Are You Motivated Right Now?

If there is one thing that we all lack when it comes to being, doing, and having the things that we want in life, I would say it is motivation in the moment. I know that there are over 100 things (because I actually took the time to make a list of them) that I would like to be, do, or have. Some are complex goals and others are simple whims and wishes. Why don't I have them? Why haven't I done them? I lacked the motivation in a given moment to pursue them.


Let's take this blog as an example. I can't tell you how many times I have thought that I would like to post something that day that would be of value to those who might happen to read it. My series on Universal Laws has been bouncing around in my head for months now. I think getting the series researched, written out and posted would be of great benefit to my readers and to me.


Have I had time to do it? Absolutely! I have the same amount of hours in any day that anybody else does. I would be lying to you and myself to say I haven't had time to do it. I have wasted precious moments that I could have used to complete it. I just wasn't motivated to do it in those moments.


So the question before us is "How do we motivate ourselves right now?" Let me give you a step-by-step process:

Step 1 - Take out a pen and paper. I'm serious here. Stop reading right now and take out a pen and paper or don't even bother reading further.



Do you have your pen and paper?




Okay. Good. Let's continue on ...


Step 2 - Write down what it is that you want to do. What do you want to accomplish? This could be a major goal like learning to play the piano, making $100,000 or becoming the top salesperson in your line of work. Or it could be something simple like giving a compliment to your significant other every single day, posting on your blog daily, reserving quality time each week for your kids.


Step 3 - Wright down what is most important to you in your life. It could be your spouse/significant other, your kids, your car, your bank account, whatever it is. What is most important to you?


Now, before we go on to the next step, I want to prepare you a little. Not because it is so amazing and so shocking, but because it is so simple. Open your mind to this next step and really let it sink in.


Step 4 - Ask yourself: What would you do if you had only 90 days to achieve your goal or you would lose what you cared about most forever?


Really let this question sink in, and, as soon as the ideas start pouring forth, write them all down as fast as you can. If what you wrote down for Step 2 is truly important to you, the answers should start coming to you right away. You will now have an idea list that will get you started on your goal, and, more likely than not, you will feel excited about doing it now. You may not see the full path that leads you from where you are now to where you want to go, but that's okay. You have a direction to start in and a number of steps outlined to start with. And now for the most important step of all ...


Step 5 - Pick one of your ideas and take action on it right away! It doesn't matter how small the step is, just do something; ANYTHING!!! If your goal is to learn to play the piano, it may be as simple as calling around to find out who teaches piano and making an appointment with them. If your goal is to get better at giving compliments to your significant other, your first step may be to make a list of all their attributes that your appreciate and admire. Just do it! DO IT NOW!!!




What? Are you still here? What are you doing? You're wasting your time. You're wasting your life! Not the one you are currently living but the one you always dream about. Go take your first step and then come back. These words aren't going anywhere. They'll be here when you get back. GO NOW!!!!!



Did you go and come back? If you did, that's fantastic because now you are one step closer to where you want to be and you are ready for the next step on your list. And every step you take, every task you complete, will motivate you more and more because each little success you have will add up to the major success of completing your goal.


The reason why this works so well is you are adding two essential factors to your goals that you were most likely lacking before completing this exercise: IMPORTANCE and URGENCY. We pay our electric bill because it is important for us to keep warm and cook food and it is urgent that we do so before the electric company shuts it off. We go grocery shopping because it is important for us to eat to survive and urgent because we are hungry.


If someone kidnapped my wife, held a gun to her head and told me I had 90 days to bring them $1,000,000 or they would blow her brains out, I would be motivated enough to start selling everything I own that very day. I would also talk to every last person I could get in contact with to ask them for help. I don't care if I had to ask 12,000 people every single day for 90 days to donate $1 to help save my wife, I would do it (and I really struggle when it comes to asking other people for help). Nothing would stop me from raising that $1,000,000 before that 90 day deadline because my wife is very important to me and the deadline makes it urgent that I get it done. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD FAIL!!!


I hope that you did not read this whole post in one sitting. I hope that as soon as you read Step 5 you stopped reading right then and went out and took the first step towards achieving your goal. If you didn't, I won't hold it against you as long as you go do it right now. And once you have done it, come back and leave a comment telling me how it all worked out.

