Motivation123 Blog

1. You already know what you have to do.

2. You are capable of far more than you think.

3. There will always be a thousand reasons to not do something.

4. Your time is not necessarily short, but it is certainly counting down.

5. The pain of regret will quickly outweigh the pain of failure.

6. Your THING is found through experience, not waiting for a knock at the door.

7. Give yourself a break.

8. If there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to achieve your goal.

9. It is not going to kill you.

10. The point of life is not to fit into an acceptable, normal, attention-deflecting mold.

11. You have already accomplished far more than you realize.

12. One small act in the right direction can change everything.

13. Things could be better, but they could also be worse.

14. Your problems may not be your fault, but there is no doubt the solutions are your responsibility.

15. People have done far more with far less.

16. You are going to remember the times you passed on an opportunity longer than the times you tripped chasing it.

17. Someone has done what you now want to do.

18. If it does not scare you, you are not trying hard enough.

19. Change does not require months or weeks; a few, intelligently-used minutes will do.

20. Do not wait until it is perfect–it never will be and never has to be.

21. Do something different.

22. Things do not get better–you do.

23. Your life is not going to change while you are sitting on the couch.

24. You will never get rid of every butterfly in your stomach.

25. There will always be something else that has to be done.

26. Be happy for today, hopeful about tomorrow.

27. The average overnight success is ten years in the making.

28. Give to get…or just give.

29. Happiness is less a result of having than of helping.

30. Do not overlook the everyday miracle.

31. You can wait all you like; time and opportunity will not.

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What would you add to the list of important thoughts to think? Let us know in the comments below!

Image: healingdream / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Move

Go for a walk. Jump up and down. Run into the middle of the street (no, don’t do that.)

It’s been said a million times, so this makes it 1,000,001. When we move, we feel better, think better, and do better. If you want to get something done, start moving.

Break It Down, Again and Again

Everyone says break down your goal. I’m different. I say, Break down your goal, and then break it down again! (I know, I’m a wizard with this stuff.)

Goals are about change and change is scary. So people hesitate, forget, and move on. But not if you make the step forward small enough. In that case, the discomfort is lowered to an acceptable level and you actually do it. So break it down, again and again.

Never Wait for Permission

If you’ve been with me for a while, you’ll remember that I gave you permission to do whatever you wanted to do a few weeks ago. So this one is for the new readers…or the old ones with terrible memories.

People want someone, somewhere, to say it’s okay. They need reassurance that their ideas aren’t ridiculous. Do they really need it? Of course not, but they feel they do. So they wait for someone to give permission, and waiting is the enemy of progress.

Just in case you’re one of the waiters, here you go: I grant you permission to go forth with your crazy idea and have a wonderful time doing it.

Do It for Me (or Someone Else)

People like people. Not all people, of course, but we’re social creatures. We need companionship, conversation, connection. Let’s be terrible humans and use this to our advantage.

If you aren’t changing for you, do it for someone else. Think about how a better you will help you mom or dad, your husband or wife, your son or daughter. What will your success bring into their lives? (An example to follow? Security? A happier you?)

Get Around the Right People

The old adage: If you want to be rich, hang out with rich people. (Insert your goal in place of ‘rich,’ and the adage is all yours.)

When you spend time with people who have what you want–as opposed to merely reading about them–you can’t help but pick up a little of their mojo. You see how they think, how they interact with people, how they work through problems, how they respond to chaos. In essence, how they do what they do.

And when you do what they do, you get what they got.

Avoid the Wrong People

Franklin said it best: He that lieth down with Dogs, shall rise up with Fleas. In other words, the tip above works just as well in reverse. If you spend time with the wrong people, they’ll rub off on you.

We are genetically programmed to fit in. Otherwise, we’d be kicked out of the tribe and starve. So when good people are part of a bad group, they are motivated to join in and be accepted as one of the gang (which explains why gangs are so powerful). Avoid this risk. If your circle of friends includes people doing things you don’t want to do, make a change. Create some distance. Or run.

