Motivation is the driving force behind life enhancing change. It comes from knowing exactly what you want to do and having an insatiable, burning desire to do what’s necessary to get it. The power of motivation keeps you going when the going gets tough.
Here are 5 tips to help you supercharge your motivation:
1. Create a picture board and fill it with images of your desired goals. The car you want to own, the house you want to live in, the area where you want to live yes, theyre the obvious ones. Others could be pictures of holiday destinations, trophies, first-class travel tickets, clothes you want to buy, fine restaurants you want to frequent whatever you can think of that gets your pulse racing.
2. GET ANGRY. If you want to change your life for the better then get angry about where youre at now. Having a blasé attitude towards change isn’t what’s needed and it wont create a strong desire within you. So ask: Why do I want to change? Is it because youre FED UP with debts? Does your job DRIVE YOU CRAZY? Is your life DULL AND PRECITABLE? Are you SICK AND TIRED of doing the same thing week in week out? Are you BORED BEYOND BELIEF by the dull, uninspiring, unhappy people you associate with? THEN GET ANGRY ABOUT IT. And I mean REAL ANGRY. Write it all down, all of the frustrating, unrewarding, miserable lot of it that makes every day a dull slog until your final days. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?
3. Speaking of your final days, start to appreciate the value of time. Time is one of the most precious resources you have and it is also a NON RENEWABLE resource. You can either use it fully or squander it. If you want to create change youre going to have to invest a lot of time to make it happen. Start to reduce the time you waste on irrelevancies: Television, newspapers, lie-ins, weekends spent shopping, partying, dining out, visiting an endless line of relatives and friends these wont help you get what you want and all of them will rob time from you. Valuable time that you can use much more effectively by investing it in YOU. Remember this: You have a finite amount of time here on Earth. You dont know how much time you have no one does. But its how you use the time you have that counts. So make your time count and that means starting from right NOW.
4. Conformity. Are you a mindless little sheep whos way too timid to pursue your own way? Do you have to follow where everyone else goes, doing exactly what everyone else does and therefore, who gets the same levels of happiness as all the other little sheep? Seriously, does this describe YOU? Are you too frightened to be different than all of the other sheep because they wouldnt like it if you decided to follow a different path? So you dutifully trot along following all the other sheep because if theyre doing it then thats how it is right? But if you do what everyone else does youll just get what everyone else gets. Do you want to be a mindless, timid little sheep who blindly follows all the other sheep? Or do you want to be a leader, a warrior who possesses the courage to be uniquely you and to do what you want to do and make your dreams happen? If so then this means you have to be more like a tiger than a sheep. Do you really want to be a sheep? I mean, havent we got enough sheep already?
5. Fear your fear. Fear is the force that is determined to stop you in your tracks and rob your dreams from you. But it can only do this if you let it. Are you going to let this cruel destructive charlatan trample on your dreams, steal your happiness and crush your spirit? Imagine this thought haunting your final days: I didnt do the things I wanted because I was too frightened to live. And by then, itll be far too late to conquer fear. Refuse to let fear spoil your life and start taking action now!
The world is waiting for your unique gifts. Why keep it waiting any longer?
We all want to become more confident and feel good about ourselves so we can live our very best life. Here are some ways to gain confidence and raise self-esteem:
1. Do something that requires a decision and a follow-through.
Have you been putting off writing that letter to aunt Martha? Is there a friend you’ve been meaning to call? Wash the car, tidy the garden or clean the house. Youll gain confidence by setting goals (even small ones) and following through on them.
2. Enjoy something you do well.
Do you have any hobbies or sports that you enjoy playing? Some things like going swimming, painting or writing can hold your attention and get you into a state of flow. While you are in the flow you forget about everything else.
Afterwards, you’ll feel competent and capable. Its a great way to boost your self-esteem. If you dont have any particular hobbies or pastimes that you enjoy make an effort to try something you’ve always wanted to try.
Picture yourself doing it, and then give it a try! It doesnt have to be something big – it can be as simple as joining a walking club.
Youll find that you are more centered and happier if you do something that puts you in that flow at least once a week.
3. Shift the focus.
Its been shown that low self-esteem develops hand-in-hand with individuals who put too much focus on themselves. You can gain confidence by doing something that focuses on someone else or even something else.
Youll find that when you are in a situation where you are meeting new people, you immediately become less nervous when you focus on the person you are meeting.
At the end of the day, youve interacted with others and will notice that you feel much lighter.
4. Relax, already!
Learning to become more relaxed is a great life enhancer. People who are more relaxed have fewer problems with their memories and are more likely to take the bumps in the road of life in stride.
The practice of meditation has gained popularity for this reason. You might want to look into Tai Chi, which involves physical relaxation techniques.
Whatever method you decide on, take relaxation seriously. The benefits are just too great to ignore. If youve never considered relaxation important, think of it this way: if you can attend to something that results in feeling good, how can you not gain confidence in your personal abilities?
