying/unsatisfying jobs, and unresolved feelings are comfortable. We know how they affect us. We know that they are not good for us. We don't like how they make us feel about ourselves, but yet we hold on to them because they are familiar and predictable. They don't require any change in our behavior or interruption in our daily routines. Overcoming the negative self-talk that arises from fear requires us to challenge it. Positivity and negativity are powerful forces in our lives. To remove one and replace it with the other requires work and courage. We must accept the challenge to change.

If you have never kept a journal in your life, I suggest that you get into the habit of examining your thoughts on paper. Write down your honest opinions, thoughts, values, and feelings about the events that occur daily in your life over the next 30 days. Focus on one aspect of your life that you want to change and/or improve and detail your thoughts. On day 31, re-read your journal. Pay close attention to the words that you use to describe people and events including yourself. You will discover patterns in your behavior and begin to recognize the content of your self-talk. When you know better, you will do better. You may discover the true reason why you are sabotaging your opportunity to have a great life. You may decide to make a change in your life. You might start to appreciate the power that you have to win. You might realize that you deserve to be happy and successful. You might start living again... Now would that be so bad?

Be good to yourself. More next time...

Using "Self-Talk" to Fulfill New Years Resolutions

Why do New Years resolutions go unfulfilled? Is it because they are too ambitious? Regardless of what you resolve to do, be it to improve your health, develop better relationships with friends, make a job change or even see a part of the world you’ve been dreaming about, everything is within the realm of possibility if you say so. By Michael J. Russ

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By Michael J. Russ

There is something truly special about the coming of a New Year. Another twelve months present the perfect opportunity to start over, transform or change your self in some way. Regardless of what you resolve to do, be it to improve your health, develop better relationships with friends, make a job change or even see a part of the world you’ve been dreaming about, everything is within the realm of possibility if you say so.

The important question then becomes "why do New Years resolutions go unfulfilled?" Is it because they are too ambitious? I don’t think so. At the beginning of the year you are full of optimism, excitement and hope. The thoughts and words you use to describe your resolutions reflect positive tones as you say, "I can do this" or "I believe I can do it this year." You even tell your closest friends how excited you are about what you are going to accomplish. Then, as the days and months progress your enthusiasm fades and you find yourself making excuses and being apologetic for not pursuing your goals, saying things like "I just can’t find the time" or by thinking "I am just too tired today."

Has anything really happened to make your resolutions unachievable? Yes, you’re "self-talk." You simply talked yourself right out of your resolutions. "Self-talk" is what you think and say about yourself, both in your head and in conversations with others. In order to fully manifest your resolutions, your "self-talk" must be completely in sync with them. A congruency of "self-talk" and action helps you maintain the attitude, drive and motivation to keep moving forward, even in the face of adversity and procrastination. Here are some things you can do to get your "self-talk" on the right path and manifest your resolutions.

Be clear about your resolutions. The quickest route to what you want is a straight line. When you create resolutions you are unsure about, your "self-talk" will eventually sabotage your efforts by chipping away at your motivation and enthusiasm. Having clarity about your resolution instills greater focus, ignites passion and enhances self-confidence. You become more willing to design, monitor and use "self-talk" to support you every step of the way. Choosing not to make a resolution is better than making one you aren’t willing to stand behind. With time and patience you will decide upon and fully support changes that are perfect for you.

Become familiar with the "self-talk" you are using now. "Self-talk" is something you use all the time. Whether it takes a positive or a negative direction is up to you. Being alert to the kind of "self-talk" you use allows you to discover and defy its negative nature and see that it maintains proper alignment with what you are doing to achieve your resolutions.

Consciously design "self-talk." Use "self-talk" that is positive and on track by consciously designing supportive statements that begin with words such as "I am", "I can", "I will" and "I intend." These words build confidence, motivate and reinforce your intentions. Drop statements that begin with "I can’t", "I don’t" and "I’ll try" from your "self-talk" vocabulary. In order to succeed in reaching your resolutions you must always speak of yourself and what you are doing in a positive way, regardless of the circumstances.

Keep your "self-talk" moving in a positive direction. Adversity is a natural part of life. It’s been said that people should be judged not by their successes, but by how they handled their adversities. When adversity strikes, instead of beating yourself up about what happened, respond with positive "self-talk" that inspires you to work through it, such as "I am strong enough to get through this and get back on track." What’s important is to keep your "self-talk" moving in a positive direction and focus on what you can control- the way you feel, how you respond and the attitude you maintain.

"Self-talk" is the most amazing force you have for creating the life you envision. Words have the potential to build or destroy and influence everything you experience. However one thing holds true, when you support yourself in every moment, life doesn’t seem so difficult. This is the power of "self-talk."

Michael J. Russ is an avid golfer and passionate speaker. He has authored several audio books on the mental aspects of golf, life and sales. His titles include "Powerful Golf", "Powerful Self-Talk" and "Powerful Sales" and his latest "Design Your Life" for young adults. For more information on these titles please visit www.powerfulliving.org.

