Learning to be Self Motivational from Viktor Frankl

Posted on December 9th, 2008 by admin in Motivational Stories, self motivational

If you have not heard of Viktor Frankl he is the author of several works, the greatest of these is the self motivational book Man’s Search for Meaning. Frankl was already formulating his approaches to focusing on the true meaning in life before the Second World War. After the outbreak of the war he and his family were dispatched to concentration camps. As the only survivor of his family he used his experience to further clarify his thinking on the meaning and purpose in life.

He realised that in the most extreme situation of depravation the one thing that could not be taken away from him was his freedom to think. He noted at one point that his concentration camp guards had more liberty than he but that he had more freedom of thought than those who carried out orders without questioning them.

One of the things he observed among his fellow prisoners was it was the ones, that were self motivational through focusing what was beyond their current situation and a purpose for their life, who had a greater chance of survival. Those that focused only on the misery of their current situation and the lack of meaning in it were more likely to perish. In fact he established a principle that people who have led a fairly superficial existence when they are thrown into a harsh environment often come out as stronger after their suffering. When they realise they have great freedom of choice even in a difficult situation it is incredibly empowering and self motivational.

He saw in the behaviours of fellow prisoners while still incarcerated and after their release inflicting pain and cruelty on others as a result of that meted out to them. This choice and reaction is found in many who have suffered from child abuse who go on to commit the same acts on their own children. To break such a cycle needs the realisation that we have a choice in how we interpret the actions of others and a choice in how we respond. It can make us stronger or weaker however we choose to respond.

In addition his experience taught him how precious every moment of your time can be. Many of his conclusions have helped self motivational people overcome procrastination. One principle he held was to try to do anything that needed doing as soon as possible rather than leave it to the last moment. As he explained, this ensured that when he had a lot of tasks to achieve he had not added more pressure on himself by putting off important activities which then only accumulate. In this way he taught us to stay out of overwhelm. Another principle, again used by self motivational people, is to tackle the least pleasant jobs before those that are easier to do. In this way we achieve the more difficult tasks while we are still fresh and the easier ones when we are not at our best. How often have you found yourself doing the reverse? However Frankl was known to confess that he was not perfect in keeping to this principle but admitted he always sorely regretted it if he had not stayed true. If you would like more information on Viktor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning and other self motivational works take a look at my self motivational book list.

Also take a look at this short clip of the great man explaining part of his philosophy

 

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Motivational Stories and More

Posted on October 7th, 2008 by admin in Motivational Stories

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

Posted on October 6th, 2008 by admin in Motivational Stories

 

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

Posted on October 4th, 2008 by admin in Motivational Stories

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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