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Beginnings–Motivation to Stick to Your Goals
Recently, I decided to pull together information from my extensive list of health and fitness references to write an e-book entitled, “How to Achieve Your Fitness and Wellness Goals.” Experience taught me that the two are interconnected.
You can’t write a book like that and then live an anti-wellness lifestyle. The message gets under your skin. You think about it. Your mind scrutinizes your choices. It’s like your mom telling you to clean up your room. You are compelled to move in that direction. To harness this power, take your goals and write about them.
Make Your Blog Work for You
One easy way to create this atmosphere is to blog about your goals. It is the public aspect of setting a course that can motivate you. Write about your progress, what worked and what did not. The act of doing this is cathartic and can help you brainstorm for new ideas.
Update Your Status
Just like blogging, updating your status on the social network of your choice creates accountability. You grew up having to meet certain tasks at school. Undoubtedly, your boss has things you must do. Following through on a project is almost innate. It’s instinctive. Creating that scenario for your goals can propel you forward.
Write Your Manifesto
A variation on this theme is to write your manifesto. This is your public statement about your goals and intentions, your creed, if you will. This action is a powerful message to both yourself and others. It lays out the groundwork for achieving your goals. It is an effective way to begin moving in the direction you want. It plants the seeds in your mind to influence your decisions.
Writing out your goals is a potent way to begin the process of achieving them. It uses the power of your subconscious to make the right choice. If meeting your goals has eluded you, try putting them down on paper. You might just unleash the force you need to succeed.
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Beginnings–Projects to Finish
The sense of accomplishment that comes from finishing a project is so sweet. The relief feels physical. The burst of pride is also something that feels quite nice. There is a secret to experiencing that feeling. It has to do with choices.
Choose a project you enjoy.
A no-brainer is that you must choose a project you enjoy or the outcome of which you will relish. This is especially important for long drawn out projects. Motivation is hard to muster as it is without fighting your own feelings to boot. You will find that it is easier to devote energy and extra time to something that you feel good about.
Streamline the process to finish.
My first e-book was a daunting task. There was a lot of work to do, including research and editing. It also involved getting used to a new venue and different software. I made some mistakes, but was able to find solutions where needed. Now that I’ve moved on to my second e-book, I learned a valuable lesson about streamlining the process.
That’s where you can find the key to helping you achieve your goals. Realize what obstacles are. If you’re a writer like me, you know the pitfalls that sometimes happen. Your task is to streamline the process to overcome the challenges.
One of the challenges I’m facing now is getting my first e-book ready for print. To its credit, CreateSpace goes the extra mile to make it as easy as possible by explaining everything in great detail. Yet, headers and footers can be a bear. I lament the fact that I wasted too much time trying to get everything to display correctly.
Now that I’ve done it, I know what I need to do. I can go back to writing and put formatting out of my thoughts until I need to get ready to publish. The next time I won’t waste time. I’ll get busy and get it done.
This is the tactic you need to discover for your tasks. Think about solutions instead of problems. You’ll likely find you’ll feel that same sense of relief once you’ve put an obstacle behind you.
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Beginnings–Watching Movies
We all have our little quirks. You probably have one or two that you may find hard to explain to someone else. My quirk is one that I share with Woody Allen’s character in “Annie Hall
In some respects, Woody is dead right. You can see this with books as well. Today’s society wants action right away. A book from yesteryear would begin setting the scene for the exciting bits that might not happen for a hundred pages. Today’s movies and books tend to begin with a scene to grab your attention from the start. With so many entertainment choices, a movie or book has a tougher job getting its audience.
So, the upshot is that you might indeed be missing something significant if you miss those first few minutes. The plot might not getting around to explaining its meaning until the end, but you can be sure it will play some role in the conclusion. The intrigue a good opening scene creates will influence your viewing and interpretation of the work. In essence, you may be missing half the movie–or at least what may be a pivotal plot point.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve re-watched a movie in which I missed the beginning only to have an ah-ha moment seeing what I didn’t see. My advice then to you is that in order to fully enjoy a movie or book, you must watch it or read it right from the start. Don’t miss out on the special opportunity the piece has to offer you.