Mess with Your Routine

Routine is a killer…of hopes, dreams, and spontaneous dance sessions. It’s like a sopping wet blanket draped on us at all hours of the day; we drag ourselves, zombie-like, from one routine to the next. We’re not really living, just dragging.

You need to break out of this.

Do something different. Instead of coming home and flopping onto the couch, come home and flop onto your bike. Instead of hopping on Facebook at the start of the day, donate to a charity online. Instead of doing what you always do, do something different.

Never Wait for the Idea

Are you waiting for the idea to hit you? To punch you square in the nose, maybe sometime next month? Reality check: it won’t.

Whether it’s your life purpose or just a new hobby, people sit around and wait for the right idea to strike. “I’m not sure what I want. It’ll come sooner or later.” Bet on later.

You have to do things if you want to figure out what’s right for you. Join clubs. Read books. Meet people. Do, do do. Then you’ll know, for certain, which things are for you and which are for someone else.

Do One Thing

I’m working on a new book for you. Well, it’s an updated version of an old book. And it’s not just for you, but for everyone in our little community. (But mainly for you.)

This project is part of a long list of things I need to get done. As such, it’s not getting the attention it needs. What I need to do, and what you need to do with whatever you have to accomplish, is focus on finishing one thing. Not dabbling in dozens. Just one.

Push aside e-mail. Push aside television. Push aside all the little things that eat away at your time like a hungry caterpillar on a sunny day. Focus on getting one thing done, from start to finish. Then, when it’s complete, you can move on. But not until it’s done.

(I’ll take this advice in a moment, but if I followed it now the post would be over already.)

What is the Worst Thing?

What’s the absolute worst thing that will happen if you go for it and screw up? At first it might seem as though dreadful things will occur. The stock market will crash. Your car will explode. We’ll discover the moon isn’t made of cheese.

But, when you look at the facts, you quickly realize the worst case isn’t actually that bad.

Your life won’t be over if no one likes your novel. You won’t risk everything if you take that trip to Australia. You won’t pass out if you give that presentation to the board.

What is the Worst Thing? (Part 2)

Same question, different idea.

What’s the worst thing that will happen if you wimp out and give up before you even begin? Think bad, really bad. The more horrifying you make this picture, the more driven you’ll be to make sure it never happens.

(A smoker shouldn’t imagine wasting hoards of money or having trouble finishing a walk up the stairs; he should imagine leaving behind a family shattered, a loved one taken by cancer too soon.)

What is the Best Thing?

What is the absolute best thing that is going to happen when you finally reach your goal? As with the tip above, the bigger you make this possibility, the more motivational juice it will have.

Tips within a Tip: When you have your idea, write it down on paper and put it in a place you’ll see often. Then find pictures to represent that idea. If you want to be a philosophy professor, for example, you might find a picture of a cavernous lecture room. This image will automatically bring to mind the joy you’ll feel as you walk into your own classroom, dozens of seats filled with smiling faces eager to learn. (Hey, it’s your vision, so you can fudge the facts a little.)

New, New, New

Do something you’ve never done before.

Go Big

I know it’s cheesy–and I’m no fan of cheese–but the idea has some merit. If you aim high, you’ll make some pretty incredible things happen. Here’s why:

We aren’t excited about easy tasks. Tie your shoes today? Do a happy dance when finished? I didn’t think so. (If you did…well, congrats.) What excites us are true challenges. We love to be pushed, to overcome, to be victorious in the face of untold obstacles. It’s part of our chemistry.

We also love big ideas. They inspire. They fill our heads with hope. They motivate.

So think big.

DEADline

Choose a date on which to finish or your idea is as good as dead.

As a species, we can generate excuses faster than anything on earth. I’m flabbergasted at how quickly people churn out an endless stream of reasons why they can’t do something about their goals. Yes, flabbergasted.

