You were born with potential. You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideas and dreams. You were born with greatness. You were born with wings. You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings - Learn to use them and fly! - Rumi

Yesterday I wrote a little bit about problem solving and the struggles that certain people have with changing their thought processes in order to overcome certain challenges. After some of the feedback that I got from that article, I thought I would share a little bit of my own life experience when it comes to learning to habitually self-motivate.

If you would like to catch up on yesterday’s post “Shift your Focus – Solve your Problems”, you can do so here: https://steemit.com/life/@jaynie/shift-your-focus-solve-your-problems

The Matter of Self-Motivation

If you do a standard Google search on the word motivation there are essentially two results.

• A reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.
• A desire or willingness to do something; enthusiasm.

I want to focus on the latter… but first…

My belief is that before you can even begin motivating yourself in order to achieve goals or change things in your life you need to ensure that you are beginning your journey in the right direction. You are not very easily going to reach your destination if you are constantly running against the traffic.

I am referring to GRATTITUDE! - To my mind and experience, the journey to being consistently self-motivating and thus achieving outstanding things in your life absolutely begins with being grateful for what is currently present in your ‘world”.

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I always understood what the word “gratitude” meant – it isn’t complicated in terms of definition… but implementing it in your daily life when you are essentially unhappy with your current circumstances is an entirely different challenge altogether.

Perhaps you would like to buy a new car, but you are frustrated with the one you currently have because it continuously costs you money for repairs. Letting go of your frustration towards your existing vehicle and replacing it with gratitude doesn’t seem very easy, does it?

What if you are in a relationship that is making you incredibly unhappy but you feel trapped because of finances, commitments etc. Replacing your unhappiness and/or sadness towards the situation with gratitude also seems challenging doesn’t it?

Well, perhaps it will be – initially. But once you become actively aware of your negative thought processes towards things and the fact that they are literally the thumb that keeps you pressed in the same spot, you will start to make the effort to change them… and the more you do that – the easier and more naturally it will come to you.

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I have traveled a very turbulent and traumatic road in getting to truly understand the power of this, and I continue to learn every single day… but I can assure you… it hasn’t gotten any harder ;)

If you would like a little background into my story and how I learnt to embrace “the bad” and ultimately see it as “the good” – you can read my post on “How Gratitude saved my life” - https://steemit.com/life/@jaynie/gratitude-saved-my-life

So how do you replace negative emotions with feelings of gratitude?

You remove yourself from the situation and look for the silver lining. No matter how terrible or frustrating your circumstance, there is absolutely and unquestionably ALWAYS something within it that can afford you a positive perspective.

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In the examples I gave above:

As the person wanting a new car, you could remind yourself that there are many people who have NEVER been able to afford a vehicle of any sort and if somebody had to give them yours today, they would be enormously grateful – to them, it would be the equivalent of a Ferrari! You could remind yourself that despite the fact that you are working towards getting a new car, you are very fortunate to still be able to drive from A to B.

As the person stuck in an unhappy relationship, you could remind yourself of the qualities in your partner that you DO still appreciate… (Even if it is only one) - And that at some point in your life, you saw a lot of positive things in that person.

This principle is also applicable when it comes to self-doubt and negative self-talk. As awkward as it might feel initially, become conscious of it - stop it, and make the decision to say something positive to yourself. List your good qualities, your strengths and so on… and yes – pen and paper are always best for this. Do this EVERY day! – Whether you believe what you are telling yourself or not!

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Referring back to what I said in the beginning about moving against the traffic – you cannot expect to change things in your life, turning them around in a positive direction if you are constantly feeding yourself negative information.

”When doubt is banished, abundance flourishes - and anything is possible. We all tend to use our thoughts to create the world we choose. If you doubt your ability to create the life you intend, then you are refusing the power of intention.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

So, that’s step one. Practice it – in EVERY situation.

No matter what it is! Irritating customers, road rage, deadlines, kids, you name it! Stop your internal “whining” and look for the silver lining. It is ALWAYS there! No exceptions!

Once you start to master that art and it becomes second nature to you to find the good in negative situations, you will ALREADY be feeling more self-motivated!

You will also begin to notice that when you approach negative situations with a more positive and “enlightened” attitude, the people and the situations themselves will start to respond more positively too.

“What you are feeling is a function of how you’re thinking, what you’re contemplating, and how your inner speech is being formulated.” – Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Motivating Yourself

To me, motivation stems from a deep, driving desire, a vigorous determination to achieve or change something. Without that “drive” behind it, it is not only unlikely that you will achieve it but what would the point be anyway? – If you don’t feel passionate about it (whether negatively or positively driven), then you cannot really want / need it that badly?! - Not in my opinion anyway!

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Assuming that whatever it is, you do, in fact have that passionate driving force behind it – the best tool I have EVER learnt for successfully motivating myself consistently is this:

Think from the end.

People generally do the exact opposite. There is something at the top of the mountain that they want but when they start thinking about the journey to attaining it, they become deflated and despondent because of the difficult climb and the obstacles along the way.

Stop doing that!

Start seeing yourself on the top of the mountain - having completed the journey successfully and being rewarded with the prizes for which the journey began in the first place.

Do that!

Again and again and again – Every day and as many time throughout the day as you can make the time for! See it in your mind. Feel the elation, the relief, the pleasure – EXPERIENCE it FULLY on an emotional level!

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The other very useful practice that has helped me and continues to do so is this:

Written Affirmations and Vision Boards

Writing things down or creating collages etc. have an enormous amount of power on their own and are wonderful tools to assist in raising your energetic vibrations to a higher (and more positive) level. Besides which – the mind, will believe absolutely ANYTHING it is told often enough… and by constantly and repeatedly writing down your intentions (from the end) you are affirming those things to yourself.

A GOOD example: “I am very happy with my life”

A NOT SO GOOD EXAMPLE: “One day I will be very happy with my life”

One is a reality and the other has not been attained – so ALWAYS write it down from the “finish line” perspective.

Image Credit: http://mydreamsmatter.com

Another thing which I practice on a regular basis… as my readers will know well, hehe – is I literally DRENCH my mind, days, time and space with motivational, uplifting and inspiring quotes. ESPECIALLY when I am feeling low – because that is when I need it most!

I find Pinterest really great for this, because it is purely visual, which is “easy going” on a state of mind that is feeling depleted.

There are SO many methods to develop self-motivation and I will definitely write about more of them as we go along our @steemit journey together, but information overload is also not a good way to start out with something “new” so I think that what I have presented as options to start with is ample for the moment.

Get to grips with these fundamentals first and then we can cross the next bridge – together! Because let it be said, through sharing with all of you I am learning too.

I am no “expert” in this field and like I have said in many of my other posts on similar topics… I am merely sharing with you, the things I have learnt and the tools that I have gathered along the way which have helped me and continue to do so in my journey!

If this post reaches only one person in terms of “change”, then I will be happy because that is my objective here.

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Until next time…

Much love from Cape Town, South Africa xxx

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