By Michael J. Russ
Published: 2/14/2006

Motivate, and Lead Employees from the Heart

Nine Questions to Help You Manage, Motivate, and Lead Employees from the Heart

March 17, 2007

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1. How do you define your organization? Is it people first?
2. When managing and leading employees are you eight times more positive than negative?
3. Do you honor your employees?
4. What do you do when you get those motivational, teaching, and coaching moments? Do you connect with them? Do you tell them that you accept and love them?
5. Do your words and deeds free them from the fear of failure?
6. Do your employees know how much you accept and love them?
7. Do you help them tap into their passion?
8. Do you treat your employees like family?
9. Are you the guardian of your employees dreams?

Written by Greg Balanko-Dickson · Filed Under Hire First Staff, Management Issues

Control Your Own Level of Motivation

Control Your Own Level of Motivation

By Paul M. Jerard Jr.

When I first mention this to most people, they really don’t get it, so here is a simple formula for keeping your moods upbeat.

Audio books and music can be used as tools for motivation. The audio book is such a great motivational and learning tool, while you are commuting, or just out for a drive by yourself. I mention “by yourself” because, ideally, you should spend quality time with people in your car.

You can learn so much about life and a self-improvement audio book can keep you motivated all day long.

When I first started listening to audio books it was during commuter traffic through Providence and Boston. I would show up to meetings relaxed, with fresh ideas, and motivated. When people asked me the secret, I told them about the magic of audio books.

Most of them never asked me again, thought I was some strange eternal optimist, and never bothered to try an audio book.

Unfortunately, many people are slaves to stress, and don’t want to change anything. They go about their lives with a perfect recipe for a heart attack and high blood pressure.

Here is the ultimate recipe for a very sad and short life. You must combine "running late" to work, high volume traffic, the daily latte, a high stress job, and show up barely on time or late.

Some people are, what I call, “mad at the world.” They drive from one intersection to the next, making gestures at everyone. Some of these people can be helped, while others go through a daily cycle of frustration and even invite violence.

Now, let’s get back to you. As long as you stay aware, you have control over your motivation, moods, and level of optimism. So, take charge by plugging yourself into positive energy with books, audio books, music, and positive people.

The Goals of Employee Motivation -- What Should They Be?

What are the goals of employee motivation? This is something that every company has to decide prior to embarking on a motivation and training program. In order to have an effective program the goals or outcome of the training need to be determined. In addition, these need to be realistic and attainable goals for both the employees and the company.
In order to determine the goals of employee motivation you have to decide what it is you want to accomplish. If it is to have outstanding customer service then set out a plan that will train, motivate, and reward those involved with that aspect of your business. Once your objectives are decided upon then you can start to set the goals.

The goals of employee motivation should now be clear to you because you have set the objectives. You should know and understand what types of training you will need. Is there education involved to advance ability levels? This will take planning as new abilities take longer to acquire than just motivation. You have the education aspect covered. The next step is to motivate. Get the employees to do their current job better, with more enthusiasm. This is where the goal setting comes in. There must be a reward to the employees for achieving the goals set for them.

For example, if it was a specific goal for the engineering department to get a project to the testing stage on time, then reward the whole department when this is achieved. Bring in breakfast for them one day. Perhaps the department can be rewarded by going home 1 hour early. The reward does not have to be huge or expensive. However, in order for any employee motivation to work results must always be rewarded. It is human nature to want praise, so by rewarding employees you are reinforcing the motivation.

Now you understand what the goals of employee motivation are. You are in the position to make positive changes in your organization by implementing a strategic motivation and training program for all of your employees.

Motivate Yourself By Setting Goals And Rewarding Yourself When You Meet Them

Welcome to Bible Money Matters. If you're new here, please consider signing up for our free daily updates via our RSS feed or via email. We appreciate you stopping by, and hope you'll come back for more!

My wife and I have been seriously paying attention to our finances since earlier this year when we took Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University. We’ve never been in bad financial shape, but we’d never really been getting ahead either. That all started to change when we realized that in order to get ahead, we had to make a plan.

One of the first things we did was to sit down, and figure out an entire cash flow plan. We wrote down what money was coming in, what expenses we had, and then what we had left over. Next we found ways to reduce expenses in certain areas and then set up a complete zero-based budget where every dollar was allocated before it hit the account. Next we set up an envelope spending plan where some of our problem categories were paid only in cash, out of an envelope. When the money was gone from the envelope, the spending on that category stopped.

All of these steps were great steps towards getting us up and running towards better financial health, but there was still one thing that was missing. We needed to set goals,and have something that motivated us as we worked towards those goals.

Setting Goals To Work Towards

The class that we were taking, Financial Peace University, has a built in set of goals that you are working towards. Among those goals were these 3 goals:

1. Build a $1000 emergency fund.
2. Pay off debt.
3. Save 3-6 months of expenses.

We quickly built up our $1000 emergency fund, and since we felt a little more secure with a bit more - we raised it to $2000. Since we had already paid off all of our debt (except the mortgage) we then moved on to the next goal, to save 3-6 months of expenses. We were almost all the way to those 6 months of expenses when my car started having problems. After getting it checked by our local mechanic, we realized that the car was on its last legs. We took about half of the 5 months of expenses that we had saved, and paid cash for a used car with lower miles.