We’re geniuses at rationalizing, so we have to be on guard against our own crafty selves. Deadlines are one way to do that. Put a concrete date on an idea and the wishy-washy concept becomes a real thing.

Instead of digging up excuses for procrastination, your brain looks for ways to finish the work by the end date.

Not Ready? Do It Anyway!

It doesn’t have to be perfect. This one idea could change your life forever.

Smart people from every walk of life run into this: they have an idea, learn about said idea, and, then, they learn a little more. Then a little more. Then a little more…then a little more.

It’s the good ol’ paralysis by analysis.

They put off actually doing the real work because learning about it is so much more comfortable. No real progress is made, but it sure feels like they’re doing something. They just keep learning, waiting for the moment when they know everything, when their plans are guaranteed to work flawlessly.

No more. Good enough is good enough. That video you want to put on your blog that has bad lighting? Get it up. That script you want to show your friends but has a few holes in the story? Show them. That dance routine you want to try out at the place where they do dance routines? Just dance.

The most important thing is to do it. You can fix it, tweak it, change it, scrap it later. But nothing happens until you put your idea in action. No more waiting, no more studying. Do it.

Realize (Part 1)

You know that thing you really want to do?

No, not that one. The other one.

Yeah…that one.

Someone else has already done it. Realize that means you can do it too.

Realize (Part 2)

You have the opportunity right now. You can finish reading this post (all the way to the end!) and do something about your goals or ideas. That’s right now. Tomorrow…next week…next month? Who knows.

There are no promises. Realize that what you see today might not be there tomorrow.

I suggest acting when you can. (That’s right now, but not until you’re done reading.)

Realize (Part 3)

Realize the plateau you hit may not be a sign to quit. It might be the dip, Seth Godin’s term for the hard part of the process that divides those who can’t hack it from those who stand above the crowd as truly special, as rare.

Quit

Having said that, sometimes it’s not only okay to quit, it’s the best possible choice.

When you know you’re heading down the wrong path–and not just a difficult stretch that challenges you–get out. There’s no sense in sticking with a goal that isn’t right for you, just as there’s no sense in reading a bad book to the end (though I feel that tug every time).

Life is too short.

Quit when it’s wrong, stick when it’s right.

Help!

Don’t do it by yourself. Find people who know more than you do. Reach out. Get help.

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Now it’s your turn. What’s your most effective motivation tip? Let me know in the comments below and we’ll get this conversation rolling.

Are you waiting for permission?

For years (and even now, if I’m honest) I waited for permission.

I needed confirmation from this person or an OK from that authority. I needed someone to say my idea was good enough, that I was on target or at least getting close.

And then it hit me.

I was waiting for reassurance that my idea would be accepted. But by whom?

The more I thought about it, the more I realized there wasn’t a committee in the sky judging whether or not my idea was good enough. There wasn’t a single, all-knowing voice granting or denying me permission.

There wasn’t a set of guidelines that said: Yes, you are savvy enough or smart enough or worthy of this. Go get ‘em tiger.

In truth, I was free to do what I wanted to do. It was OK.

I didn’t need someone else to tell me to go for it. I didn’t need someone else to do it first. I didn’t need anyone’s approval.

If something sounded good, I was free to try it . Of course, it might not work. But that isn’t the point.

The point is freedom. There was no more waiting, only ideas to mold and plans to enact.

I hereby grant you lifelong permission.

I know I’m different from most (don’t get me started!), but chances are good that you’re waiting just as I did.

You’re waiting for approval, for acceptance, for permission.

And though you don’t need any of that, I’m giving it to you just in case the message above isn’t enough to soothe your worrisome mind.

I grant you permission.

I grant you permission to be yourself. I grant you permission to take that brilliant idea you have and run with it. I grant you permission to live outside the norm and to hop-skip-jump to the beat of your own quirky drummer.

I grant you permission to do things you’ve never done.

I grant you permission to reach out to other people in ways you never have, pushing yourself past where it feels comfortable, but where it feels real.

