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Maintaining Motivation

By Happiness & Joy, Health, Life, Thinking2 Comments

If you are like me you have set your Goals for 2009 (although you may have called them New Years Resolutions. I struggle with my motivation to keep them. One day I will have a high level of motivation and do really well and another day I will have a low level of motivation and not achieve any of them.

So here is some advice on how to maintain that motivation and keep on track with your goals or resolutions in 2009. (Simliar to the Relaxation post I did some time ago).

Family & Friends
Our family and friends have a massive influence on our life (just see People that inspire me). So when your motivation is low go to them for some support. They’ll give you plenty of positive encouragement that can give your motivation levels a real boost. Better yet if you can get them involved even better.

So for example if you are going to the gym as a new years resolution, why not encourage them to tag along? This will give you moral support everytime you go! Plus it will get you both healthier. Win, win situation.

Pro’s and Con’s
Pro’s are the benefits of you doing / not doing something. So for example the benefits for not smoking could include:

  • More money
  • Improved breathing & Overall feeling of well-being
  • Better sense of taste
  • Smell better
  • etc.

    • When motivation levels are low it can be good to list the Pro’s of doing or not doing something. Listing the Con’s also help. So using smoking as the example again, these could include:

  • Poor health – increased illnesses
  • Less money
  • Ruled by your addition
  • Smell & others reactions to it.
  • Smoking in the rain.
  • etc.

    • Hopefully you’ll have more Con’s than Pro’s but it is important that you focus on the Pro’s when your motivation levels are low. Keep the list of Pro’s and keep revisiting it to increase your motivation levels.

    Just for today…
    We tend to want the things in life we are trying to deny ourselfs. So a good motivation method I do is simply not to deny myself anything. I say: Just for today, I will eat healthier and take my break at work. It is a psychological trick I play on myself verbalised as a positive affirmation. I works really well for me.

    Recognise how far you have come.
    Many people only realise when they slip up or don’t achieve the end result. It is important if your motivation levels are low to recognise how far you have come and congratulate yourself! Well done on getting this far! Just a little further to go – you can do it

    Treat yourself
    If your having a particularly hard or difficult week in terms of your motivation levels, treat yourself. Buy yourself a gift to reward the hard work that you have done. This could be something inexpensive like a cake or something more expensive like a DVD. Go and buy it in the shops as then you have it there and then – an appreciation from yourself of the hard work. Buying online – you have to wait for delivery, and the gift to yourself doesn’t quite feel the same because of the delay. You need your reward there and then for the achievement you have succeded in completing. Repeat as necessary.

    Religious
    In this case, you have to be the judgement on how your own religion will enhance your motivation levels. For some prayers will increase their motivation. Whereas for me I would probably cast a spell for motivation.

    If you don’t do that well…
    Start again tomorrow. Noboday achieved all of their goals or new years resolutions on the first attempt. It’s important you just start again tomorrow! Don’t leave it and make excuses to yourself and delay starting again!

    Hope that’s useful my friends,

    Antony

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    Saturday 24 January 2009

    Addiction to shower gells?

    By Happiness & Joy, Life, Love & Relationships, Thinking4 Comments

    “Let me look in that cubboard?” Curious David said. Using my body as a barrier: “You won’t understand.” Lovingly David moves me out of the way. He opens up the cubboard, looks at me and says: “Your ill.”

    This is how David discovered my 20+ shower gells all lined up. He doesn’t understand! So to help explain I told him this story:

    I was once in morrisons and saw a particular brand of shower gells that I love buy-one-get-one-free. So I couldn’t leave them there for that, could I?

    (I seem to have inherited my mums attraction for bargins.)

    So I bought 10 and got 10 free. David’s response to this was: “Your very ill.”

    I am unsure were this need to have plenty shower gells in stock. Perhaps someone once made a comment about my hygiene? (Doubt it as always have been very clean.) Or did I once run out? And my OCD (obsessive, compulsive disorder) set in – giving me a need to stock up and put them in an order. The latter is probably true. So Ok, I do have an addiction to shower gells, but perhaps there is worse addictions?

    And can I just say at this point: Supermarkets you don’t help! You always have offers on them and place them on the end of the isle – so I can’t even aviod them by not going down the isle.

