The Self Motivational Resource
A Self Motivational Outlook on Life
Self Motivational Working from Home
In my last self motivational post we discussed the issue of setting up your own business and how self motivational you need to be to succeed. One of the issues it raises is the opportunity to work from home especially if you have chosen an online business. Part of the appeal of working from home is to avoid all the commuting necessary with a normal job. Recently the massive hikes in oil prices have increased the benefits of homeworking although that problem does seem to be easing during the current economic down turn. However if we take an environmental view then reducing the use of oil and the amount of congestion on our roads must be a good thing.
From your own business point of view there are other financial benefits of reducing the overheads for running a business. There is the additional benefit of being on hand to spend more time with the family. Here is the first of the issues which may have a downside. Being at home and accessible often means you get distracted from the daily business issues and here you need to be extremely self motivational. If you are not strong willed enough the business will suffer. However if you don’t handle the demands from the family successfully and they don’t understand how much time your business requires then you could have relationship challenges. So you need to explain to the family, or those that you share your home with, what it means to be self motivational to make a success of your business.
Home working is not a soft option as you often put in more hours than if you worked elsewhere. This is an issue for those who are employed by a company but are able to work from home. Although there are still employers who don’t think their staff will be self motivational when they work from home much of the evidence available suggests the opposite and staff tend to work longer hours at home than they do in the office. If your employer offers you the opportunity to work from home grasp it eagerly and use it as an opportunity to see if you really have the self motivational qualities to perhaps go on and set up your own home based business. So despite the temptations to be distracted you must take a professional approach and have some disciplined routines for working from home.
The biggest downside often experienced by those who work from home is the isolation of not have work colleagues to interact with. This situation will test out just how self motivational you can be. I mentioned in my earlier post the mastermind group principle put forward by Napoleon Hill (see my book list for more information) which is a great solution to this issue. As well as being a good sounding board for your business issues, holding you to account on your goals and plans they can be a useful network to interact with on a regular basis.
If you are not ready to take the big step of launching your own home business from scratch there are a number of franchise options becoming available and well suited to the self motivational type of individual.
If you need further support in becoming more self motivational click on the “Take a Look” box at the top of the blog for some useful books on the subject.
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Being Self Motivational in your Own Business
If you want the luxury of running your own business you need to be highly self motivational. Be under no illusion running your own business be it online or offline involves a significant amount of commitment to make it work and become a success. Only those who can be self motivational will have the dedication to keep going when it gets tough and things are not going so well. In the current economic climate when employment prospects are very gloomy many will be tempted to start up their own business. Unfortunately many will be taken in by the many get rich quick scams which are available and multiplying by the day. Don’t be taken in by these too good to be true offers because very often they are just that, too good to be true. If you are truly self motivational you don’t need these schemes to find a business that you can apply your natural abilities to.
If you have the right self motivational mindset you will be able to analyse your skills and experience and by doing some basic market research match them to an identifiable opportunity. With these skills you will also need the personality traits to see any business plan through. Ask yourself have you got the determination, the self confidence, the single-mindedness, the right level of commitment and above all are you self motivational by nature or do you have to work on it. If you need to work on it I hope you can benefit from this Self Motivational Resource and will bookmark it to return to time and again or why not click on the RSS feed to be updated regularly.
When you have identified the market opportunity you need to research the various requirements for entering this field which may be the legal rules and regulations to which you need to adhere to. There will also be the financial skills you require to plan, launch and monitor a successful business. This can all appear rather daunting for an individual setting out on their own and again you need the steely resolve of someone who is self motivational. However you don’t have to be completely on your own. Napoleon Hill who is often referred to as the grandfather of the self motivational movement, from his research, put forward the principle of a mastermind group. What he found when he looked at successful people was that they didn’t do it completely alone they always had the support of a network of likeminded people who they could turn to for ideas. You can often tap into small business groups in your local area with whom you are no competitive threat but can support each other and find business opportunities for each other. Also by sharing your goals and plans with them they will hold you to account which can help to make you more self motivational.
While everything said above highlights the enormity of the task you need to bear in mind the massive benefits of running your own business. Not least of these is being in control of your own destiny which you never are when you work for someone else. Depending on the type of business very often you can be in better control of your own time, in particular if you choose to have an online business. This raises the issue of the opportunity to have a business working from home which I will return to in a future article as it has some particular self motivational issues of its own. In the meantime take a look at some of the self motivational books I recommend in the “Take a Look” box at the top of the blog which can make you unstoppably self motivational.
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Self Motivational Advice in Tough Times
Today we are all facing tough times and it is difficult to be self motivational when all around is in crisis. When things are going well we often feel in control of our destiny. However when times get tough we don’t feel we are in charge. Just remember you are still you, if you felt in control during the good times you still have the ability and internal resources to be in control now.