I grant you permission to say what you think and to feel what you feel.

I grant you permission to stop doing what you think we want you to do. We don’t want you to do that anyway.

I grant you permission, my friend, to do, to be, and to have all the things that quiet little voice of hope whispers in your ear.

Don’t wait. Don’t linger. Make something happen.

You can do it. It’s OK.

The Spanish have a proverb:  Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. Clever wordsmiths, those  Spaniards.

We all procrastinate. We dawdle and delay, dally and defer. My  office floor is still home to a pile of papers that needed filing two months  ago; I’m waiting for them to stop dallying and file themselves.

Whatever  the task, whatever the excuse, the tips below will help you do today what most  people put off to next month.

1. Ask yourself, What’s the holdup? People  procrastinate for many reasons. Some fear failure. Some avoid boring jobs.  Others shy away from getting tangled in a complicated mess (i.e., my pile of  papers). Knowing the cause of the problem may open your eyes to an obvious  solution.

2. Do you need to do it? Simple question, but it’s a good one.  Sometimes we put something off because it’s not important. If you don’t really  need to do it, free yourself of the mental burden and drop the task from your  to-do list.

3. Ask for help. I have an ancient window mechanism that  takes the effort of a drawbridge operator to open. Last month, unsurprisingly,  it broke. Someone had to fix it, but I was hoping that someone wasn’t me. So I  put it off.

After weeks of gazing at the window without actually doing  anything, I asked a friend to help. It wasn’t only because I have the mechanical  skills of an uncoordinated squid; I knew it would get me moving.

4.  Commit just five minutes. That’s it–just 300 seconds. Telling yourself you only  have to do something for a sliver of time does two things.

It transforms  a big job into a tiny matter: Five minutes? I can do that. And because getting  started is the hardest part, once your five minutes is up you’ll often drive  right on through to the finish.

5. Focus on the end. Thinking about how  you’ll feel when you’ve done whatever needs to be done may motivate you to make  it happen.

I don’t much like to organize, but I love to be organized.  This is what I focus on–the feeling of having everything in its place, clean  and tidy–when I need to declutter a space. Although my pile of papers proves  that I have some work to do.

6. Just do it. Quit stalling. Quit  rationalizing. Stand up, walk to the danger zone, and get to work.

Just Released! The Procrastination Report will teach you simple tips and tricks to stop putting things off and start making things happen.

You can get it free for a short time here: http://www.motivation123.com/procrastination-report.html

Do you procrastinate? Put things off to tomorrow that you could do today?

You’re not alone.

One study found that 95% of people occasionally procrastinate. You’re in good company.

So why do we do it?

Though many theories are out there, here are four common reasons we put stuff off.

1. We think it’s difficult: When the task seems hard to do, we naturally avoid it in favor of something easy. This explains why so many tax payers wait until April 14 to get down to business.

2. We think it’s time consuming: With our time always in short supply, something that seems ready to gobble large blocks of time is going to be set aside. “We’ll have more time on the weekend,” we say, “so we’ll tackle it then.”

3. We think we don’t know enough: Few people like to make mistakes, so instead of taking real action we turn to study and research. We keep learning more (from the safety of home) until we feel safe to start. Then, when we feel ready…we learn some more.

4. We think people will judge us: Engineers don’t get engineer’s block; accountants don’t get accountant’s block. But writers? Oh, they get blocked. And one possible reason is the fear of getting criticized. Because they worry so much about what people will think, they put off the writing, or, worse, work themselves into a lather that we call writer’s block.

The solution to these problems? As simple as it sounds, just tell yourself the opposite. (I told you it would sound simple.)

We talk to ourselves–a lot. Often it’s everyday chatter about what we’re going to do or what you would have said to that nasty Target cashier if given a second chance. But we also talk ourselves into procrastination.

When a task or chore or goal pops into our heads, we often run through one or more of the common traps above. We convince ourselves, even before starting, that it’s going to be hard, or time consuming, or mistake prone, or judged.