Now that our 6 months of expenses had been reduced to more like 2-3, our goal is once again to build up that account. But sometimes having a goal often isn’t enough. Sometimes you need some further motivation in order to push you towards that goal.

My wife and I are movie buffs, one of our favorite things to do is just get a couple of good movies, curl up on the couch and watch movies all day. Because we spend so much time watching movies we decided that we wanted to get a large screen TV in our basement. We knew that our other goals would come first, but as a way to motivate ourselves we decided that we would reward ourselves for saving our 6 months of expenses by purchasing a new 50″ Plasma TV once we reached our goal.

I can’t tell you how motivating it is to have a goal like that. It really makes you want to work that much harder knowing that you’ve got some sort of reward waiting for you on the other side.

Rewards For Meeting Goals Can Be Very Motivating

So here are some of the rewards my wife and I have talked about getting once we’ve reached certain goals.

	50″ Plasma TV: We’ve wanted to get this TV for a while, but we know our savings goals take precedence. once we’ve reached those goals, however, we know that we’ll be able to enjoy those movies on the big screen. I’ve been working that much harder because I know this awesome viewing experience waits for me.
	Nintendo Wii Gaming Console: We’ve heard a lot of things about the Wii, and have enjoyedplaying the console at our friend’s houses. We can’t justify getting one right now, but wemay use it as a motivating reward down the line sometime.
	Blu-Ray DVD Player: We’ve waited to jump on the HD movie bandwagon until now, and we can probably wait a little longer. we’ll eventually get one of these Blu-Ray players as a reward,but in the meantime regular ‘ol DVDs do just fine. By the time we get one they’ll be a lotcheaper!
	Another Trip to Europe: We were blessed to have been able to go on a MediterraneanCruise with my wife’s parents this past September. We’ve already talked about using anothertrip as a motivating reward a few years down the line.

What Goals Do You Have? What Rewards?

So what financial goals have you set for yourself? are you finding that you’re able to reach those goals? Have you thought about using rewards to help you reach those goals, or are you doing that already? Leave us a comment telling us about it!

Top 10 Ways to Motivate Gifted Children

Top 10 Ways to Motivate Gifted Children

10 วิธีสร้างแรงบันดาลให้เด็กมีพรสวรรค์

Help! “How can I help motivate my child?” That was the theme at PTA’s first Meet & Greet (unofficial) PTA gathering. Specialists guests speakers Mr. Doug and Ms. Linda shared there expertise on the subject with the attending Parents. All together it was very interesting and helpful, thank you Mr. Doug & Ms. Linda

Parents of gifted children are often surprised and dismayed when their children underachieve in school. Learning disabilities in gifted children can sometimes lead to underachievement, but it is often simply a lack of motivation. Motivating some gifted children can be difficult; neither rewards nor punishments seem to work, especially for intrinsically motivated children. What can parents do to motivate their gifted children? Here are eight ideas to try.

ผู้ ปกครองของเด็กที่มีพรสวรรค์มักจะประหลาดใจและผิดหวังเวลาลูกเรียนไม่ดีเท่า ที่ควรในโรงเรียน ปัญหาการเรียนของเด็กที่มีพรสววรค์บางทีอาจนำไปสู่การเรียนที่ต่ำกว่าคาดแต่ เป็นเพราะว่าขาดแรงบันดาลใจ การสร้างแรงบันดาลใจให้กับเด็กที่มีพรสวรรค์เป็นสิ่งที่ที่ยากเพราะการใช้ รางวัล หรือการลงโทษไม่ผลกับพวกเขาโดยเฉพาะเด็กที่มีแรงบันดาลใจจากภายใน อะไรบ้างหละที่ทำให้ผู้ปกครองสามารถสร้างแรงกระตุ้นพรสวรรค์แก่เด็ก

1. Nurture Your Child's Interests

To nurture your child's interests, provide opportunities for him or her to learn and explore that interest. For example, if your youngster loves dinosaurs, get fact and fiction books about dinosaurs and visit natural history museums. If your child loves music, get toy (or real) instruments and consider music lessons. If your child loves science, get science books and science kits and visit science museums. Kids who can explore their interests are more likely to keep their love of learning alive.

1. การเลี้ยงดู การใส่ใจความสนใจของลูก

ถ้า จะสนับสนุนการสนใจของลูกเรา ต้องจัดหาโอกาสให้เขา หรือเธอ ได้เรียนรู้ และค้นหา เกี่ยวกับสิ่งที่เขาสนใจ ยกตัวอย่าง ถ้าลูกคุณชอบไดโนเสาร์ ต้องไปค้นหาข้อมูล และหนังสือ เกี่ยวกับไดโนเสาร์ และได้ไปเยี่ยมชมพิพิธภัณฑ์ ถ้าลูกคุณชอบดนตรี ก็ค้นหาอุปรณ์ดนตรีของเล่น หรือของจริง และอาจะให้เรียนดนตรี แต่ถ้าลูกคุณชอบวิทยาศาสตร์ จะหาหนังสือวิทยาศาสตร์หรือเครื่องมือเกี่ยวกับวิทยาศาสตร์ และพาไปเยี่ยมพิพิธภัณฑ์วิทยาศาสตร์ เด็กๆที่สามารถค้นหาสิ่งต่างๆที่เค้าสนใจ มักจะคงความรักที่จะเรียนรู้ตลอดไป

2. Expose Your Child to New Ideas and Areas

Sometimes a child lacks motivation because he or she hasn't yet been exposed to what might be a life passion. A child whose true passion is music but who has never had a chance to explore it will not be able to unlock that passion. Look for community programs, not just school programs. Don't overlook traditionally female activities, like dance and gymnastics, for boys. Keep an open mind; it's your child's interests that are important.

