Posts Tagged ‘change’

Motivation Can Be Fun or Not!!!

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

What motivates you really? When was the last time you were motivated – truly motivated?  When you think back to the time when you were really motivated what was your thought just before you were motivated? Now that you are able to look back at this time when you were able to feel totally motivated notice what this motivation was as if it was happening right now again and again. Are you able to recreate that event, time, and motivation and now that you are thinking about that motivation is it a good feeling that you would want to experience over and over again?

Sometimes our motivation is something that we look forward to. There are also times where our motivation comes from a point in our life where we are willing to do anything and change anything to stop something from happening as well. Both motivations are helpful but the experience is so different that  even the act of being motivating can be a challenge. The difference is the focus and the direction of the motivation itself.

Have you ever met someone that seems to live their life in a constant marry-go-round? They start to do well and then they seem to go right back where they were and then start the whole trip over and over again?  One type of motivation strategy that we can and do develop is a strategy to get away from something that is bothering or harming us. This happens when whatever it is that is focused on causing us so much discomfort that we will do anything to get away from it. While we are experiencing the feeling of the motivating factor we start to change. We will do anything to rid ourselves of this feeling or issue and as long as that issue or feeling is there we continue moving.

An away from motivator can be very productive. The challenge that some people can have is that once that feeling or issue has been removed our motivation itself has also been removed. So to stay motivated we must bring that thorn or feeling with us on the journey. You will be able to spot away from motivation in yourself and others quickly by the language that is used.  If a negative is used like NOT or WON’T then in 99.99% of the time the motivation is to prevent or stop something from happening. You can only go so far with an away from motivator without losing your motivation.

The opposite is to look forward to the benefits of where you want to go. To motivate yourself toward a goal or benefit. The more you can experience the  rewards and benefits the more you look forward to the trip. My personal favorite for motivation is a toward or forward motivation because the closer I get to the goal the more motivated I become and it keeps changing and getting better and better building self confidence and success.

There can be a challenge with a motivation strategy that is toward something as well. Remember that we are basing our forward motivation on benefits that we want to experience. This means that we do not already have them all. If we are really good at creating the benefits as if we have them already then we will not experience the motivation enough to actually start moving to get them. Remember that there is always a fine line with motivation and the secret is to really understand your motivation so you can tap into that source anytime you want to change .

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

Get your free Lifestyle Assessment: http://www.docmagi.com/hypnosis/?page_id=19

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Life is About Choices and the Decisions We Make

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Life is like a road. There are long and short roads; smooth and rocky roads; crooked and straight roads that connect to paths and trails . We will experience many roads as we journey through life. There are roads that lead to a life of single blessedness, marriage, and religious vocation. There are also roads that lead to fame and fortune on one hand, or isolation and poverty on the other. There are roads to happiness as there are roads to sadness, roads towards victory and jubilation, and roads leading to defeat and disappointment.

Just like any road, there are corners, detours, and crossroads in life. Perhaps the most perplexing road that you would encounter is a crossroad. With four roads to choose from and with limited knowledge on where they would go, which road will you take? What is the guarantee that we would choose the right one along the way? Would you take any road, or just stay where you are: in front of a crossroad?

There are no guarantees.

You do not really know where a road will lead you until you take it. There are no guarantees. This is one of the most important things you need to realize about life. Nobody said that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it would be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness. Accepting a good word from an influential superior to cut your trip short up the career ladder is not always bad, especially if you are highly qualified and competent.  There are too many possible outcomes, which you really cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you would act and react to different situations.

Wrong decisions are always at hindsight.

Had you known that you were making a wrong decision, would you have gone along with it? Perhaps not, why would you choose a certain path when you know it would get you lost? Why make a certain decision if you knew from the very beginning that it is not the right one. It is only after you have made a decision and reflected on it that you realize its soundness. If the consequences or outcomes are good for you, then you have decided correctly. Otherwise, your decision was wrong.

Take the risk: decide.

Since life offers no guarantee and you would never know that your decision would be wrong until you have made it, then you might as well take the risk and decide. It is definitely better than keeping yourself in limbo. Although it is true that one wrong turn could get you lost, it could also be that such a turn could be an opportunity for an adventure, moreover open more roads. It is all a matter of perspective. You have the choice between being a lost traveller or an accidental tourist of life.  But take caution that you do not make decisions haphazardly. Taking risks is not about being careless and stupid. Here are some pointers that could help you choose the best option in the face of life’s crossroads:
·    Get as many information as you can about your situation.

You cannot find the confidence to decide when you know so little about what you are faced with. Just like any news reporter, ask the 5 W’s: what, who, when, where, and why. What is the situation? Who are the people involved? When did this happen? Where is this leading? Why are you in this situation? These are just some of the possible questions to ask to know more about your situation. This is important. Oftentimes, the reason for indecision is the lack of information about a situation.

·   Identify and create options.