That’s why a new conversation–a controlled conversation–is so helpful. You can stop the problem before it has a chance to kick in.

The next time you have to do something, consciously tell yourself:

1. It’s not so hard.

2. It won’t take that long.

3. I’m sure I can do it, or at least learn as I go.

4. No one really cares about what I’m doing; they’re worried about their own problems.

One more tip.

A study in the December 2008 edition of Psychological Science found that people are more likely to put things off when they focus on WHY they should do it as opposed to HOW it should be done.

When tax time rolls around–or anything else you habitually put off–think about concrete ways to get it done. Don’t worry about the why.

So what do you put off? How do you beat procrastination? Let us know in the comments below!

Seth Godin–former VP Direct Marketing for Yahoo!, creator of Squidoo.com, writer of the most popular business blog in the world, author of ten best-selling books, and one of the most popular speakers around the globe–”sat” down with me for an interview (via e-mail) about his latest book, Linchpin.

JG: I’d like to begin by thanking you on behalf of myself and my subscribers. We appreciate your time and willingness to share your thoughts. You’ve said that Linchpin is the most important book you’ve written, your life’s mission. What is that mission? Why did you write it?

Seth: There’s a massive change going on in our world, a revolution. It’s the death of the industrial era, and a lot of people, innocent people, are getting hit hard by the changes that are happening.

I think there’s a huge opportunity here, a chance to make a difference and to find one’s calling, and I felt as though my readers could take advantage of it… if they could only see how the rules have changed.

JG: An idea that many can relate with–especially those looking for motivation–is the concept of the lizard brain. Can you describe that for us?

Seth: The lizard brain is an actual part of our brains, a pre-historic vestige responsible for fear and anger and revenge and reproduction. The lizard brain wants you to fit in, not stand out, to play it safe and to not be laughed at.

It’s pretty clear that back in the day, this was a good survival strategy. It isn’t any longer.

JG: Fear is the number one obstacle to change. It keeps our goals and dreams at bay and works hard to maintain the status quo. Though every approach to overcoming fear is unique, how do you personally quiet the lizard?

Seth: That’s a lizardy question, because whatever I do won’t work for you, thus giving the lizard an edge! I think the general idea is to either defeat it through force of will, create systems that fade the volume or just sit with it and let it freak itself out because you refuse to join in.

JG: Many people are stuck in a routine that saps the life out them. They want to be passionate about something, but aren’t sure what that something is. What do you say to those waiting to find their “thing” before acting and shipping? (Shipping, in Seth’s terms, is about making things happen. Ship your ideas, get them out the door.)

Seth: There isn’t one thing. If we had taken Catcher in the Rye away from Salinger, he would have written something else. If Steve Jobs hadn’t done the Mac, he would have done something else. Ship, relentlessly.

JG: There seems to be a powerful thread connecting your recent work. What is the driving force behind that work, the purpose you hope to achieve?

Seth: I think we are living in a revolution, one fraught with risk or filled with opportunity. Will we use it create a better world, treat people with respect, race to the top and do work we’re proud of? Or will we rationalize a race to the bottom?

JG: You can tell so much from a man or woman by their greatest dream and greatest fear. So, what is your greatest dream? What is your greatest fear?

Seth: They’re the same. To use this moment to leverage these ideas in a way that somehow is worthy of the chance I have.

JG: You’ve certainly done that, Seth. Without doubt. I want to thank you again for taking the time to talk with us and bring us all one step closer to becoming linchpins. I know I speak for everyone reading when I say we can’t wait to have you back.

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This was the first of several interviews with Seth. I’ll let you know when the next is scheduled and posted. Until then, please check out his site, his blog, and Linchpin. Visit: http://sethgodin.com/

More than anything else, fear keeps us stuck in the routine. Fear makes sure you do what you did, every day. So the only way to change, the only way to do something new, is to beat fear. How do we do it? Seth Godin has an idea.