    So what do you think? Am I “ill” as David suggests? Do I have an addiction? Leave a comment.

    Blog about random things soon.

    Antony

    (P.S Oh and in relation to David – I will let you know what’s going on, when I do.)

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    Wednesday 21 January 2009

    Job Interview & David

    By Life, Love & Relationships, Thinking4 Comments

    Yesterday I had a job interview. The interview had taken a lot of work in the form of research and putting together a five mins long presentation.

    There were three women who were doing the interviewing. A very friendly manager, a blonde woman who seemed to be new to interviewing and finally pratitioner. The first two seemed open, but the pratitioner seemed to be closed to what I was saying with her body language.

    I gave the presentation, answered the interview questions (some of which were more about common sense than the job role) and was informed that they would let me know either that day or Friday.

    I recieved a call on arriving home. I did not get the post. Someone with more experience, that had been doing some project work in the service got the job.

    Getting the job would have ment a pay rise and a move of house – which would of been hugely positive.

    I guess it was like my recent situation (see Good & Bad News). Ofcourse she would have more experience than me, already working in the service.

    The feedback was all positive, good presentation, answered the questions well. I stated that I would be looking out for other posts with in the service and she said that she would definitately interview me again. On reflection, I would have reduced the amount of points on my presentation, due to the time allowed.

    After the call…
    I then decided to make some plans with David for the evening. My suggestion (and it was only a suggestion) was to go to the cinemas. We ended up having an arguement.

    I hate to argue because when your busy arguing you are not listening to one another. I have also in the past have been in a relationship were we had massive alcohol-fulled rows, which has created nothing but negativity. And ultimately achieved nothing. I swore after that relationship, that I would not argue again with any subsequent boy friend. So I feel gutted that we have argued again.

    Yes, this is not the first time. Over Christmas and New Year we had two arguements. I am aware that I have communication issues sometimes. I leave arrangements to the last second and don’t really reply to texts. The thing is with texts as of recent, is that they take ages for me to write (out of practice) and the reciepitant can’t tell the tone of your voice.

    I think we need some space to really look at our relationship. I am absolutely fed up with arguing. This is not the first time we have had a rocky patch (see A mad week!), and I am begining to ask myself is it worth it? The pain and the hurt are not pleasant.

    It’s at times like this I say to myself:
    Antony. It’s time to pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself down and carry on.

    So over all a rubbish start to January. But I am sure it’ll get better.

    My love to all,

    Antony

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    Saturday 17 January 2009

    The Weird Dream

    By Life, Paganism, ThinkingNo Comments

    In the last week I haven’t slept well as you may know (see The Week of Recovery if you don’t).

    But on one occasion when I did sleep during the week, I had the weirdest dream:

    First there was some sort of battle going on, with a struggle and I was trying to save someone.

    Then I suddenly appeared at the side door of a building and saw a wiseman who I recognised. I wanted to ask him how the struggle went, what happened, and if I saved the person I was trying too.

    A brown, old fashioned leather suitcase appeared in my hand. The wise man ignored me and started to walk away. I decided to follow him. He stopped and looked at this side door. By his look I assumed he wanted me to go through it. But when I looked at the door the shutter was down. Knowing that it was the side door, I decided to walk round to the front main entrance.

    The wise man, looked at the door and the shutter opened. The wise man walked through and I followed. I asked “where do I go now?” He walked towards an escalator and I followed. I realised it was a dream and woke (or at least I thought).

    I was in my room with stuff all over the floor (which is typical of my room, I am not the domestic goddess I would like to be). I felt very restricted with what I was wearing. I stood up out of my bed and unzipped and took off the tightest body-warmer ever. Underneath it was another one so I did the same with other body-warmer. I felt restricted wearing them and very warm.

    I decided I needed some water. I went over to my desk and picked up a glass hexagon in shape with water in and took a sip. I went to put the glass down but it would not stand with out spilling the water.

    Next to my desk I saw a bucket about half filled with water. I poured the water out of the glass in to the bucket on the floor. Then the bucket started to leak all over the floor. I remember feeling panicked about the water all over the floor.

    I then realised I was in another dream and woke myself up.

    Weird, eh? If any of you are good at dream interpretation please leave a comment with some interpretational stuff.

    Thanks & Good Night,

    Antony

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    Saturday 10 January 2009
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