What options do the situation give you? Sometimes the options are few, but sometimes they are numerous. But what do you do when you think that the situation offers no options? This is the time that you create your own. Make your creative mind work. From the most simplistic to the most complicated, entertain all ideas. Do not shoot anything down when an idea comes to your head. Sometimes the most outrageous idea could prove to be the right one in the end. You can ask a friend to help you identify options and even make more options if you encounter some difficulty, but make sure that you make the decision yourself in the end.

·    Weigh the pros and cons of every option.

Assess each option by looking at the advantages and disadvantages it offers you. In this way, you get more insights about the consequences of such an option. Many people understand pros and cons but they do not take the time to completely understand them.  I like to use a simple format when looking at pros and cons:

1) What will happen if I take this road ?    2) What will happen if I do not take this road?
3) What will not happen if I take this road?  4) What will not happen if I do not take this road?

If you ask yourself these 4 questions when making a decision you will better understand the decision and outcome.

·    Trust yourself and make that decision.

Now that you have assessed all your options, it is now time to trust yourself. Remember that there are no guarantees and wrong decisions always lead to right ones later.  So choose… decide… believe that you are choosing the best option at this point in time.

Now that you have made a decision, be ready to face its consequences: good and bad. It may take you to a place of promise or to a land of problems and growth. The important thing is that you have chosen to live your life instead of remaining a bystander or a passive audience to your own journey. Whether it is the right decision or not, you will grow and learn from it. Embrace whatever the outcome. Learn from it and remember that you always have the chance to make better decisions in the future from the decisions you are making today.

Mystically your,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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Unlock your Self Improvement Power Today!

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

When we look at a certain object, a painting for example – we won’t be able to appreciate what’s in it, what is painted and what else goes with it  if the painting is just an inch away from our face. But if we try to take a look at it a little further away, we’ll have a clearer vision of the whole art work.

We reach a point in our life when we are ready for change and and the ability to embrace a whole bunch of information that will help us unlock our self improvement power. Until then, something can be staring at us right under our nose but we don’t see it.  The only time we think of unlocking our self improvement power is when everything has gotten worse. Take the frog principle for example –

Try placing Frog A in a pot of boiling water. What happens? He twerps! He jumps off! Why? Because he is not able to tolerate the sudden change in his environment – the water’s temperature.

Then try Frog B: place him in a luke warm water, then turn the gas stove on. Wait til the water reaches a certain boiling point. Frog B then thinks “Ooh… it’s a bit warm in here”.

People are like Frog B in general. Today, Anna thinks Carl hates her. Tomorrow, Patrick walks up to her and tells her he hates her. Anna stays the same and doesn’t mind what her friends says. The next day, she learned that Kim and John also abhors her. Anna doesn’t realize at once the importance and the need for self improvement until the entire community hates her.

We learn our lessons when we experience pain. We finally see the warning signs and signals when things get rough and tough.

When do we realize that we need to change diets? When none of our jeans and shirts would fit us.

When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth has fallen off.

When do we realize that we need to stop smoking? When our lungs have gone bad.

When do we pray and ask for help? When we realize that we’re gonna die tomorrow.

The only time most of us ever learn about unlocking our self improvement power is when the whole world is crashing and falling apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. But change becomes more painful when we ignore it.

Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to experience different turning points in our life – and we are all going to eventually unlock our self improvement power not because the world says so, not because our friends are nagging us, but because we realized its for our own good.

Happy people don’t just accept change, they embrace it. Now, you don’t have to feel a tremendous heat before realizing the need for self improvement.  Unlocking your self improvement power means unlocking yourself the cage of thought that is “its just the way I am”. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear and resist change. Most of us program our minds like computers.

Jenny repeatedly tells everyone that she doesn’t have the guts to be around groups of people. She heard her mom, her dad, her sister, her teacher tell the same things about her to other people. Over the years, that is what Jen believes. She believes its her story. And what happens? Every time a great crowd would develop over their house, in school, and in the community – she tends to step back, shy away and lock herself up in a room. Jenny didn’t only believe in her story, she lived it.

Jenny has to realize that she is not what she is in her story. Instead of having her story continually pushed in her face for everyone to remember, she has to have the spirit and show people “I am an important person and I should be treated accordingly!”

Self improvement may not be everybody’s favorite word, but if we look at things with a different point of view, we might have greater chances of enjoying the whole process instead of counting the days until we change. Three sessions in a week at the gym would result to a healthier life, reading books instead of looking at movies will shape up a more profound knowledge, going out with friends and peers will help you take a step back from work and unwind.  And just when you are enjoying the whole process of unlocking your self improvement power, you’ll realize that you’re beginning to take things light and become happy.  After a while you won’t even be able to remember what it was like to be the way you were before no matter how hard you try.

Mystically yours,

Michael Holt, Ph.D.
Magi Institute of Natural Medicine

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