Many are facing the prospect of losing their job in this economic climate and are looking for ways to continue to be self motivational. If this happens to you there is a danger that you slip into a grieving state for what you have “lost”. Don’t see it as a loss but as an opportunity to go in a new direction. I speak as someone who has been made redundant by their employer more than once and each time I came out stronger. So focus on the future not the past, you need all your energies as you must treat finding a new post as a full time job in itself. Don’t just consider your technical skills and say the market for these has gone. Identify all those other soft skills and competences like interpersonal skills,communication skills, team working abilities which are all transferable to new opportunities.
Top of these skills is being self motivational. Employers want people who are self motivational by nature and to whom they can readily impart new technical skills and know they will get on with it. During job interviews its not good enough to say you are the self motivational type you need to be able to give practical examples. So start now when times are tough, go out and start doing things, in particular, to expand your knowledge and experience doing say volunteer work and helping others who are having a hard time too.
If you are just entering the job market, say as a graduate, you are going to find things pretty tough at the moment. In the USA the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) reports that there are already on average 30 applicants for every position and it is becoming more competitive by the day. The AGR has reported worrying skills shortages in areas including communication and self motivational skills.
If you want some ideas on how to improve your self motivational skills go to the “Take a look” box at the top of this blog. And if you want some inspiration during tough times take a look at this interview with Tony Robbins on a recent Today show.
Anthony Robbins on The Today Show
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Self Motivational Advice from Tony Robbins
Here is a great 6 minute self motivational video from a guy who helped me through
some difficult times in my past. It very succinctly sums up in 3 steps how you can
change your life for the better.
1. Get Focused and Clear
ie know what you want and get excited about it
2. Get the Best Tools/Map/Mentor
ie model success don’t reinvent the wheel
3. Resolve your Inner Conflicts
ie find out why you don’t follow through
Get these 3 things right and you will have no problem getting self motivational.
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Self Motivational Book List
I was prompted by a recent comment posted on this blog to look at my all time favourite list of self motivational books. I thought I would do a top 20 but as you can see below I finished up with 18 (I didn’t want to force another couple on the list just to make up the numbers). This is a list of the books I have found self motivational over the years and sitting on my book shelf I return to them over and over again to access the timeless wisdom. The first on the list is by Napoleon Hill who is considered the grandfather or even great grandfather of the personal development movement. Each of these books has helped me at different times in my life to overcome life’s challenges and focus on a way forward.
Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey
Unlimited Power Tony Robbins
Awaken the Giant Within Tony Robbins
Change your Thoughts-Change your Life Wayne Dyer
Eat that Frog: 21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating Brian Tracy
See You at the Top Zig Ziglar
The Road Less Travelled M. Scott Peck
The Celestine Prophecy James Redfield
Lead the Field Earl Nightingale
How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie
Man’s Search for Meaning Viktor Frankl
As a Man Thinketh James Allen
The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Art of War Sun Tzu
New Passages Gail Sheehy
The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden
Dimensions of Your Life Deepak Chopra
Chicken Soup for the Soul Jack Canfield/Mark V Hansen
If you want more information on these books see the “Take a Look” box at the top of the blog.
I hope you can take time to peruse some or all of these books and gain the self motivational insights I have gained from them. New books are being written all the time and they all have the potential to inspire. However I doubt if any new works will actually add to the significant knowledge base contained in this list. I hope you find this interesting and useful. I would be glad to hear from you what books you think are missing from this list of classics.
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Motivational Stories and More
If you want to find some good motivational stories get a copy of “The Nurse in the Delivery Room Slapped Me, Once: Stories and Perspectives to Help You Unlock Your Amazing Potential” by D Anthony. This is an amazing and inspirational read. The author has been driven by the untimely death of his mother and chose to find meaning in that event which has been powerfully self motivational.
The book can be read in its entirety (recommended) or dipped into chapter by chapter. It is written in a very readable style and gives ready access to some very powerful and inspirational material. It can also be used as a step by step guide to personal excellence. It contains a combination of positive maxims, stimulating poetry, handed down wisdom and motivational stories.
The book is not just about inspirational quotes and slogans it forces you to look long and hard at the values you espouse or think you live to. It also contains a series of assignments which leads you through the thought processes to deciding what you want to achieve and to begin to move towards it. If you have experienced significant challenges or adversity in your life this book will pick you up and help you find a way forward. However even if you haven’t come to such a point on your life’s journey it will provide the inspiration to increase your momentum towards what you truly seek.
Look at some of these chapter headings and realise there is something for you in here
‘Born To Lead’,
‘Perspective,
It’s Here Somewhere’,
`Playing With Passion’,
‘Eventually, Death Visits Us All’
‘And Faith Ensues’
This book works on the principle that we all have within us the potential and resources to achieve our desires. What is simply needed is some help in unlocking that potential and this book has the key or indeed keys. If you want to be self motivational this book will begin to set you free.