2. แนะนำลูกคุณต่อความคิดใหม่ๆ

บาง ครั้งเด็กอาจขาดแรงบันดาลใจ เพราะว่าเขาหรือ เธอ ยังไม่ได้สัมผัสว่าความชอบอะไรอย่างจริงจังในชีวิต เด็กที่อาจจะชื่นชอบดนตรีแต่ไม่เคยมีโอกาสที่จะสัมผัสมันก็จะไม่เคยได้ รู้สึกถึงอารมณ์นั้น ให้พ่อแม่ค้นหา กิจกรรมชุมชน ไม่ใช่แค่กิจกรรมในโรงเรียน อย่ามองข้ามกิจกรรมตามเพศ อย่างเช่นเด็กผู้ชายก็สามารถชอบเรียนเต้นและยิมนาสติกได้ด้วย จงมีความคิดที่ เปิดใจสู่ทุกอย่าง เพราะความสนใจของลูกเป็นสิ่งสำคัญที่สุด

3. Use Short-Term Goals and Rewards

Sometimes a child gets overwhelmed by a large task. It's not that the task is difficult, but the child may not be able to see the light a the end of the tunnel. Rather than begin the task, a child will give up before he or she even begins. Help your child see the task as a series of smaller tasks. Make each small task a goal and try setting a reward for that goal. Sometimes rewards won't be necessary once a child is able to see the task as a manageable one.

3. การใช้จุดมุ่งหมายระยะสั้น และของรางวัล

บาง ครั้งเด็กจะรู้สึกท้อที่ได้รับภารกิจที่ยิ่งใหญ่ สิ่งที่ต้องทำอาจจะไม่ยากนัก แต่เด็กจะไม่สามารถมองเห็นจุดจบ แทนทีจะเริ่มทำภารกิจ เด็กก็จะเลิกก่อนที่เริ่มทำ เราสามารถช่วยเด็ก มองเห็นภารกิจเป็นกิจกรรมย่อยๆในกลุ่ม ทำให้กิจกรรมย่อยนั้นมีจุดเป้าหมายและตั้งรางวัล ถ้าสำเร็จตามเป้า บางทีรางวัลอาจจะไม่จำเป็น เพราะเด็กสามารถมองเห็นแล้วว่ากิจกรรมนี้ทำได้

4. Help Your Child Learn to Manage Time

When they start school, gifted children usually have few problems keeping up with work. They learn quickly and easily. While that may sound like a real advantage, it can lead to problems. These children may never learn to manage their time in order to get work done. At some point, whether in high school or college, they may feel overwhelmed by the work they need to complete and don't know how to set time aside to complete tasks. Teach your child how to create and use a time-management schedule.

4. ช่วยให้ลูกได้เรียนรู้วิธีการบริหารเวลา

เมื่อ พวกเขาได้เข้าโรงเรียน เด็กที่มีพรสวรรค์โดยปกติจะมีปัญหาน้อยในการทำงาน พวกเขา จะเรียนรู้อย่างรวดเร็ว และเข้าใจง่าย อาจจะฟังว่าเป็นข้อดีแต่ที่จริงอาจนำสู่ปัญหา เด็กเหล่านี้อาจไม่เคยเรียนรู้วิธีบริหารเวลาเพื่อที่จะทำงานให้เสร็จ พอถึงจุดหนึ่ง อาจจะอยู่ในช่วงมัธยมหรือมหาวิทยาลัยที่พวกเค้าจะรู้สึกท้อจากงานที่ต้องทำ และไม่รู้ว่าจะจัดสรรเวลาอย่างไร อบรมลูกของคุณให้รู้จักคิดและใช้ตารางการจัดการเวลาให้เป็น

5. Praise Your Child's Efforts

Gifted kids sometimes have trouble connecting personal effort to achievement. Much of what they do and learn comes easily to them, so they can achieve with little effort. To help a child succeed, praise efforts at success and make that praise specific. For example, instead of saying "Nice work," it's better to say something like, "You worked hard on your science project; you really earned that A." However, avoid the reverse: don't say things like, "If you worked harder, you would do better."

