The Number 1 Golden Rule To Get Yourself Highly Motivated

A great writer once said, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." For this reason, I resolved to work through the challenge of being consistently motivated despite the potential setbacks and hardships I was going to endure down the road

Having goals in my life has been a matter of principle. While having and setting goals is one thing, implementing the goals and seeing to their fruition has been another. I observed that I needed to work myself out if success was going to be within reach. Besides a few other things I needed to do, I had to apply a golden rule to remain highly motivated all the time.

Always being highly motivated is central to success. Although it is not an easy undertaking, it is not impossible either, especially with the application of some very basic tenets.

At one point, for example, I went on a very stringent diet, it was all fun and exciting during the first few weeks but as the enthusiasm started to fade and the toll of the rigid diet started to set in, I knew I needed to keep myself motivated otherwise I was going to lose my entire focus and determination,of course, without applying the Golden Rule I ended up losing my motivation and going off course my long-term goal of losing weight.

The Golden rule: What it is and how it presents itself?

I need to mention first that, before I knew this principle, the more I encountered tough times and obstacles, the more my motivation levels dwindled, thus impeding more and more my ability to fulfill and accomplish goals.

Realizing this has been the foundation for me to appreciate the importance of getting highly motivated all the time, notwithstanding the fact that scientific research has consistently proved that setting out challenging but manageable goals is significant to staying focused and achieving goals. This principle often called the "Goldilocks Rule", is the Golden rule to constantly and consistently being highly motivated. The rule states that, that "our ability to stay motivated will falter when pursuing goals that are outside of an optimal range of difficulty."

To highlight this rule, let's further consider the example I gave on starting a diet. I was able to see myself loose considerable weight and achieve my set initial target in a short period. However, as the progress slowed down to reach a constant, I noticed how my motivation took a downward trend. In like manner, colleagues whose goals were to lose substantial amounts of weight often lost the drive to achieve this goal, they struggled to stay motivated just from the beginning because the task ahead seemed mammoth and outwardly impossible. The good news here is that this golden Goldilocks rule can be used in the pursuit of any goal, moreover, morals and values still remain in check while applying this golden principle.

Using this Goldilocks principle and learn how to get highly motivated

The Golden rule helped me set out a fine range of progressive and achievable goals and cut away from impossible tasks. This draws from the psychology that "humans are at their most driven phase when they assume tasks that are at the very edge of their ability, as they seek a balance between challenging themselves and making progress along their specific course."

If I am accomplishing manageable milestones that are able to make me joyful, I always have the drive for the next one. Additionally, this presents me a chance to make progressive strides and experience the development process. From the time I started deliberately measuring and celebrating each step to success and personal improvement regularly, I have been able to achieve a positive psychological function that has enabled me to boldly face and defy challenges, steadily push forward my performance and achieve my goals within time.

For me, appreciating this rule was the first and just about the most fundamental part of motivating myself and fruitfully pursuing my goals, otherwise I repetitively found myself either failing in intellectual motivation or just stand astounded by the work before me.

Sticking to this golden rule has also helped me to apply other motivational keys, the keys can equally be considered as golden because they always go in tandem with Goldilocks rule. One such key is the ability to measure and celebrate progress and individual development against an ideal.

There is ONE rule to be highly motivated, if mastered, you will be able to easily accomplish all your goals!

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Number-1-Golden-Rule-To-Get-Yourself-Highly-Motivated&id=9567373

Off and Running in Four Easy Steps

It seems like at one point in time or another, we all talk about pursuing goals, but some of us do just that... talk. As the old saying goes "talk is cheap." And that it is! If we really have the desire to get closer to what we want to achieve in our lives and are truly committed to taking our performance to another level, it involves doing more than just talking about it. By no means do I want to imply that achievement is an easy process, but if you commit to the following four steps, I guarantee you will be "off and running" in no time and progress will soon be yours.

First, learn the art of asking yourself the right questions. The right questions are important as they will help you clarify your goal by uncovering your thoughts, perceptions, values and motivations. Questions like; what am I passionate about? What makes me feel motivated? What can I do to become more visible in my organization? What steps do I need to take to advance in my career? All these help fuel your fire and get you thinking about what it is you really want out of life.

Second, examine your life thoroughly. By answering the questions in step one, you can then establish touch points for yourself and say "this is where I want to be one year from now, three years from now and five years from now." Spend some time on this; be mindful of not only what you want but what you are willing and able to DO to get there.