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One of the Motivational Stories of the Year
Here is another one of those motivational stories which makes you realise you haven’t got it tough really. Brad Cohen suffers from Tourettes Syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes involuntary movements and vocalisations. He grew up in St Louis being beaten and ostracised because of his condition. His life’s ambition was to be a teacher but despite having the qualifications he could not get through the interview stage. It took 25 interviews before he was successful. “Because of his tics, including uncontrollable barking sounds, many principals matter-of-factly told Cohen that Tourette’s would prevent him from being a teacher.” reports pjstar.com. “One principal told me if I worked in his school, his fifth-graders would beat me up.” he said. Now Cohen will be portrayed in a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, “Front of the Class,” to be televised on 7 December on US network television.
As motivational stories go this one is quite remarkable. How could Brad Cohen go from the situation he describes as “I’d been on 15-20 interviews at that point? I literally remember getting in my car and starting to cry. I was crying so hard that I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t even see in front of me.” to being the subject of a network movie. He has been determined and focused on his goal in an extremely self motivational way. He went from the low point he described to within a year winning the First Class Teacher of the Year Award for the state of Georgia. Cohen’s 25th interview was at Mountain View Elementary in Marietta, Ga., where he was hired to teach second-graders. When he was given the chance to teach he decided to have a very open and honest approach. From the outset he explained his condition to the pupils who could then understand his challenges and worked with him rather than against him as others had done all his life.
In 1998, Cohen returned to his old university Bradley to receive the College of Education and Health Sciences’ Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. He is now an area lead teacher for Cobb County Schools, which means he trains teachers at two Marietta elementary schools. To read the complete article go HERE.
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Motivational Stories to Inspire
Here is one of the most wonderful motivational stories which came to light recently. The USA Olympic swimmer Dara Torres is highly self motivational in her outlook on life but admits it helps to focus on what others think of you and internalise it. The 41 year old is the oldest Olympic swimmer and was still able to carry off three silver medals at the recent Beijing games. She admits to beginning to feel a failure after not achieving an individual gold in her fifth Olympiad in a row despite an overall tally of 12 medals. While achieving her success in Beijing it was not without its challenges as she was being given cortisone injections for a shoulder injury. She said she was in such pain in Beijing, it hurt to have her swimsuit strap in contact with her shoulder. However she has used the amazing support from the general public about her success to banish any self doubts about her ability.
Dara admits she has been here before. After the Sydney Olympics in 2000 where she picked up five medals including three individual bronze she went into a low in her self esteem for several months. However this time she has been able to be more self motivational by internalising that feedback from fans of many sports. Being invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a recent Yankees home game against the Chicago White Sox she was amazed at the reaction she got from the players who saw her as a sporting hero. Women in general and middle aged mothers find her a true inspiration as someone who can keep going even when the ultimate goal of the individual gold medal has been so illusive. But surely the greatest of motivational stories is that Lance Armstrong, the cyclist and cancer survivor, has attributed Dara’s perseverance as his inspiration for ending his retirement and to focus on the Tour de France once again.
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Self Motivational Action Planning
Following on from my last self motivational post when I talked about goal setting we now need to look at action planning to help us take the steps towards our goal. This is another point at which many people freeze because they think they don’t know how to draw up action plans and in fact often say “what does an action plan look like?” My response is usually if you have got this far then you have already started action planning. Earlier we talked about taking our long term goals and breaking them down into our 3-5 year objectives and then down into our 6-12 month objectives. These are in fact milestones in our action plan towards achieving our life goals.
What we need to do now to help us be self motivational is to break them down into further detail. Take the 6-12 month objectives that you set and work back from the point you want to achieve in one year. Now on another sheet of paper write down on the left hand side the 12 months of the year back from that point when you will achieve your one year objective. Now write next each of these months, in some detail, what you will achieve at each of these stages on your way to achieving your first year objective. Again as before don’t rush this process take some time to get a clear step by step plan of how you will work on your goals and objectives over the coming year. Getting a clear set of steps will be incredibly self motivational.
Sometimes you will not be clear on what every individual step is that you need to take. So write in your plan for the coming month to go and find out what are the steps you need to take to fill in the gaps in your plan. You need to go and find others who have achieved what you want to do and find out how they did it. At one time this could be a difficult task but with the advent of the internet there is a wealth of information out there on every topic under the sun. Believe you me there is nothing completely new, everything has been tried and achieved before.
You then need to take your first month plan and break that down into four weeks and decide what actions you need to take each week to achieve what you want by the end of the month. Once you have this four week plan in place you can then turn to what will now be a daily task of drawing up your to do list for the day. You just won’t believe how self motivational it can be to put this framework in place so that you can see clearly your way forward. It has also taken what probably seemed as a daunting task and broken it down into manageable chunks which is a key step towards taking action. Remember taking action is the true key to success.
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