5. กล่าวชมเชยความพยายามของลูก

เด็ก ที่มีพรสวรรค์ บางทีจะมีปัญหาเชื่อโยงระหว่างการพยายาม กับผลสำเร็จ หลายสิ่ง หลายอย่างที่ทำหรือเรียนรู้มันง่ายสำหรับเขาโดยที่ไม่ต้องพยายามมาก คุณสามารช่วยลูกโดยให้การชมเชยเวลาประสบความสำเร้จ และให้คำชมเชยนั้นเจาะจงถึงกิจกรรมนั้น ยกตัวอย่าง แทนที่จะพูดว่า ดีมาก ควรพูดว่า ลูกได้ตั้งใจทำกิจกรรมวิทยาศาสตร์ ลูกสมควรที่จะได้เอ แต่ไม่ควรทำสิ่งตรงข้าม ห้ามพูดว่า ถ้าลูกตั้งใจมากกว่านี้ลูกจะทำได้ดีกว่านี้

6. Help Your Child Take Control

Gifted underachievers sometimes see achievement as something beyond their control. If they succeed, it is due to luck or some other external factor. This attitude makes them feel like effort is pointless. Praising their efforts can help, but these children also need to understand the role personal responsibility plays in success. The way you talk about your own life sends a message. Complaining about your boss or blaming your boss for your lack of success at work sends the wrong message.

6. ส่งเสริมให้ลูกคุณมีการควบคุมบังคับสถานการณ์

เด็ก ที่มีพรสวรรค์ แต่ทำอะไรไม่ค่อยสำเร็จมักมองว่า การประสบความสำเร็จเป็นสิ่งนอกเหนือความสามารถของเขา ถ้าเค้าประสบความสำเร็จ เป็นเพราะโชคหรือองค์ประกอบอื่นๆนอกกายเค้า ทัศนคติอย่างนี้ ทำให้พวกเขารู้สึกว่าความพยายามไม่สำคัญ การชมเชยความพยายามอาจช่วยได้แต่เด็กพวกนี้ต้องการเข้าใจว่า ความรับผิดชอบส่วนตัวต้องมีบทบาท ในการประสบความสำเร็จ วิธีที่คุณพูดเกี่ยวกับชีวิตของตัวเอง สื่อความหมาย การที่คนเราบ่นเจ้านาย หรือโทษเจ้านายเกี่ยวกับความล้มเหลวที่ทำงาน สื่อข้อความที่ไม่ถูกต้อง

7. Keep a Positive Attitude About School

Children need to see that their parents value education. Even if a child's problems in school are the school's or teacher's fault, you need to be careful of what you say. Negative attitudes toward school in general will transfer to your child. If school is a problem, you can point out that even though problems can occur, education s still valuable and effort will eventually lead to success. Blaming the school will allow the child to avoid personal responsibility.

7. มองโลกในแง่บวกเกี่ยวกับโรงเรียน

เด็กๆ ต้องการเห็นว่าพ่อแม่ให้ความสำคัญต่อการศึกษาถึงแม้ปัญหาลูกที่โรงเรียนเป็น ความผิดของครูหรือโรงเรียนคุณต้องระวังว่าคุณพูดอะไร การมองโลกในแง่ลบต่อโรงเรียนจะสื่อทอดไปถึงลูกคุณ หากโรงเรียนคือปัญหา คุณสามารถชี้แนะได้ว่า ถึงแม้ปัญหาจะเกิดขึ้นการศึกษายังคงเป็นสิ่งสำคัญและความพยายาม จะนำไปสู่ความสำเร็จ การที่โทษโรงเรียน จะเปิดช่องทางให้เด็กหลีกเลี่ยงความรับผิดชอบส่วนตัว

8. Help Your Child Make Connections Between Schoolwork and Their Interests

Sometimes children lack motivation because they don't see a connection between the work they are being asked to do and their goals and interests. A child who wants to be an astronaut should know that math and science is important in those jobs. A little research may be necessary to find requirements of various jobs. However, unmotivated gifted children generally don't focus on anything but the present. Two weeks in the future is even hard for some of them to imagine.

8. แต่ช่วยให้ลูกคุณเชื่อมโยงระหว่างการบ้านและความสนใจ

บาง ทีเด็กอาจจะขาดแรงบันดาลใจเพราะไม่เห็นความเชื่อมโยงระหว่าง งานที่ถูกบอกให้ทำ และ จุดเป้าหมายกับ ความสนใจของพวกเค้า เด็กที่อยากจะเป็นนักอวกาศควรรู้ว่าเลข และวิทยาศาสตร์เป็นวิชาสำคัญต่อหน้าที่การงาน คุณอาจจะค้นคว้าดูว่างานต่างๆต้องการความเรียนรู้จากวิชาอะไรบ้าง แต่ว่าเด็กที่มีพรสวรรค์ขาดแรงบันดาลใจส่วนมากจะไม่สนใจอะไรนอกจากสิ่งที่ เกิดขึ้นในปัจจุบัน 2 อาทิตย์ในอนาคต อาจเป็นสิ่งที่ยากสำหรับเค้าที่จะมองเห็น

9. Turn Homework Into Creative Games

Gifted children love a challenge, so by turning otherwise dull homework into a challenging game, you can get your child to do it. Some children like to race, so you can ask them to see how quickly they can get it done -- without mistakes. Checking their work lets them see you care about it. Another creative approach to homework is to link it to an interest. For example, a dull math worksheet can be the decoding assignment of an astronaut's space mission to Mars. Unless the work is done correctly, the mission will fail. Even the smallest mistake can create a problem that can cause the mission to fail.