When the wind does not blow your way...

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

~ Jimmy Dean

How to Cure a "Bad Day"

Read this, and let it really sink in... Then, choose how you start your day tomorrow...

Jerry is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.

The reason the waiters followed Jerry was because of his attitude. He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him, I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?" Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.

I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested. "Yes, it is," Jerry said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people will affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live life."

I reflected on what Jerry said. Soon thereafter, I left the restaurant industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that Jerry did something you are never supposed to do in a restaurant business: he left the back door open one morning and was held up at gun point by three armed robbers. While trying to open the safe, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local trauma center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Wanna see my scars?" I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place. “The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied. "Then, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked. Jerry continued, "...the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man.'

I knew I needed to take action." " What did you do?" I asked. "Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything. 'Yes,' I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.'"

Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully. Attitude, after all, is everything.

• Positive thinking the the first step towards a happy life.

• Attitude is everything!

If everyone applies just these, the whole world will live in happiness.

-------------------------------------------------

Isn't it funny how you always seem to come across those things you need to hear most, even if you don't want to hear it? This day has been a bit rough for me. Not that it has been a bad day. In fact it was only a couple of ---small--- things that happened this morning that started it spiralling downward. I even ended up getting a little grumpy with my wife which she totally did not deserve. I made a bad choice. Luckily, I recognized how badly I chose and was able to save the day by choosing something better.

Tomorrow, I plan to skip over "better" and choose to have the best day so far this month!

What do you choose?

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”

~ W. Clement Stone

Are You In A Recession? I'm Not!

Much of the media has been warning us for several weeks that we are in a recession. There is nothing but doom and gloom in the forecast, President Bush's Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate will not make a difference and we had better prepare for hard times ahead. I'm sure you have all been reading the same articles and hearing the same predictions of the coming financial storm. Personally, I have declined to participate in this recession. How about you?

What Is A Recession?

A recession is defined as being two or more quarters of negative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. What that means is that for two or more quarters consumer, business and government spending decreases while exports and inventory increases.

The interesting thing is that I was listening to Dave Ramsey's talk radio show on the way home from work the other night and he talked about how we are NOT in a recession and how politically biased the media actually is. He pointed out that, if the majority of the population believe that we are in the midst of a recession come election time (and many people already do believe that), there is absolutely no way a Republican candidate will be elected President. For those of you who don't know, a major indication of a recession is an increase (particularly a sharp increase) in the rate of unemployment. Unemployment has held steady of late and has even dropped a little. So where is this recession? I'll tell you where. It is in one of the most dangerous places of all - our minds.

Recession Breeding Ground

At the rate that the so-called recession is becoming the most talked about subject in the media, in schools, in our work places and in our homes, we will end up in a recession.

Why?

Simple.

The more this subject is tossed about, the more fearful people become. And when we make decisions based on fear, we usually make the wrong ones. Those of you who recall the movie The Secret of My Success may remember that when Michael J. Fox's distant uncle's corporation was targeted for hostile takeover, his uncle ordered his executives to find ways to "cut to the core" operations and expenses to try and save cash. Fox, posing as an executive (although he had been hired to work in the mailroom) was adamant that doing so would open them right up for the hostile takeover and that they needed to expand and make the company stronger than their competitor. Then they go and take them over! Unfortunately, most of the executives, including the key senior executives, believed they should just follow the direction they had been given by their superior. The result was that they opened themselves right up for the hostile takeover. (I won't ruin the ending by telling you any more than that.)*

(*Note: If you haven't seen The Secret of My Success, be advised that, while it is a humorous movie, it is rated PG-13 for some language and sexual themes. If you find that offensive, I do not recommend this movie to you; not even when it has been edited for television as the sexual themes play such a large part in the film that they are impossible to edit out.)

So what does this have to do with us? Allow me to explain.

Everyone gets more and more fearful of a recession. They start saving money for potentially hard times ahead. Profits drop for major corporations because people are buying less. They start cutting jobs to reduce expenses and preserve profits. Unemployment rates start rising and we end up in a recession. The danger of this is that when fewer and fewer people are working, two things happen:
1. Fewer and fewer people have jobs to provide money to purchase products to increase profits to induce companies to hire more people.
2. As profits drop, prices go up to make up the difference which reduces our buying power and so we buy less which in turn causes profits to drop.So you can see how the recession would perpetuate itself.

