How To Develop A Motivational Habit

We are all creatures of habit. When we do one thing consistently and for a long enough period of time, it becomes second nature. That tendency is often embodied in negative ways.

Things like smoking, overeating and procrastination become habits. And one they do, they become very difficult to break.

The good news is that the “habit factor” cuts both ways. If you develop a good habit, it will remain intact and will be just as resistant to change.

We are all constantly on the lookout for an additional motivational spark--something that will keep us going day after day.

By making daily motivation exercises a consistent ritual, we can develop a habit that will help us to reach even our loftiest aspirations.

Discover motivation exercises that resonate with you and make them part of your daily schedule. Commit to establishing a motivational habit. Before you know it, you will never be searching for inspiration; you will be making your own every single day!

Did That REALLY Motivate You?

Sometimes, we can watch a program, listen to a speaker, or read a book that fills us with a sense of motivation and that makes us feel like we can do anything to which we set our minds.

In some cases, that sense of limitless possibility remains intact and we refer back to that inspirational material again and again as we work toward our goals. In other cases, the feeling of elation and excitement passes within a very short period of time.

Motivation exercises are a lot like food. Some foods really do nourish the body and provide us with the essential nutrients we need to survive and thrive. Some foods, on the other hand, are junk. They taste sweet, but don’t do much good for the body and may actually harm it.

Some motivation exercises are nourishing psychological and emotional meals, while others are nothing more than the motivational equivalent of cotton candy.

As you experiment with different methods of motivation, make the effort to separate the truly good stuff from the junk. Look for exercises that connect with you on a deeper level and that tend to linger with you long after the initial excitement subsides.

Don’t confuse dinner with a candy bar or motivation with manipulation.

Learn More About Motivation

Motivation is a simple concept. Finding sources of motivation, in practice, however can be a little complicated sometimes. The things that motivate us as children become less important as time passes.

Even as adults, events around us can change our ways of thinking and our outlooks toward certain ideas and activities. The nature of individual motivation is in a constant state of flux.

As such, it is important to constantly refill our motivational cup. We need to find ways to prod ourselves toward our goals and aspirations, realizing that we won’t always be able to draw from the same sources of inspiration.

One of the best possible ways to learn more about motivation and how to find it is by becoming a student of the subject.

By reading and learning more about what makes us tick and what compels us to “do better,” we can always have real sources of inspiration at our disposal.

Becoming a student of motivation is a great way of becoming a more fulfilled person and of reaching our individual goals.

Making The Time For Motivation

You were motivated when you came up with a plan to change your life, but you might have found your ability to keep on moving toward your goals waning now that a little time has passed.

You either need to recapture some of the motivation that led you to take action in the first place or to find some new inspiration elsewhere.

This is why motivation exercises can be so valuable. They allow you to find a little extra boost that can help keep you working on your program. There are as many motivation exercises as there are people. Some find inspiration in an upbeat film. Others are motivated by introspection and a desire to bring their actions into alignment with their beliefs. Physical exercise has an impact on others.

The important part about motivation exercises isn’t so much which one you choose, but that you make the choice to do something. A consistent, long-term commitment to maintaining high motivation levels is often critical to self-improvement.

Make sure you are setting aside a dedicated chunk of time every day to find new motivation and to re-connect with the ideas that originally inspired you to make a positive change

Hold Your Pleasure Hostage

Some days you just want to sit down and relax when the work day ends. Nothing sounds better than watching a favorite television show, reading a great book, ordering a delivery meal or some other small luxury.

Before you flip on the tube or find that delivery menu, however, you might want to consider turning the situation into a motivational opportunity.

Ask yourself what you still need to do to work toward your personal goals. Do you have a few small tasks you were willing to let slide as you enjoyed that program or dinner?

Is there something you should be doing, as part of your overall plan that you were just going to skip? Is there something you could do that would make you feel better about your day and yourself?

If the answer to any of those questions is, “yes,” it’s time to hold your pleasure hostage. Tell yourself that you get to watch the TV after you do your task or work toward your goal.

