There are times in life when we need to motivate ourselves. We often have big ambitions we want to achieve. Sometimes, however, the motivation and clarity we need evade us, and the limited timeframes we have mean we need to get busy when we simply lack the zest to do so.
The following are a set of simple questions we can ask ourselves to begin to create the direction, the clarity and above all the motivation for ourselves to act:
1. What is the highest vision for my career, my life and myself?
This is really a reminder question for us. A key element of a balanced life is to have a clear vision of who you want to be and where you want to take your career and your life. This question is an opportunity for you to create that vision (preferably on paper), or if you already have it, to remind yourself of it.
2. What's the bigger picture here?
This question follows on from the first. When you have your vision, your subconscious mind will start to think creatively about how you can begin to make that vision happen. What's the bigger picture here, allows you to keep your thinking at a higher level, rather than bringing it down to the detail of life too quickly.
3. What are the key activities I need to be engaged in to get me to where I want to be?
This is a great all-encompassing question that takes you down a level in terms of your thinking. The focus of this question is the key activities. These are the 20% activities that will give you 80% of your results (according to the Pareto Principle). Again, this keeps your thinking at a level that allows you to focus on just those things that will get you to your outcome in the best way possible. You are not down at the micro or detail level yet. A good way to approach this is to come up with a list of just 2-4 key activities. These will become your projects from which your key tasks will flow.
4. How can I leverage my time, energy and money?
Leverage means investing a small amount of your resources in such a way that you get results that are many, many times greater than that investment. It could be, for example, that you invest a given amount of your time, energy and money to acquire the time, energy and money of many others. This is a form of leverage that is used to very powerful effect, for example, in the business world, and is how many businesses grow from sole-entrepreneurship to global status. Therefore asking yourself this key question constantly, permits you to engage fully in those activities that will give you the greatest return on your time, energy and money.
5. Do I need outside help?
This question flows on logically from the previous. It opens up your thinking, and allows you to consider the fact that others may be able to help you in your quest. This question prevents you from getting caught up in believing that you have to do everything yourself. Often when we are in this mode we can easily become overwhelmed, and this can sabotage our results. It is therefore useful to be asking yourself this question constantly so that external resources regularly show up for you.
6. What is stopping me from moving forward?
Sometimes we don't consider this question, and simply try to achieve our aspirations in life. By considering what may be stopping you, you are giving yourself the chance to acknowledge what is going on for you at a deeper level. This can reveal blockages that go way back, that may even have begun in childhood and could still be affecting you today. By using key techniques such as Energy Therapy to clear psychological and emotional barriers, you can begin to move forward and work more effectively towards your outcomes.
7. Given who I am, where I am in life, who I want to be and where I want to be in life, how can I use the time I have to the greatest effect?
This question may be detailed, but it acknowledges that you may have a limited amount of time in which to act, and therefore recognises that you need to use that time wisely. It also acknowledges who you are and where you are in your life right now whilst recognising that you have aspirations to improve. This is a powerful question that encourages you to look beyond those activities that may seem urgent but may not at this moment in time be in the best interests of your overall vision.
8. What can I do?
The is another all-encompassing question that begins to bring your thinking down to the task level whilst allowing your subconscious to consider all the options open to you. It also focuses your mind on what you can do rather than what you feel you can't.
9. How can I get started?
Getting started is one of the most difficult parts of any project or vision accomplishment. Asking yourself how you can get started brings your focus back to the current moment, and allows you to decide what your first step is going to be. This point alone can open up numerous doors in your mind, and can begin to make what may have seemed overwhelming or impossible, possible.
10. How can I work smarter?
Once we've started on our journey towards our vision, we can often get caught up in the detail of the work, and risk losing both our focus and direction. The upshot is that we can become derailed and distracted, and the effectiveness of our work can suffer. Asking yourself at every stage of your journey How can I work smarter will help you to find better, more useful and more intelligent ways of achieving your aims.
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