“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.”
Being fully motivated all the time is actually not normal; and constantly being on overdrive can be mentally and physically draining, leading to burnout. Motivation naturally ebbs and flows. There will be days when it’s lacking and days when we feel highly energized–unstoppable. So occasionally feeling unmotivated is nothing to freak out about. Just embrace those periods of low motivation as time to give yourself a mental and physical break. Come back stronger the next day. It’s when we find ourselves consistently unmotivated day after day that it’s a problem. This can be a sign of depression and/or a sign that what we are doing is simply not motivating for…
“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
This quote, by William Shakespeare, is from the play, The Merry Wives of Windsor. It’s the antithesis of procrastination because it encourages us to be much earlier than even a minute too late. When we’re too late at something, even if it’s just by a minute, there may be no turning back–depending on what that thing is. So next time you’re tempted to procrastinate, remember that there can be a sort of permanence to being too late.
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“Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.”
“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”
How Less Can Mean More
“Life is fragile. We’re not guaranteed a tomorrow, so give it everything you’ve got.”
It’s easy to take each day for granted and forget life is fragile. This quote, by Tim Cook, reminds us to do our best each day–to give it everything we got. Yes, some days we just don’t have the energy to give it everything we got on everything we do. But we can still live life to the fullest. Rest to the fullest. Practice self-care, mental health, and physical health to the fullest. Work hard to the fullest. Play to the fullest. Enjoy each moment to the fullest.
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“Watch your thoughts, they become your words. Watch your words, they become your actions. Watch your actions, they become your habits. Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
“No one is you and that is your power.”
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, I used everything you gave me.
“Focus on being productive instead of busy.”
Society tends to give someone who spends most of their day busy more respect than someone spending most of it relaxing. We tend to perceive busyness as a good thing, while productivity takes a backseat. This quote by The Four Hour Work-Week author, Timothy Ferriss, reminds us to refocus our attention on productivity. Life is short. So we should try to use the time we are busy to be as productive as possible. That way we can have more time to smell the roses.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
This quote, by Stephen Covey, is about not being so focused on a schedule or to-do list. Instead, it encourages us to reflect on what is on it. Are the things on it all that important? Or should we be prioritizing other things? Are those other priorities being neglected? Yes, it’s important to prioritize our schedules. However, it’s equally important to make sure we are making time in our schedules for the things that matter to us most.
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“Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.”
PositLive Music: “The Climb”
“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”
“The more you lose yourself in something bigger than yourself, the more energy you will have.”
Sometimes motivation is hard to come by. The drive and energy that inspires us to action are completely gone. So, we’re left with fatigue, a dull spirit, and a whole lot of procrastination. We’re more prone to think of our goals as something we’ll get to in the future, instead of something we can work on now. An unmotivated feeling can last a few minutes to a few hours, days, weeks, and even much longer. This quote, by Norman Vincent Peale, reveals an effective technique to being more motivated and energized no matter what. The trick is to orient your goals as something bigger than yourself. Reflect on how accomplishing…
The Problem of Perfectionism and “Product” Goals
Recently, I was talking to a friend about goals. We all have them. And if you don’t, get yourself some. But I digress…As we were sharing our goals, she asked me a simple question about one of mine. She asked me when the book I’m working on will be published. I had no response. Even worse, I hadn’t given enough thought or planning on it to know the answer. The truth is, I feel like it’ll never be done. The finish line seems so far in the distance that I sometimes forget it’s there. I actually stop moving toward it. The truth is, I often go months at a time…
Break Time: Why Regular Work Breaks Are a Must
I have a very hard time taking breaks while I’m working on something. There’s always that one more thing I want to finish–There’s always that constant search for the perfect stopping point. Inevitably, the stopping point I had in mind comes and goes without any pause. But what if taking regular breaks between work is a routine part of one’s day? What if it comes so naturally that you don’t even think much about it–you don’t feel like you have to try to squeeze it in? Just imagine how much better any unpleasant task would be with more pleasant things interspersed in between. Well, that’s just one reason to take…
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Work hard in silence, let your success be your noise.
“If you’re stuck in a puddle, it means there’s higher ground all around you. You just have to step onto it.”
“Happiness is a choice, not a result. Nothing will make you happy until you choose to be happy. No person will make you happy unless you decide to be happy. Your happiness will not come to you. It can only come from you.”
Motivation Part 3: Top 3 Ways to Get Past Wanting to Do Something to Actually Doing It
We’ve now gotten almost halfway through the Motivation Staircase. In Part 1, we defined what Motivation means; and in Part 2, we used that understanding to move from “I won’t do it,’ to I can’t do it,’ to ‘I want to do it.’ The question now is how. Knowing how to do something is important, as it creates a boost of confidence that motivates you to do that thing. However, it’s just as important to know how to start and continue. How do you get past wanting to do something to actually doing it? The following productivity strategies have motivating elements to them. Therefore, they increase your productivity and motivation…
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“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.”
“Know that when the world knocks you down, the best revenge is to get up and continue forging ahead. ”
“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”
Motivation Part 2: Increasing our Positive Motivation
In Motivation Part 1, we realized that at the heart of motivation are these definitions: 1. “…to want to do a specific thing more than we want to do anything else at a particular time,” and 2. “what we would rather do than not do (20). However, even with these clearer definitions, we can’t get anywhere if we don’t get past the first two obstacles to motivation: “I won’t do it” and “I can’t do it”. These also happen to be the first two steps on our Motivation Staircase. How can you increase your positive motivation? If you’re not at step 3 yet, begin by asking yourself why you won’t…