5. Make a list of everything you have ever accomplished.
An accomplishment is an accomplishment so go ahead and list even the smallest of your accomplishments. Some things you could put on your list: passed my drivers test and got my license, scored a goal when I played hockey, managed to save enough money to go on a trip and so on.
These are just a few ideas you can use to gain confidence and boost your self-esteem. Use these ideas as a base point and add these things permanently in your life.
Keep in mind, people are not born with good self-esteem, most of us have to work at it. It develops from your thinking and the things you do daily to make yourself feel good.
Every day of your life you are selling yourself. We’re all in the selling business whether we like it or not. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lawyer or an accountant, a manager or a politician, an engineer or a doctor. We all spend a great deal of our time trying to persuade people to buy our product or service, accept our proposals or merely accept what we say.
Before you get better at persuading or influencing other people – you need to get better at self-motivation and selling yourself.
Here are 10 simple steps to self-motivation:
#1 – You must believe in the product, You.
Selling yourself is pretty much like selling anything. First, you need to believe in what you’re selling. That means believing in “you.” It’s about lots of positive self-talk and the right attitude. The first thing people notice about you is your attitude. If you’re like most people then you’ll suffer from lack of confidence from time to time. It really all comes down to how you talk to yourself. The majority of people are more likely to talk to themselves negatively than positively – this is what holds them back in life.
It isn’t just about a positive attitude. It’s about the right attitude – the quality of your thinking.
Successful people have a constructive and optimistic way of looking at themselves and their work. They have an attitude of calm, confident, positive self-expectation. They feel good about themselves and believe that everything they do will lead to their inevitable success.
If you’re in a sales job or a business owner or a manager then you need to continually work on your attitude. You need to listen to that little voice inside your head. Is it saying you’re on top, going for it and confident, or is it holding you back.
If you’re hearing – “I can’t do this or that” or “They won’t want to buy at the moment” or “We’re too expensive” then you’d better change your self-talk or change your job.
Start to believe in yourself and don’t let things that are out with your control effect your attitude.
Avoid criticizing, condemning and complaining and start spreading a little happiness.
Remember the saying of Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company – “If you believe you can do a thing, or if you believe you can’t, in either case you’re probably right.”
#2 – The packaging must grab attention
Like any other product we buy, the way the product is packaged and presented will influence the customer’s decision to buy.
Everything about you needs to look good and you must dress appropriately for the occasion. Don’t think that just because your customer dresses casually, that they expect you to dress the same way.
The style and color of the clothes you wear, your glasses, shoes, briefcase, watch, the pen you use, all make a statement about you.
#3 – Smile
No need to get carried away, you don’t need a big cheesy grin, just a pleasant open face that doesn’t frighten people away.
#4 – Use names
Use the customers name as soon as you can but don’t over do it. Business is less formal nowadays however be careful of using first names initially. Make sure your customer knows yours and remembers it. You can do the old repeat trick -”My name is Bond, James Bond” or “My name is James, James Bond”
#5 – Watch the other person
What does their body language tell you? Are they comfortable with you or are they a bit nervous? Are they listening to you or are their eyes darting around the room. If they’re not comfortable and not listening then there’s no point telling them something important about your business.
Far better to make some small talk and more importantly, get them to talk about themselves.
It’s best to go on the assumption that in the first few minutes of meeting someone new, they won’t take in much of what you say. They’re too busy analyzing all the visual data they’re taking in.
#6 – Listen and look like you’re listening.
Many people, particularly men, listen but don’t show that they’re listening. The other person can only go on what they see, not what’s going on inside your head. If they see a blank expression then they’ll assume you’re “out to lunch.”
The trick is to do all the active listening things such as nodding your head, the occasional “UH-HUH” and the occasional question.
#7 – Be interested.
If you want to be INTERESTING then be INTERESTED. This really is the most important thing you can do to be successful at selling yourself.
The majority of people are very concerned about their self-image. If they sense that you value them, that you feel that they’re important and worth listening to, then you effectively raise their self-image. If you can help people to like themselves then they’ll LOVE you.
Don’t fall into the trap of flattering the other person, because most people will see right through you and they won’t fall for it. Just show some genuine interest in the customer and their business and they’ll be much more receptive to what you say.
#8 – Talk positively.
Don’t say – “Isn’t it a horrible day” or “Business is pretty tough at present” or any thing else that pulls the conversation down. Say things like (and only the truth) – “I like the design of this office” or “I’ve heard some good reports about your new product.”
#9 – Mirror the other person
This doesn’t mean mimicking the other person, it just means you speaking and behaving in a manner that is similar to the customer.
For example, if your customer speaks slowly or quietly, then you speak slowly or quietly. Remember people like people who are like themselves.
#10 – Warm and friendly
If you look or sound stressed or aggressive then don’t be surprised if the other person gets defensive and less than willing to co-operate.
If you look and sound warm and friendly, then you’re more likely to get a positive response.
Use these tips and see if things get better. I’m 100% confident that they will.
