motivation
No More Procrastination
Do you also procrastinate? Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished by a certain deadline. Or do you sometimes intentionally delay the completion of a task, despite knowing it might have negative consequences? Ninety five percent of people procrastinate at some point in life.
To break the habit of procrastination we must find some self-compassion when a task at hand causes us stress just thinking about tackling it. Some tasks just seem too big or overwhelming, and we can’t seem to motivate ourselves to get it done.
Procrastination makes most people feel guilt and shame. For some extreme procrastinators, negative feelings may trigger another reason not to complete a task. Only to become a vicious cycle of self-defeat. Most procrastinators tend to put off endings, as well as beginnings and commitments.
I have a close friend that has all kinds of ideas for a book she is writing. While collecting material, she put of starting the actual writing for three years. She felt she needed several points of view about the subject matter. She always needed one more.
Now, 13 years later, she can’t seem to stop writing the same book. The idea of being an author just feels so good to her now. The added benefit of this is that whenever she is asked what she has been up to, she loves to say, “I’m writing a book.”.
To Fester, Or Forgive
Recently, a peer did a short talk on forgiveness, as part of a healing service. Besides her being courageous, sharing aspects of her personal challenges with parents and peers, she also offered a reminder of how instrumental forgiving ourselves is in our healing journey.
The reptilian, primitive part of the brain has a default state of always monitoring its environment. The hunter-gatherer ancestral days had us on constant alert. Anxious. Awaiting possible threat by the saber-tooth tiger. But our modern brain has evolved such, that when we are not active in a task, the brain occupies itself with dwelling on the past.
The idle brain tends to ponder past events and unpleasant thoughts, that in the default state, fill us with anxiety. Pain. Guilt. Self-blame. Shame. Anger. Disappointment.
The typical memories and thoughts, that can consume us in this default state, vary. Some are large and life-changing, such as the loss of a loved one or favorite pet, financial loss, divorce, adultery, retrenchment, and physical or emotional abuse. Others are more behavioral or emotional, but can be just as debilitating.
When our life is ‘heading south’ and we cannot seem to turn things around, we tend to replay the situation. This can lead to becoming more depressed, and having more reason to doubt ourselves. A vicious cycle can result. We spin and spin…like laundry in the dryer, being tumbled. If we remain in that dryer, resentment sets in.
You Don’t Need A New Year For A Fresh Start!
Ever since my early childhood, I have always adored, and still do love the New Year. It is a thrilling time, after all, of fresh starts, new goals and exciting plans. But as the years rolled by, and I came into my mature years, I have also learned that whilst enjoying the New Year, we can actually have a fresh start at any time!
There is need to wait for a particular moment in time to exact any change in our lives. It is true to say that for a lot of us, as the old year comes to an end, it can be somewhat tempting to procrastinate by offsetting any new goals until the next New Year, when in fact they could have been implemented sooner. Furthermore, the sooner we start to implement positive change, the sooner we begin to feel the benefits.
The following guidelines may help you to make a fresh start whenever you choose.
Have A Vision
If you enjoy making resolutions on New Year’s Eve, then, by all means, go ahead. However, you would be wise to strengthen your commitment to your long-term goals, which align with your actual core values. By doing so, you should have an awful lot more to gain than one successful resolution could ever bring you.
After all, it is how we evolve in the long run that really matters. In simple terms, by putting your words into action, preferably by using the guidelines outlined above, you should be much more successful in achieving your goals, whatever time of year it may be.
Choosing A Spiritual Path With Heart
There are many blind choices we make when we are too young or inexperienced to make the best decisions for ourselves. We are born into a family, or raised in a culture, for example, with its unique traditions and beliefs, or lack thereof, and we are usually quite susceptible in our youth to these influences.
In the process of becoming an adult, the questioning of such beliefs and traditions leads us towards who we will become, to discovering what truly resonates with us, and what does not. But this is something we may have taken lightly in our youth, and therefore needs to be looked over several times in our life to find out with real sincerity what is truly calling us.
It is possible that being born in a traditional Christian home, for example, we felt constrained and limited, even small and powerless, ultimately causing us to reject all dogmatic religion. For someone else, brought up maybe in an atheist home, the search for God or faith may bring a profound sense of empowerment and life purpose that nurtures their life. It all depends on us as individuals, and how we process our own reality.
Carlos Castaneda writes in The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, “Before you embark on any path ask the question: does this path have a heart? If the answer is no, you will know it, and then you must choose another path. The trouble is nobody asks the question; and when a man finally realizes that he has taken a path without a heart, the path is ready to kill him.”
The Power Of Your Imagination
Great feats have been achieved throughout history, because someone imagined the impossible could be possible. Our imagination is the best motivation tool we have. Only when we create the image of our best life in our mind, can we truly start to believe that it is possible to reach our goals.
You can achieve so much more in life by using your imagination. Imagination is key to achieving the goals you desire. If you cannot imagine yourself being, having, or doing the things you want in life, it will be difficult to stick to whatever it takes to reach your goals.
Einstein said that imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination is limitless and embraces everything… all there ever will be to know and understand. When you use your imagination, you get to write your story any way you want it to be.
As a hypnotherapist, I have my weight loss clients imagine how they will look and feel in the next six months to a year, once they reach their goal weight. It is a powerful technique to make their goals more tangible.
Abundance – A Message From My Guides
Nature thrives with abundance. Notice the number of pine cones, acorns or maple keys that just one tree yields. Turtles and fish produce dozens of eggs to ensure survival. There are millions and millions of examples of abundance in nature.
Abundance is your natural state as well. Even in times of hardship, it is important to understand that there is enough for all. One need not do without in order for someone else to have their basic needs met. In addition, when you thrive, you are not preventing anyone else from achieving their highest goals.
It is incumbent upon each of you to create the world in which you wish to live. Some people are born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths and manage to waste everything they have been given. Some people are born into poverty, yet grow to inspire millions and effect change in the world. Regardless of your position on Earth, you can create an environment of abundance.
First, it is important for you to determine what abundance means to you. Is it wealth, health, family, friendships, a committed partnership or perhaps a combination of these and more? Once you have determined what you are dreaming about, it is important to solidify your thoughts by putting them into goals.
Visualize your desired outcome in each of the categories you have identified. Show up to help make things happen by taking small steps to get started. Make a phone call. Do some research. Join a group. Take a class. Help a neighbor. Comfort a friend. Persevere and you will see your environment start to change and improve.
Inspiration – A Message From My Guides
In times of division and mistrust, it is often easy to see the negative side of any given issue. Rather than letting everything pile up around you and affect your own positive mood, though, it is more helpful to try and find a little sunshine as you go about your day-to-day business.
Whenever possible, search for inspiration in even the simplest of things. If you can put your negative thoughts to one side and look elsewhere for inspiration, it can make it much easier to see the positive side of life.
Look for some good in people, even if they do not share your views. Focus on interesting and creative news stories of the day and look for inspiration in the most unexpected or mundane places.
Find joy in little everyday things and don’t take anything for granted. Imagine the myriad of components that had to fall into place in order for you to be where you are in this time and place. Be grateful for the lessons you have learned and your ability to mentor others by example.
The more you search for things that inspire and make you smile, the more examples you will find and the easier it will be to recognize that your world has many points of inspiration.