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Beginnings–A New Phone
I bought a new phone after my Samsung Epic 4G died. A Sprint fail, actually. Now, I’m with Verizon with my new Droid Razr
If you’ve ever had issues with your phone’s battery, you need this app. There is a free version and pro-paid. I bought the latter after the program solved my phone issue just to thank the developer. Installation is simple. Then, you just wait. The app tracks the usage and launches of all the apps on your phone. A peak at the list will show you which programs are the pigs.
The problem I had was that my phone kept waking up every minute–literally. You can imagine what my battery life was like. I loaded Spare Parts and found the problem. Yes, my launcher program was opening a lot–455 times. There was another sore spot, Noom Pedometer at 397 times. Apparently, the program wanted to track my steps so badly that it kept launching and preventing my phone from sleeping. I uninstalled the program.
It’s like a have a new phone. We’re starting over. I adore my Razr now. I have the feeling that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Beginnings–New Pursuits
Not all beginning are good ones. This is a case in point. My husband has begun his job search.
After 37 years, my husband’s company, Pitney Bowes, left him out to dry. No matter how loyal he was, how dedicated he was, how well he served his company. Pitney Bowes threw him out, six months after open heart surgery that saved his life. Needless to say, I hate Pitney Bowes.
It’s a new beginning for us. We have to re-invent our lifestyles and hope for the best. That is the key word–hope. Hope drives motivation. Motivation keeps you trying. That is what we need to muster to forge ahead. Work is good. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. My husband wants to work because it is a way for him to help other people. I admire his determination.
Beginnings are a way to re-assess your resources and energy. It helps you identify weaknesses and strengths. As this new beginning, we are assessing where we are at and what we need to do to move forward. I know we will succeed.
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Beginnings–A Story Starts with a Picture
There are so many quote regarding a picture–a picture can say a thousand words, a picture says a thousand words, Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures, etc. A picture, therefore, is a great beginning.
One site that I’ve found through my search for stock images is Photo Xpress. There are a lot of good paid sites out there. Photo Xpress succeeds in two ways:
- Free accounts give you some free premium downloads
- The price is right–and they will beat it, if not
I recently purchased a pic for my e-book. I was ecstatic to find an locale-appropriate image. That was the biggest challenge I faced. When you write a book or e-book, you want high-resolution images and ones that appropriate for your subject matter. I had found a great public domain image that was truly beautiful. Unfortunately, the resolution was less than what was required for a decent print image.
To find that perfect image, you need to trust your gut. What is the image that you picture in your head when you think of what you wrote? Once you have a fix on it, don’t let it go. Search to find your image. It is imperative because your mind’s image is the personification of your writing. And don’t worry about paying for it.
You learn quickly that good images are worth paying for. Above all, keep a separate folder for originals so you can you go back and make new variations from a clean copy. It all begins with finding the right image for the job.
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Beginnings–How to Begin Your Day
How you start your day is crucial to how it will proceed. You certainly don’t want to begin by waiting for your heart to stop racing because of your alarm clock. Nor do you want to spend precious time trying to wake up.
Funny, but along with buggy whips and rotary dial phones, alarm clocks may soon become obsolete–especially if you can wake up with a smartphone app like Gentle Alarm. I use it to wake gently by the sounds of birds calling. What’s nice is that the alarm can fade in softly to nudge me awake. What a difference!
Like bedtime rituals, your morning ritual can prepare you for the challenges ahead, while keeping your stress level steady. This is a good time for gentle stretching or a slow-paced yoga routine. The idea of greeting the new day with a sun salutation ritual puts you in touch with the new day in a brand new light.
I like to catch up on the news on my smartphone while still in bed. Decadent? Yes, but it’s a habit now that I truly enjoy. That’s the point. Whatever you do, it should be something you enjoy. A little treat is a positive way to start your day. Besides, it’ll put you in a good mood.
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