9. เปลี่ยนแปลงการบ้านให้เป็นเกมสนุกๆ

เด็ก ที่มีพรสวรรค์ชอบการท้าทาย เพราะฉะนั้น เปลี่ยนแปลงการบ้านน่าเบื่อให้เป็นเกมท้าทายแล้วลูกคุณก็จะทำ เด็กบางคนชอบวิ่งแข่งงั้นคุณก็ท้าเข้าว่า สามารถทำการบ้านให้เสร็จเร็วแค่ไหน โดยให้ผิดพลาดน้อยที่สุด การที่คุณตรวจงานเค้า แสดงว่าคุณแคร์ อีกวิธีหนึง คือ ให้เชื่อมโยงการบ้านกับสิ่งที่เค้าสนใจ

ยก ตัวอย่าง การบ้านเลขน่าเบื่อ อาจกลายเป็นภารกิจถอดรหัสของนักอวกาศที่จะกำลังผจญภัยในดาวพุธ หากงานนี้ทำไม่ถูกต้องหมดภารกิจก็จะล่มเหลว การผิดพรากเพียงเล็กน้องก็จะสามารถสร้างปัญหา ที่ทำให้ภารภิจล้มเหลวได้

10. Keep in Mind that Motivation is Not Always About School Achievement

We often equate motivation with school achievement. However, it's important to note that some children are highly motivated to achieve goals, but those goals are unrelated to school. A gifted teen, for example, may be more interested in creating a volunteer community program for the elderly or for the underprivileged.

Achievement is Not Motivation

It's important to remember that while you may get your child to get homework done, he or she may never be truly motivated to do it.

10. แรงบันดาลใจไม่จำเป็นต้องเกี่ยวกับผลสำเร็จในการเรียนเสมอไป

บ่อย ครั้งเราจะถือว่าแรงบันดาลใจคือผลสำเร็จในการเรียน แต่ว่าสำคัญมากที่จะดูว่า เด็กบางคนที่มีแรงบันดาลใจอย่างสูง ที่จะทำให้สำเร็จตามเป้า อาจจะไม่ได้คิดว่าเป้าหมายนั้นเกี่ยวกับการเรียน ยกตัวอย่างเด็กวัยรุ่นที่มีพรสวรรค์อาจจะสนใจ ไปช่วยชุมชนทำความดีสำหรับผู้สูงอายุหรือพวกด้อยโอกาส

ผลสำเร็จไม่ใช่แรงบันดาลใจ

สำคัญมากที่ต้องจดจำว่าถึงแม้ลูกคุณจะทำการบ้านเสร็จ เขา หรือเธอ อาจจะไม่ได้รับแรงบันดาลใจจริงที่จะทำมัน

http://giftedkids.about.com/od/nurturinggiftsandtalents/tp/motivate.htm

The Ultimate Guide to Motivation - How to Achieve Any Goal

“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” - Henry Ford

One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it.

If you can stick with a goal for long enough, you’ll almost always get there eventually. It just takes patience, and motivation.

Motivation is the key, but it’s not always easy, day in and day out, to find that motivation.

What follows is a guide to motivation using what I’ve learned over the last few years in a series of successful accomplishments, goals and habit changes. I’ve had many failures, but also many successes, and I’ve learned a lot from all of them. Motivation has been a particularly important topic of exploration for me.

What Motivation Can Achieve
What have I accomplished using these motivation methods? Too much to mention, just in the last 3 years: running two marathons, learning to become an early riser, losing 40 pounds, completing a triathlon, becoming vegetarian, becoming more productive, starting a successful blog, writing a book, becoming organized, simplifying my life, quitting my day job, tripling my income, eliminating my debt, and much more.

That’s not intended to sound like bragging, but to show you what can be accomplished (just to start) if you find the right motivation.

How Does Motivation Work?
Before we get into specific methods, it’s useful to examine what motivation is, what it does, and how it works.

Motivation is what drives you toward a goal, what keeps you going when things get tough, the reason you get up early to exercise or work late to finish a project. There are all kinds of motivations, of course, from positive to negative. Having a boss threaten to fire you is motivation — you’ll likely work harder to complete a project with that kind of pressure. But I find that positive motivation works better — if it’s something you really want to do, you’ll do a much better job than to avoid something you don’t want (such as being fired).

So motivation, in its best form, is a way for you to want to do something. There may be times, for example, when you don’t feel like getting up early, and in those times you may seriously just want to sleep in (not that there’s anything wrong with that). But if you have a reason to want to get up early, something you really really want to do, you’ll jump up out of bed with excitement.

The best motivation, then, is a way for you to really want something, to get excited about it, to be passionate about it. Remember that, as there are many other types of motivation (especially negative), but in my experience, this is the kind that works the best.

There is only so long that you can go trying to motivate yourself to do something you don’t like to do, something you don’t want to do. But if you find ways to really want to do something, you can sustain your effort for much, much longer.