Make that small luxury into a reward for a job well done. Not only will you enjoy the reward more that way, you will also be one step closer to the life you have envisioned for yourself.

This simple motivation exercise probably won’t change your life all by itself. However, it can help you to find a spark when you really need it.

TODAY! What Will You Do?

If you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today. - Author Unknown

As wonderful as past achievements may make you feel, they cannot compare to what you are capable of today. It’s natural to want to reflect upon our previous accomplishments because they make us feel good about ourselves.

We can remember the glory of the battle, the difficulties we overcame during the journey and glow with pride as we point out, “I did that.” That’s great, but the very next words out of your mouth should be, “What will I do next?”

Instead of pacifying yourself with memories of what you’ve done before, you can choose to make it your mission to always keep growing, evolving and producing ever greater works. If you do this, you may be surprised to note that you rarely feel compelled to look back at your past accomplishments.

Why? Because you’ll be too darn busy being productive! Rather than dwelling on your past success, let it fuel your next endeavor. Besides a feeling of pride, your accomplishments can offer something else of value: confidence to try something new! Sometimes we do just the opposite and use our past accomplishments as an excuse not to do anything more.

Whether we fear not being able to top a previous victory or we simply don’t want to try, we decide it’s safer to stay where we are and bask in the afterglow. Ridiculous!

Let excitement about your next endeavor fill you up. Let it quicken your heart and flush your face as you look forward to your next phase of growth.

As exciting as your past achievements may have been, they cannot hold a candle to what you will do today! When you are too old and infirm to produce anymore, THEN you can look back and be proud of all you accomplished.

Until then, you’re not nearly done yet. You’ve got mountains to climb, fears to face, doubts to overcome, and astounding achievements waiting to be realized. Go to it!

What a Journey!

Forever is composed of nows. - Emily Dickinson

Have you ever been so intently focused on a goal that you forgot to enjoy the process of getting to it? Next thing you know, you’re looking around in disbelief and muttering, “That’s it?”

As satisfying and enjoyable as the outcome can be, the journey itself is what can really get us pumped up! Focusing too hard on the outcome ensures that we miss out on many great insights and opportunities that appear between now and then.

The truth is there really isn’t any past, present or future. In fact, some theories claim that all three are happening simultaneously. It seems impossible, but one thing we know for sure: our entire lives are composed of a very long string of “nows.”

Like right now, and now, and now. Each moment is a glimmering gem of opportunity to experience feelings of joy, excitement, happiness and love. You may not think this is so important, but when you’re working on creating something beautiful in your life don’t you want to be able to remember it fondly?

Imagine reaching the end of your life without a single recollection of the things you experienced. Imagine not being able to remember all the love you gave and received, all the laughter you shared, all the moments of amazement and awe. How would you know whether the journey was worthwhile? What an incredible loss that would be.

The journey to our goals is just as important because we not only move from one place to another, we transform from one person into another throughout the process. If we spend too much time looking forward or backwards, we’ll completely miss what we’re doing right now. Make sure you take time to enjoy your journey.

Make sure you are pausing to look around and open your eyes from time to time. Not only can this help you notice more great opportunities, it can make the journey require less effort too.

Instead of keeping your head down, legs pumping furiously to get where you’re going, you will be strolling happily along with a smile on your face and your shoulders relaxed. Big difference!

A Hidden Gem In Every Setback

When you lose, don't lose the lesson. - Author Unknown

How many times have you experienced a setback in your life? If you’re like most people, it’s probably hundreds of times. Setbacks are a part of life, and there is no realistic way to avoid them.

However, if we learn to find the hidden gem in every setback, we’ll be able to use them in productive ways. Let’s take a look at some of your setbacks and see what can be done to shift your perception of them. First, make a list of every failure you can remember, no matter how insignificant it may be.

If you started a diet and reverted back to eating donuts the next day, write it down. If you set a goal to make more money and ended up in further in debt, write that down. When you have your list completed, take a few minutes to review it. How does it make you feel to remember those things you didn’t accomplish? Probably not great, but don’t worry; we can turn that around in a jiffy!