As critical as opponents have been over President Bush's Economic Stimulus checks and how it won't make a difference, he does have the right idea. More people need to buy more products to pull back from a recession. The government can't fix this, only we can.

So, how can I decline participation in the recession?



My Declaration of Declination

"I decline the opportunity to participate in any real or imagined recessions. I choose instead to participate in an expansion of personal prosperity. I do so by focusing on literature, news and topics of study that enhance my life. I accept the events of life as being neither inherently good nor bad but simply opportunities for growth and learning. I recognize that I cannot change these events themselves but I can determine my own outcome by choosing the proper response for the outcome I desire. I look for and take advantage of financial and personal opportunities that create a better future for me, my friends and my family. I will share every opportunity I discover with all those I come in contact with and encourage them to choose for themselves as well."



Selective Media Blackout

The worst things in history have happened when people stop thinking for themselves, especially when they allow themselves to be influenced by negative people. That’s what gives rise to dictators. Avoid that at all costs. Stop it first on a personal level, and you will have contributed to world sanity as well as your own.
~ Donald Trump

The first step I have taken in declining participate is to choose not read about, listen to or think about the chance of a recession. Some people may think that is a stupid idea, but let me tell you why this is important. As I pointed out above, the more it is talked about, the more people fear it and, like a nearby rattlesnake that is poised to strike, they focus and fixate on it. And, by the Law of Attraction, that which we focus on and lend emotion to (and fear is an emotional response), we will attract. Whether you believe in the Law of Attraction or not, you can see how it applies by my earlier illustration of how our fear-driven actions will bring about the recession. I choose instead to focus on uplifting, motivating, inspiring and educational topics instead that will actually benefit me.

E + R = O

Some areas I have chosen to focus on are the beliefs, habits and life lessons shared by successful and wealthy people. One of those people that I have enjoyed studying is Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Jack taught me about the life formula E + R = O, which means an Event + your Response to that event = your Outcome. He shares a story about a Lexus dealer in the middle of the recession of the early 1980's. Nobody was coming in to buy his cars and he knew he would have to do something different or he would end up going out of business. So he started to ask himself, "Where are the people that can afford to buy my cars?" Well, he came up with that they were probably hanging out at the country clubs at the golf courses, the yacht clubs and so on. So he rounded up all his salesmen, drove a bunch of cars to the local country club, walked in and asked who would like the opportunity to drive a brand new Lexus.

After people had the opportunity to test drive a car, he would tell them to continue to drive it for a week and he would take their car in to the shop, clean it up and detail it free of charge. After the week was up, these drivers would come to trade in the Lexus for their personal vehicles. Now, anyone who is reading this that has driven a brand new car and then gotten back into their old car can probably relate to what happened next. When you get out of a new car and get back into your old car, it doesn't feel as good and doesn't seem to drive as nicely as the new car. The end result was that the dealership sold more cars in the middle of that depression than they ever had in the past all because he changed his response to a situation to get a better outcome.

Opportunities Abound

When we choose our response to life's events, we really take control of our lives. Most people live life in fear, stress and frustration because they feel powerless to deal with unwelcome circumstances. They feel like they have been dealt a bad hand and they have no chance of winning. What they don't realize is that it doesn't matter what cards we are dealt, it is how we play them that matters. As illustrated by Jack Canfield's story above, there are always opportunities. Most people just have a habit of looking at the way things are rather than how they can be.

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
~ Sir Winston Churchill

If under the aforementioned Law of Attraction, focusing on a recession will bring about a recession, why not use the same law to turn it around? The easiest way to do that is to ask yourself what you would be doing if the economy was thriving. You would be trying to cash in on it, right? So, the next step in declining participation in a recession is to follow the example of the Lexus dealership owner and look for and take advantage of opportunities for financial growth and prosperity. If we continue to live life the way we have been, look for opportunities to enhance that life, and encourage others to do the same, there is no possible way we will experience a recession.

