How to Achieve Your Goals with Healthy Habits
Written by Leo Babauta
We’ve all faced the disappointment and guilt that comes from setting a goal and giving up on it after a couple of weeks. Sustaining motivation for a long-term goal is hard to achieve, and yet the best goals can usually only be accomplished in a few months or even years.
Here’s the solution: Focus instead on creating a new habit that will lead to achieving your goal.
Want to run a marathon? First create the habit of running every day. Want to get out of debt and start saving? Create the habit of brown bagging it to work, or watching DVDs instead of going to the movies, or whatever change will lead to saving money for you.
By focusing not on what you have to achieve over the course of the next year, but instead on what you are doing each day, you are focusing on something achievable. That little daily change will add up to a huge change, over time … and you’ll be surprised at how far you’ve come in no time. Little grains of sand can add up to a mountain over time.
I used this philosophy of habit changes to run a marathon, to change my diet and lose weight, to write a novel, to quit smoking, to become organized and productive, to double my income, reduce my debt and start saving, and to begin training for an Olympic triathlon this year. It works, if you focus on changing habits.
Now, changing your habits isn’t easy — I won’t lie to you — but it’s achievable, especially if you start small. Don’t try to change the world with your first habit change … take baby steps at first. I started by just trying to run a mile — and by the end of the year, I could run more than 20 miles.
How do you change your habits? Focus on one habit at a time, and follow these steps:
Positive changes. If you’re trying to change a negative habit (quit smoking), replace it with a positive habit (running for stress relief, for example).
Take on a 30-day challenge. Tell yourself that you’re going to do this habit every day, at the same time every day, for 30 straight days without fail. Once you’re past that 30-day mark, the habit will become much easier. If you fail, do not beat yourself up. Start again on a new 30-day challenge. Practice until you succeed.
Commit yourself completely. Don’t just tell yourself that you might or should do this. Tell the world that DEFINITELY will do this. Put yourself into this 100 percent. Tell everyone you know. Email them. Put it on your blog. Post it up at your home and work place. This positive public pressure will help motivate you.
Set up rewards. It’s best to reward yourself often the first week, and then reward yourself every week for that first month. Make sure these are good rewards, that will help motivate you to stay on track.
Plan to beat your urges. It’s best to start out by monitoring your urges, so you become more aware of them. Track them for a couple days, putting a tally mark in a small notebook every time you get an urge. Write out a plan, before you get the urges, with strategies to beat them. We all have urges to quit — how will you overcome it? What helps me most are deep breathing and drinking water. You can get through an urge — it will pass.
Track and report your progress. Keep a log or journal or chart so that you can see your progress over time. I used a running log for my marathon training, and a quit meter when I quit smoking. It’s very motivating to see how far you’ve come. Also, if you can join an online group and report your progress each day, or email family and friends on your progress, that will help motivate you.
Most important of all: Always stay positive. I learned the habit of monitoring my thoughts, and if I saw any negative thoughts (“I want to stop!”) I would squash it like a little bug, and replace it with a positive thought (“I can do this!”). It works amazingly. This is the best tip ever. If you think negative thoughts, you will definitely fail. But if you always think positive, you will definitely succeed.
Make Moves
Make Money
Make Progress
#mmmp
Thursday, April 28, 2011
#MMMP A great article to remind us of something we should already know
Building Healthy Relationships
Written by Tejvan Pettinger - 62
1. Speak a little less, listen a little more
Most people get tremendous pleasure from speaking about themselves. But, here we have to be careful; if we always speak about our achievements or tribulations, people will get fed up with our egoism.
If we are willing and able to listen to others, we will find it much appreciated by our friends. Some people are not aware of how much they dominate the conversation. If you find you are always talking about yourself, consider the advice of the Greek philosopher, Epictectus:
“Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak.”
2. Which is more important being right or maintaining harmony?
A lot of problems in relationships occur because we want to maintain our personal pride. Don’t insist on always having the last word. Healthy relationships are not built through winning meaningless arguments. Be willing to back down; most arguments are not of critical importance anyway.
3. Avoid Gossip
If we value someone’s friendship we will not take pleasure in commenting on their frequent failings. They will eventually hear about it. But, whether we get found out or not, we weaken our relationships when we dwell on negative qualities. Avoid gossiping about anybody; subconsciously we don’t trust people who have a reputation for gossip. We instinctively trust and value people who don’t feel the need to criticise others.
4. Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not just a cliché, it’s a powerful and important factor in maintaining healthy relationships. However, real forgiveness also means that we are willing to forget the experience. If we forgive one day, but then a few weeks later bring up the old misdeed, this is not real forgiveness. When we make mistakes, just consider how much we would appreciate others forgiving and forgetting.
5. Know When to Keep Silent
If you think a friend has a bad or unworkable idea, don’t always argue against it; just keep silent and let them work things out for themselves. It’s a mistake to always feel responsible for their actions. You can offer support to friends, but you can’t live their life for them.