Third, create a powerful image. By spending some time on step two, you can create an image of what your life looks like at the different points in time you have selected. For instance, get a clear picture of what you are doing and feeling, where you are living, where you are working, how much you are earning, who you have surrounded yourself with, what you are driving. Every picture will be unique to the individual... it doesn't matter, just take an active hand in picturing yourself already there. By creating an actual image and feel for where you yearn to be, you actively design a compelling future for yourself. The clarity of this future makes it more tangible thus motivating you to take action and get there!

Fourth, yes, stop talking and take action. The caveat is this... a distinction must be made between what you want to achieve, and what you intend to DO to actually achieve it. Goals are great, they help us visualize what we want and by doing this, we are able to place it in the cross hairs of our vision, but the DOING part is what is going to get us there and unfortunately that is the piece that gets left out most of the time. Remember "talk IS cheap." So don't get stuck there! In fact, if you are talking about your goal, catch yourself in the moment and actually challenge yourself to do something right then and there to move you closer to obtaining your goal. Talking about it can become a habit so disrupt the pattern by DOING. By setting your intention on action, you facilitate strategic movement in a specific direction and utilize motivation fueled by passion. And that my friend is what gets you well on the way to accomplishment.

Destiny by design or default... the choice is yours!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Off-and-Running-in-Four-Easy-Steps&id=9370527

5 Learnable Mindsets of Highly Successful People

Have you ever wondered how truly successful people like Bill Gates, Richard Branson or Muhammad Ali became successful and continued to excel? I sure have. I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people successful.

This was probably because I wasn’t very successful in school. It wasn’t until I discovered and started applying what I learned from competitive sports, biographies and books by Stephen R. Covey and Tony Robbins that things began to turn around for me.

A lot has happened in the 25 years since I nearly flunked out of school. I’ve read hundreds of personal development books, obtained three psychology degrees, and trialed-and-errored my way through my own personal-development journey.

As a psychologist, I’ve assessed and treated everyone from hardened criminals to anxious executives. I now work with athletes, executives, academics and entrepreneurs to help develop their personal and professional potential.

Throughout the last 25 years, I’ve discovered five (learnable) mindsets that set apart the achievers from the rest of the world:

1. Successful people know and accept themselves.

They know their strengths and weaknesses. They accept themselves for who they are and work with or around what they are given.

Think of people like Bill Gates or J.K. Rowling. They accept and work with their introverted personalities. They don’t try to be something they aren’t. If they’d spent their lives fighting against their introversion, we likely wouldn’t be enjoying the fruits of their labors today.

2. Successful people set goals congruent with their personality, values, interests, strengths, skills, mission and purpose.

Not based on their immediate urges, moods or circumstances.

Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela and Oskar Schindler all lived their lives based on who they really were, what they valued, what they were good at and what they realized their mission was. Some of them paid dearly for pursuing their path. But I doubt that any of them would have had it any other way. Friedrich Nietzsche aptly said, “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.”1

3. Successful people know they have much more control over the trajectory of their lives than others realize.

At the same time, they know that even though they are steering their ship, they can only control themselves. They understand and accept that they can’t control what the world throws in their path, but they can control how they react to those obstacles. They know that they can anticipate and act before the world acts upon them. They know that if they keep pushing forward they will eventually reach their destination.

4. Successful people accept that they will repeatedly go through tough times.

Tough times are par for the course for those who do big things. They know that’s how the world works and don’t fight or complain about it. Without difficult times and failures, there is no learning, no growth. They know that nothing worth achieving comes without a struggle. They know there’s a difference between suffering and struggling.

The Dalai Lama wrote, “Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” Successful people struggle and feel pain, but don’t suffer because they are living their lives and pursuing goals that are in line with who they are, what they value, and what they believe to be their purpose or mission. To them, it is worth it.

5. Successful people know that once they get to their destination, they will find another.

Because of this, they accept and enjoy the struggle, for they know that the journey is the destination.

To achieve these learnable mindsets, start with these five tips:

• Learn as much as you can about yourself.

Learn more about your personality, values, interests, strengths and skills. In my new book, ACHIEVE: Find Out Who You Are, What You Really Want, And How To Make It Happen, I offer tips for figuring out your personality and applying that to achieving more in your life.

• Make smart decisions.

Big and small decisions should be made based on what’s really important to you and your purpose, not on what the situation pulls you toward or based on your mood.

• Act within your control.

Control the only thing you can control: yourself. Don’t be a victim to life. Push forward and act before life acts upon you.

• Reframe setbacks and failures.

Depending on your interpretation, they can destroy or improve you. See setbacks as opportunities for growth and improvement.

• Be stingy with your time.

Make sure you’re spending your time on something that is worth it. Realize you only have one life to live, so enjoy the journey.

Too many people live below their potential. Don’t let one of them be you.

http://www.success.com/blog/5-learnable-mindsets-of-highly-successful-people