Tag Archives: motivation

New Year’s Resolutions That Work!

New Year’s Resolutions are mostly miserable failures! Every year we resolve that we will achieve impossible things, and every year we fail. Think back over the last year, and see if something like this happened:

January 1^st: I’m really fired up! This year I’ll blow the doors off all those New Year’s Resolutions!

January 31^st: Well, I didn’t meet all of them, but really did well on those I did meet. Next month I’ll catch up.

February 28^th: This was a short month – no wonder I fell short of my expectations. March will be better.

March 31^st: I thought it would be easy, but the weather didn’t cooperate and I’ve had a lot of extra things to do this year, it seems.

April 30^th: Maybe I was too ambitious. I’ll focus on just a few New Year’s resolutions.

July 1^st: Half the year gone. Perhaps I should revise my goals for this year downwards.

September 1^st: I don’t think I made any New Year’s resolutions this year, did I?

Sound familiar?

So what goes wrong that every year we fall so far short of where we intend to be? Is it our fault or is are we doing it wrong? Is there a better way?

Let’s take a look at the process we go through and see if it can be improved. As an example, imagine that during or after the holidays you take a look at the effects of all that food and drink and decide you are fatter that you would choose to be. So, like many others, you decide to lose weight next year.

I'm Fat – But I Can Diet

Having learned how to set goals and how to word them, you declare a goal for your New Year’s Resolutions that might read something like:

“On or before December 31^st., I have reduced my weight by x lbs or more.

Where Are You Going?

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I have missed a few days running lately, for various reasons, but went for a pleasant, easy run this morning. As I was running, I found myself reflecting on a fascinating video I watched the other evening. In this video, Frank Kern was talking to a group of network marketers about Core Influence.

Now I had never heard of this concept before, so it was all new to me, but when I listened to what he had to say I found that it struck a number of chords for me. What he is looking at is why we do what we do.

Why do I run? Why do I have a home business? What is my real motivation and where do I want to go?

The point is that unless you can answer these questions for yourself, you are doomed to failure. Here is a man who had all the trappings of success – he had the Ferrari, the mansion, the private jet! And his life was empty: the more he had the more miserable he became.

This is a two hour video, so it is really not practical to give you more than a flavor of it in this article, but I believe that if you watch it, and do the exercise he recommends, you will find your Core Identity and your life will improve. We hear so often these days “This will change your life

Maintaining Motivation

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This article is taken from a newsletter that I send to members of my running site at http://halftrainingschedule.com. The article is intended for runners, but the principles apply equally to running a home based business. Network marketers, in particular, will find the concepts valuable!

I just found a great article by Barbara J. Walker, Ph. D. in Club Running on Maintaining Motivation. She points out that we all know the importance of setting goals, but few of us know how to set them effectively. The goal-setting process, she says, comprises seven steps:

1. Define What You Want to Accomplish This Year

Set a performance goal for yourself based on what you accomplished last year. Think big, but realistically, and set a performance-oriented goal. In other words, set the goal for your own performance (such as PR) rather for an outcome (such as first place) over which you have no real control. In network marketing, set a goal for a number of contacts or follow-ups made rather than a number of team members added.

2. Know Where You Are Right Now

Check your own records and get feedback from others on your current performance.

3, Be Honest About What You Need to Develop

This is a tough one, but it will pay off later. Recognize where the gaps are in your training and performance so that you can set goals to overcome them.

4. Set Sub-Goals

Break down your season goals into specific concentrated areas, like physical, nutrition and mental skills. In network marketing the areas might be new contacts, presentations, follow-ups and specific training and personal development activities.

5. Create Performance Objectives for Each Sub-Goal Category

This is the most challenging part and is where most people fall short. It is the area that will help most in making daily gains and maintaining motivation. Make the performance objectives as specific and personal as possible. For example, if you would like to get in five to seven servings of vegetables a day, rather than write “Eat more vegetables” you would write “Eat 5-7 servings daily.”

6. Commit Yourself Completely

Be sure that the goals you have set are what you really want to accomplish and are capable of accomplishing over a period of time, otherwise you are setting yourself up for failure before you start! Committing to them means writing them down and sharing them with a trusted friend. Post them where you will see them and create a daily or weekly check-off list.

7. Continually Monitor Your Progress

Be flexible, and change the plan if it’s not working for you. Sometimes you will need to adjust for illness, injuries or making quicker or slower progress than expected. Don’t obsess over temporary setbacks – just adjust your schedule accordingly, but above all don’t give up!

I found this an excellent summary of how to maintain motivation, except that I would add one further tip:

8. Celebrate Your Successes!

Take time out to pat yourself on the back when you achieve your goals. You earned it! And above all, enjoy the process, not just the results.

Near the end of a Half Marathon

Alan's Networking Blog

Computing, Wealth Creation, and Personal Development