Next to each item on your list, write down what you learned from the experience...

Don’t cheat by skipping this part of the exercise, it’s very important! And don’t say you didn’t learn anything, or choose a dumb lesson like, “I learned not to try it again.” No – you absolutely learned something from every single failure and setback you’ve experienced.

If you can’t think of any good lesson, you are probably still harboring feelings of bitterness about the experience. Step away from that one for awhile until you can look at it objectively. For the others, take a look at the lessons you’ve learned and pay particular attention to how they have contributed to who you are today.

You may notice that your life lessons have made you stronger, wiser, more focused, or more determined. Whatever you’ve learned through the painful experiences of your life, keep the lessons in mind as you attempt new goals.

If you choose to keep finding something positive in every unsatisfactory result, you really cannot lose! You will simply keep using your expanding knowledge to do better next time and move steadily toward where you want to be.

Best of all, when you finally get there, you’ll be a much better person, able to fully enjoy it because you’ve grown so much from every experience.

You Can Always Find a Way

The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse. - Author Unknown

If your dreams are really that important to you, you will always find a way to make them happen. That’s not to say you won’t run into obstacles or experience setbacks along the way. You might even endure your fair share of actual failures. It’s what you do with these experiences that count!

If you sit back and say bitterly, “It just wasn’t meant to be. I’m not meant to succeed. Events just wouldn’t work for me. I couldn’t do it no matter how hard I tried….” Then you are just buying into excuses.

Excuses so often seem like undeniable truth – until we stand back to look at them objectively. Circumstances might NOT have worked for you, but how hard did you try to get around limitations and problems? You might not have been able to do it . . . yet.

But are you going to stop here, or are you going to find a way to make it happen? The story isn’t over until you write the words, “The End”. Only your refusal to keep fighting can make your excuses come true. Only easing up on your efforts can decrease your progress. On the other hand, if you simply refuse to give up and keep pushing on no matter what – something good must come from it.

It might take longer that you expected. You might feel that you’re working hard for nothing because it’s just not going to happen for you. You might be tempted to quit a thousand times. But if you set your mind to finding SOME way to make it work for you, you will do it.

The trick is to not get caught up in excuses and self-doubt. Don’t base your intensity of effort on the results you’ve seen so far; give your full effort even when it seems pointless to do so.

Make it your mission to keep striving to create a better life, and your life will have no choice but to comply with your wishes. Don’t make excuses – make it happen!

Can You Believe It?

Face what you think you believe and you will be surprised. - William Hale White

You may be familiar with the concept that your beliefs create your reality, but have you explored this idea further? What does it really mean that your beliefs create your reality?

A belief is a thought that has been repeated in your mind so many times that you know it to be “true.” Sometimes the things we believe really are true, but other times we have tricked ourselves into believing something is true, even if it isn’t. These illusory “truths” are reinforced because our actions day to day actually create “proof” that reinforces the belief.

Take, for example, a belief that you are not strong enough or talented enough to achieve the success and abundance you crave. If you believe this about yourself, you will feel no incentive to try to be successful so you will avoid taking action on the things that could make you successful.

If you do somehow manage to ignore your self-doubt and start working toward a bigger goal, the slightest obstacle you encounter will convince you that your original belief was correct: you don’t have what it takes!

Your every thought and action will be putting forth an energy into the universe that says, “I want to be successful and happy. Wait, never mind, I can’t be successful and happy. What was I thinking?” The universe then starts pulling back the opportunities and abundance you asked for. You have now cemented the belief in your mind because you can’t seem to make any progress, so surely you must NOT be worthy of the things you desire.

In order to alter your limiting beliefs (whether about success, money or anything else) you need to be willing to question their validity. You need to be willing to face the fears you have, the self-doubts, the beliefs that you are not worthy of whatever you desire, and find out WHY you believe those things.

Once you are fully aware of your limiting beliefs, it’s a simple matter to begin changing them and replacing them with more affirmative beliefs. The good news is that once you start to question your beliefs and act differently, you eventually create “proof” that the new belief is true – which eradicates the old, limiting belief!