Give So That You Can Give More

There is a verse in the Bible that says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Mark 6:38) A lot of people translate this to mean you must give to receive, but that is a selfish attitude to take which does not suit the doctrine presented in the book. I believe it means give to give more.

It is my hope that what I have given here will evoke responses and comments that will enhance what little I have presented; a way of giving more to the reader. I further hope that all who read this will share it further with others at every opportunity. By so doing, we can inspire our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to choose expansion over a recession and build a more prosperous community for everyone to enjoy.

Life! Focus! ... ACTION!!!!

So, come on, everyone! Shut out the negative prophets of financial doom and replace that with media and topics that fulfill you, enhance you and bring you joy. Choose a better outcome to your circumstances by choosing a better response to events. Look for opportunities to expand your finances, your circle of friends and acquaintances and, thereby, your moments of fun and pleasure. And lastly, tell everyone to do the same! Together, we can turn those financial gurus on their heads and show them a thing or two!

A Personal Apology

It has been nearly 2 months since I last posted in this blog. If there is anyone out there that has been checking back regularly, I apologize for my absence. There have been many a time that I thought about writing a new post to inspire, encourage, advise and to breathe new life and ideas into the reader who comes by for a visit, but I just couldn't do it. I was just too discouraged, stressed and depressed.

Those of you that know me personally may be well-acquainted with my imperfections and flaws, but what many of you may not know is that depression was something that I struggled with for years. Under very special circumstances, I received inspired counsel at the age of 14 from a religious leader that did not know me personally in which I was told to beware of depression as that was a temptation that I would struggle with. Knowing that I was going to struggle with depression, however, did not provide me with the tools necessary to overcome it. It took me many years to figure out why I was depressed so often.

I don't want you to think that my life was especially miserable or difficult. I was pretty much an average American teenager. I had many bright, happy and very enjoyable moments in life, but they seemed to slip through my fingers so easily leaving more than enough room for the darkness that flowed into its place. I eventually learned that a major cause of my depression was my focus on all the things I did not have in life rather than being grateful for the abundance of health, talents, friends, education and wealth that I had been blessed with.

I may not have been the strongest or fastest individual, but I had a complete, healthy, relatively disease-free body that enabled me to play any sport I desired at an average to above-average level.

I may not have been the most-talented individual at sports, music, art or any other area of interest, but I could play sports, picked up on how to play the piano and guitar, re-taught myself how to sing after a throat injury (you can read more about that here), I could draw, paint and sculpt better than the average person and could virtually do anything that I set my mind to if I was willing to put in the time.

I may not have been the most popular individual, but I had many fun and loving friends of all ages in spite of my tendency to behave as a shy person would and hang in the background.

I may not have been the smartest kid in the class or pulled straight A's, but I quickly learned anything I wanted to and could retain the bulk of what I read freeing me from having to put in very much time reviewing and studying.

And I may not have had much money or material possessions growing up (in fact, my family's income was below the average and my parents had to make the dollar stretch with six kids), but I had more than kids in third-world countries, I had the ability and opportunity to work, and everything I listed above along with my family and many other things I did not mention gave me a very blessed and abundant life.

This last category has been the reason for my latest struggles. It is very difficult to focus on long-range goals like completing The Millionaire Marathon when my urgent, short-range issues keep rising up to slap you in the face every single day. I became frustrated, despondent and withdrew into myself to relive the pain again and again and again.


I am happy to say that I have overcome that through the application of an important lesson we all must remember when we are not happy with the way things are:

Do something; anything!!!

I couldn't change the whole situation in that moment, but I could tackle one small part of it and I did. I went to work with an urgency and focused on a future happy outcome. Just in the moving and the doing, hope revives and faith starts to rebuild. Making any sort of progress, no matter how small and insignificant it may seem, is a million times better than doing nothing at all.

Am I out of the woods, yet? No. But I am closer this week than I was last week and I will be even closer next week. I am just taking it one day at a time and making sure that my head and my heart stay in the right place.