8 Ways to Motivate Yourself From the Beginning
I’ve found that it’s important to start out with the right motivation, because a good start can build momentum that you can sustain for a long time. If you start out right, you have a much better chance of succeeding. Here are some tips for starting out:

1. Start small. I’ve said this before, but that’s because it’s one of the most important tips in motivating yourself toward a goal. Don’t start out big! Start out with a ridiculously easy goal, and then grow from there. If you want to exercise, for example, you may be thinking that you have to do these intense workouts 5 days a week. No — instead, do small, tiny, baby steps. Just do 2 minutes of exercise. I know, that sounds wimpy. But it works. Commit to 2 minutes of exercise for one week. You may want to do more, but just stick to 2 minutes. It’s so easy, you can’t fail. Do it at the same time, every day. Just some crunches, 2 pushups, and some jogging in place. Once you’ve done 2 minutes a day for a week, increase it to 5, and stick with that for a week. In a month, you’ll be doing 15-20. Want to wake up early? Don’t think about waking at 5 a.m. Instead, think about waking 10 minutes earlier for a week. That’s all. Once you’ve done that, wake 10 minutes earlier than that. Baby steps.
2. One goal. Too many people start with too many goals at once, and try to do too much. And it saps energy and motivation. It’s probably the most common mistake that people make. You cannot maintain energy and focus (the two most important things in accomplishing a goal) if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. It’s not possible — I’ve tried it many times. You have to choose one goal, for now, and focus on it completely. I know, that’s hard. Still, I speak from experience. You can always do your other goals when you’ve accomplished your One Goal.
3. Examine your motivation. Know your reasons. Give them some thought … and write them down. If you have loved ones, and you are doing it for them, that is more powerful than just doing it for self-interest. Doing it for yourself is good too, but you should do it for something that you REALLY REALLY want to happen, for really good reasons.
4. Really, really want it. This is essentially the same as the above tip, but I want to emphasize it: it’s not enough to think it would be cool to achieve something. It has to be something you’re passionate about, something you’re super excited about, something you want deeply. Make sure that your goal meets these criteria, or you won’t stick with it for long.
5. Commit publicly. None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we’ve said publicly. For example, when I wanted to run my first marathon, I started writing a column about it in my local daily newspaper. The entire island of Guam (pop. 160K) knew about my goal. I couldn’t back down, and even though my motivation came and went, I stuck with it and completed it. Now, you don’t have to commit to your goal in your daily newspaper, but you can do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable — don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.
6. Get excited. Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going.
7. Build anticipation. This will sound hard, and many people will skip this tip. But it really works. It helped me quit smoking after many failed attempts. If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, don’t start right away. Many of us will get excited and want to start today. That’s a mistake. Set a date in the future — a week or two, or even a month — and make that your Start Date. Mark it on the calendar. Get excited about that date. Make it the most important date in your life. In the meantime, start writing out a plan. And do some of the steps below. Because by delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal.
8. Print it out, post it up. Print out your goal in big words. Make your goal just a few words long, like a mantra (”Exercise 15 mins. Daily”), and post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. You want to have big reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going. A picture of your goal (like a model with sexy abs, for example) also helps.

20 Ways to Sustain Motivation When You’re Struggling
The second half of motivation is to keep yourself going when you don’t feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning. Perhaps something new has come into your life and your old goal isn’t as much of a priority anymore. Perhaps you skipped a day or two and now you can’t get back into it. Perhaps you screwed up and got discouraged.

If you can get yourself excited again, and keep going, you’ll get there eventually. But if you give up, you won’t. It’s your choice — accomplish the goal, or quit. Here’s how you can stop from quitting, and get to your goal:

1. Hold yourself back. When I start with a new exercise program, or any new goal really, I am rarin’ to go. I am full of excitement, and my enthusiasm knows no boundaries. Nor does my sense of self-limitation. I think I can do anything. It’s not long before I learn that I do have limitations, and my enthusiasm begins to wane. Well, a great motivator that I’ve learned is that when you have so much energy at the beginning of a program, and want to go all out — HOLD BACK. Don’t let yourself do everything you want to do. Only let yourself do 50-75 percent of what you want to do. And plan out a course of action where you slowly increase over time. For example, if I want to go running, I might think I can run 3 miles at first. But instead of letting myself do that, I start by only running a mile. When I’m doing that mile, I’ll be telling myself that I can do more! But I don’t let myself. After that workout, I’ll be looking forward to the next workout, when I’ll let myself do 1.5 miles. I keep that energy reined in, harness it, so that I can ride it even further.
2. Just start. There are some days when you don’t feel like heading out the door for a run, or figuring out your budget, or whatever it is you’re supposed to do that day for your goal. Well, instead of thinking about how hard it is, and how long it will take, tell yourself that you just have to start. I have a rule that I just have to put on my running shoes and close the door behind me. After that, it all flows naturally. It’s when you’re sitting in your house, thinking about running and feeling tired, that it seems hard. Once you start, it is never as hard as you thought it would be. This tip works for me every time.
3. Stay accountable. If you committed yourself publicly, through an online forum, on a blog, in email, or in person … stay accountable to that group of people. Commit to report back to them daily, or something like that, and stick to it! That accountability will help you to want to do well, because you don’t want to report that you’ve failed.
4. Squash negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. This is one of the most important motivation skills, and I suggest you practice it daily. It’s important to start monitoring your thoughts, and to recognize negative self-talk. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Then, after a few days, try squashing those negative thoughts like a bug, and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, “This is too hard!” and replace it with, “I can do this! If that wimp Leo can do it, so can I!” It sounds corny, but it works. Really.
5. Think about the benefits. Thinking about how hard something is is a big problem for most people. Waking early sounds so hard! Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. For example, instead of thinking about how hard it is to wake early, focus on how good you’ll feel when you’re done, and how your day will be so much better. The benefits of something will help energize you.
6. Get excited again! Think about why you lost your excitement … then think about why you were excited in the first place. Can you get that back? What made you want to do the goal? What made you passionate about it? Try to build that up again, refocus yourself, get energized.
7. Read about it. When I lose motivation, I just read a book or blog about my goal. It inspires me and reinvigorates me. For some reason, reading helps motivate and focus you on whatever you’re reading about. So read about your goal every day, if you can, especially when you’re not feeling motivated.
8. Find like-minded friends. Staying motivated on your own is tough. But if you find someone with similar goals (running, dieting, finances, etc.), see if they’d like to partner with you. Or partner with your spouse, sibling or best friend on whatever goals they’re trying to achieve. You don’t have to be going after the same goals — as long as you are both pushing and encouraging each other to succeed. Other good options are groups in your area (I’m part of a running club, for example) or online forums where you can find people to talk to about your goals.
9. Read inspiring stories. Inspiration, for me, comes from others who have achieved what I want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. I read other blogs, books, magazines. I Google my goal, and read success stories. Zen Habits is just one place for inspiration, not only from me but from many readers who have achieved amazing things. I love, love, love reading success stories too.
10. Build on your successes. Every little step along the way is a success — celebrate the fact that you even started! And then did it for two days! Celebrate every little milestone. Then take that successful feeling and build on it, with another baby step. Add 2-3 minutes to your exercise routine, for example. With each step (and each step should last about a week), you will feel even more successful. Make each step really, really small, and you won’t fail. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.
11. Just get through the low points. Motivation is not a constant thing that is always there for you. It comes and goes, and comes and goes again, like the tide. But realize that while it may go away, it doesn’t do so permanently. It will come back. Just stick it out and wait for that motivation to come back. In the meantime, read about your goal, ask for help, and do some of the other things listed here until your motivation comes back.
12. Get help. It’s hard to accomplish something alone. When I decided to run my marathon, I had the help of friends and family, and I had a great running community on Guam who encouraged me at 5K races and did long runs with me. When I decided to quit smoking, I joined an online forum and that helped tremendously. And of course, my wife Eva helped every step of the way. I couldn’t have done these goals without her, or without the others who supported me. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.
13. Chart your progress. This can be as simple as marking an X on your calendar, or creating a simple spreadsheet, or logging your goal using online software. But it can be vastly rewarding to look back on your progress and to see how far you’ve come, and it can help you to keep going — you don’t want to have too many days without an X! Now, you will have some bad marks on your chart. That’s OK. Don’t let a few bad marks stop you from continuing. Strive instead to get the good marks next time.
14. Reward yourself often. For every little step along the way, celebrate your success, and give yourself a reward. It helps to write down appropriate rewards for each step, so that you can look forward to those rewards. By appropriate, I mean 1) it’s proportionate to the size of the goal (don’t reward going on a 1-mile run with a luxury cruise in the Bahamas); and 2) it doesn’t ruin your goal — if you are trying to lose weight, don’t reward a day of healthy eating with a dessert binge. It’s self-defeating.
15. Go for mini-goals. Sometimes large or longer-term goals can be overwhelming. After a couple weeks, we may lose motivation, because we still have several months or a year or more left to accomplish the goal. It’s hard to maintain motivation for a single goal for such a long time. Solution: have smaller goals along the way.
16. Get a coach or take a class. These will motivate you to at least show up, and to take action. It can be applied to any goal. This might be one of the more expensive ways of motivating yourself, but it works. And if you do some research, you might find some cheap classes in your area, or you might know a friend who will provide coaching or counseling for free.
17. Never skip two days in a row. This rule takes into account our natural tendency to miss days now and then. We are not perfect. So, you missed one day … now the second day is upon you and you are feeling lazy … tell yourself NO! You will not miss two days in a row!
18. Use visualization. Visualize your successful outcome in great detail. Close your eyes, and think about exactly how your successful outcome will look, will feel, will smell and taste and sound like. Where are you when you become successful? How do you look? What are you wearing? Form as clear a mental picture as possible. Now here’s the next key: do it every day. For at least a few minutes each day. This is the only way to keep that motivation going over a long period of time.
19. Be aware of your urges to quit, and overcome them. We all have urges to stop, but they are mostly unconscious. One of the most powerful things you can do is to start being more conscious of those urges. A good exercise is to go through the day with a little piece of paper and put a tally mark for each time you get an urge. It simply makes you aware of the urges. Then have a plan for when those urges hit, and plan for it beforehand, and write down your plan, because once those urges hit, you will not feel like coming up with a plan.
20. Find pleasure again. No one can stick to something for long if they find it unpleasant, and are only rewarded after months of toil. There has to be fun, pleasure, joy in it, every day, or you won’t want to do it. Find those pleasurable things — the beauty of a morning run, for example, or the satisfaction in reporting to people that you finished another step along the way, or the deliciousness of a healthy meal.

“Never, never, never, never give up.” - Winston Churchill

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