Beginnings–Motivation to Stick to Your Goals

January 25, 2012 by Chris · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Lessons Learned

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.

Tags: e-book, motivation

Beginnings–Projects to Finish

January 24, 2012 by Chris · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Lessons Learned, Writer's Life

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.

Tags: goals, motivation

Beginnings: The Hardest Part of Resolutions

January 6, 2012 by Chris · Leave a Comment
Filed under: Lessons Learned

Beginnings offer mixed blessings. On the one hand, there is hope for some positive outcome to follow. Then, there lingers the fear of failure, of that first time one stumbles. I’d compare it to how Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers must have felt at the start of each game, especially with the pressure for a perfect season.

For me, the hardest part is the start. I’m reminded of that each time my reminder goes off to nudge me to stop what I’m doing and exercise. It is for that reason that I’ve made a bargain with myself. When it’s time, I’ll give it a go for five minutes, just five. More often than not, I’ll stick with it. At that point, it’ll start to feel good when my muscles loosen up.

It’s funny though, but I don’t feel that with my writing at all. I welcome the chance to get creative again. Publishing my first e-book has given me incentive to publish the next, which I hope to have out next week. The difference between exercising is writing is mind set. I enjoy writing. Exercise is something I may view subconsciously as an obligation, a duty or perhaps a chore. Herein lies the lesson to be learned.

Attitude changes everything. To succeed with goals and resolutions, you have to see the value. One would hope that there is a good part about it to make you want to accomplish it. This is the task that I’ve assigned myself this week. I want to change how I view exercise so that I can succeed. With that one change, I hope to get on track and stay there.

Tags: motivation, New Year's resolutions

Writing Tip: Using Rewards as Motivators

July 27, 2010 by Chris · Comments Off
Filed under: Writing Tip

Like many writers, I face what may be referred to as the dreaded deadline. I actually don’t mind deadlines. I find them very motivating. This week, I found a way to increase my productivity by using rewards as motivators.

I’m a visual person. Seeing items ticked off of a to-do list boosts my productivity. This time, I had a deadline which while not tough, was looming in front of me. Recently, I made the decision to try embracing the barefoot walking lifestyle. The idea is simply this; we evolved getting around on our bare feet. It stands to reason that it is the best way for us to walk or run.

So much of our physiology reflects a lifestyle we no longer lead if you look closely at our fight-or-flight responses. Why not walking? Anyway, I decided that I wanted to give it a try with a pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes. So, for reaching my deadline, buying these shoes became my reward.

I usually associated rewards with exercising. Accumulate enough points, then get a reward. Now, I use them as a motivator for my writing goals. What a great way to get immediate satisfaction with completing goals!

Tags: motivation, reward