As far as posting to this blog, I will resume my efforts to relay and share uplifting, motivating and hopefully inspiring material as often as I am able to do so. I am still working on the Universal Law series that I mentioned nearly 2 months ago and will finish it when I can, but I have some financial projects that take priority right now. So check back from time to time to see where I am at and, if you feel like doing so, leave a comment to let me know you are following and what you find interesting and helpful. If there are topics that you struggle with that you would like some input on, let me know and I will be happy to offer what I can.

I also invite you to come over to my personal blog at http://www.niceguyblogging.blogspot.com/ and read about the Million Step March challenge that I am participating in and the progress I am making with it.

Test Your Attractor Factor

Thanks to Joe Vitale, I was led to a site where you can test yourself on how well you practice the principles that enable the Law of Attraction to work in your life. The beauty of this test is that you receive customized advice on where you need to improve and tips on how you can do it. You can find the test at:

www.smart-attractor.com

I highly recommend taking the few minutes to check it out!

Be watching this next week for a series of blog posts focusing on Universal Laws and how to apply them to your life!!!

Which Price Will You Pay?

The other day I was reading in Fantastic: The Life of Arnold Schwarzenegger by Laurence Leamer. He was relating a conversation Arnold was having with another, more experienced bodybuilder just before Arnold was to take his turn flexing and posing on stage. Arnold asked his competitor suddenly if he believed that he could have everything he wanted. The competitor, surprised by the question, pondered it a second and replied that a man cannot have everything he wanted. As Arnold's name was called he shot back, "No! You're wrong! You can have everything you want. You just have to be willing to pay the price."

The Price of Success
There is nothing that we cannot attain if we are willing to pay the price of success. Talents are developed when we pay the price of remaining teachable and practicing daily. Relationships grow when we pay the price of taking time to listen and share and interact with others. Fortunes are made as we pay the price or working to increase income and disciplining ourselves to save and invest rather than spend. Bodies are strengthened when we pay the price of pushing through painful and exhausting workouts.

Is there something out there that you wish you could be, do or have? There is a price to pay for it. Figure out what that price is and determine to pay it no matter what struggles you encounter and you will receive what you wish for.

"Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."
~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

Do not fall into the trap of thinking you can set the wages, though. Life is not a deal-maker. Life will not grant you a $100 reward for a $2 effort. You get what you pay for! You can't say, "I am willing to eat fresh fruits and vegetables every day, but I refuse to give up my soda pop, chocolate and doughnuts," and expect to start losing weight. You can't say, "I am willing to practice the piano for 10 minutes every other day, but that's it," and expect to learn and progress and develop at the same rate as someone who practices for a minimum of 30 minutes every single day. Do not think you can set the wages and avoid the pain. You must pay the price and push through the pain to succeed.

"The last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow. This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion. That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens."
~ Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Price of Failure
Whatever path you choose, there is a price to pay. Just as the champion must pay the price of discipline to enjoy the rewards of success, there is another price to be paid by choosing not to pay the price of success. In economics this is known as the opportunity cost. The opportunity cost is lost benefits you could have enjoyed had you pursued a different course.

The athlete who does not practice and develop his or her skills has the opportunity cost of never being a starting player or perhaps not even making the team. The business person who does not consistently work their business has the opportunity cost of never enjoying the profits or the financial freedom it may have brought had they chosen to work it consistently. The man or woman who does not take the time or make the effort to eat healthy and exercise regularly has the opportunity cost not having as much energy or the self-esteem that a trim, healthy body would give them.

The difference between the price of success and the opportunity cost of failure is that the price of success diminishes over time. Muscles grow, habits form, fears diminish, experience is gained, talents develop and the actions you take grow easier and easier and easier. The opportunity cost of failure does just the opposite. Where the price of success diminishes, the opportunity cost of failure grows. Muscles atrophy, motivation fades, fears grow, self-esteem diminishes, apathy sets in and you regret more and more everything you don't have or experience. And you start blaming anything and/or anyone for your sad experiences in life while you envy the accomplished and successful.

It isn't anybody else's fault, though. You choose the price. And, once it is chosen, you will pay that price until you make the decision to change it.

What do you really desire in life? Are you paying the price to get it? If not, take the first step and start paying it now!

What did you choose not to pursue? Is the opportunity cost too high? If it is, choose to start paying the price to succeed! Do it now!!!

The choice is yours.