6. Right Motive
If you view friendship from the perspective of “what can I get from this?” you are making a big mistake. This kind of relationship proves very tentative. If you make friendships with the hope of some benefit, you will find that people will have a similar attitude to you. This kind of friendship leads to insecurity and jealousy. Furthermore, these fair weather friends will most likely disappear just when you need them most. Don’t look upon friends with the perspective “what can I get out of this?”. True friendship should be based on mutual support and good will, irrespective of any personal gain.
7. Oneness.
The real secret of healthy relationships is developing a feeling of oneness. This means that you will consider the impact on others of your words and actions. If you have a true feeling of oneness, you will find it difficult to do anything that causes suffering to your friends. When there is a feeling of oneness, your relationships will be free of jealousy and insecurity.
For example, it is a feeling of oneness which enables you to share in the success of your friends. This is much better than harbouring feelings of jealousy. To develop oneness we have to let go of feelings of superiority and inferiority; good relationships should not be based on a judgemental approach. In essence, successful friendship depends on the golden rule: “do unto others as you would have done to yourself.” This is the basis of healthy relationships.
8. Humour
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be willing to laugh at yourself and be self-deprecating. This does not mean we have to humiliate ourselves, far from it — it just means we let go of our ego. Humour is often the best antidote for relieving tense situations.
9. Work at Relationships but don’t over analyze
Maintaining healthy relationships doesn’t mean we have to spend several hours in the psychiatrist’s chair. It means we take a little time to consider others, remembering birthdays and anniversaries etc. But, it is a mistake to spend several hours ruminating and dissecting relationships. This makes the whole thing very mental; it’s better to forget any negative experiences. Good friendships should be built on spontaneity and newness, sharing a moment of humour can often do more benefit than several hours of discussion.
10. Concern and Detachment
Healthy relationships should be built on a degree of detachment. Here, people often make a mistake; they think that being detached means, “not caring”. However, this is not the case. Often when we develop a very strong attachment we expect the person to behave in a certain way. When they don’t we feel miserable and try to change them. A good friendship based on detachment means we will always offer good will, but we will not be upset if they wish to go a different way.
.
Make Moves
Make Money
Make Progress
#mmmp
Written by Tejvan Pettinger - 62
1. Speak a little less, listen a little more
Most people get tremendous pleasure from speaking about themselves. But, here we have to be careful; if we always speak about our achievements or tribulations, people will get fed up with our egoism.
If we are willing and able to listen to others, we will find it much appreciated by our friends. Some people are not aware of how much they dominate the conversation. If you find you are always talking about yourself, consider the advice of the Greek philosopher, Epictectus:
“Nature gave us one tongue and two ears so we could hear twice as much as we speak.”
2. Which is more important being right or maintaining harmony?
A lot of problems in relationships occur because we want to maintain our personal pride. Don’t insist on always having the last word. Healthy relationships are not built through winning meaningless arguments. Be willing to back down; most arguments are not of critical importance anyway.
3. Avoid Gossip
If we value someone’s friendship we will not take pleasure in commenting on their frequent failings. They will eventually hear about it. But, whether we get found out or not, we weaken our relationships when we dwell on negative qualities. Avoid gossiping about anybody; subconsciously we don’t trust people who have a reputation for gossip. We instinctively trust and value people who don’t feel the need to criticise others.
4. Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not just a cliché, it’s a powerful and important factor in maintaining healthy relationships. However, real forgiveness also means that we are willing to forget the experience. If we forgive one day, but then a few weeks later bring up the old misdeed, this is not real forgiveness. When we make mistakes, just consider how much we would appreciate others forgiving and forgetting.
5. Know When to Keep Silent
If you think a friend has a bad or unworkable idea, don’t always argue against it; just keep silent and let them work things out for themselves. It’s a mistake to always feel responsible for their actions. You can offer support to friends, but you can’t live their life for them.
6. Right Motive
If you view friendship from the perspective of “what can I get from this?” you are making a big mistake. This kind of relationship proves very tentative. If you make friendships with the hope of some benefit, you will find that people will have a similar attitude to you. This kind of friendship leads to insecurity and jealousy. Furthermore, these fair weather friends will most likely disappear just when you need them most. Don’t look upon friends with the perspective “what can I get out of this?”. True friendship should be based on mutual support and good will, irrespective of any personal gain.
7. Oneness.
The real secret of healthy relationships is developing a feeling of oneness. This means that you will consider the impact on others of your words and actions. If you have a true feeling of oneness, you will find it difficult to do anything that causes suffering to your friends. When there is a feeling of oneness, your relationships will be free of jealousy and insecurity.
For example, it is a feeling of oneness which enables you to share in the success of your friends. This is much better than harbouring feelings of jealousy. To develop oneness we have to let go of feelings of superiority and inferiority; good relationships should not be based on a judgemental approach. In essence, successful friendship depends on the golden rule: “do unto others as you would have done to yourself.” This is the basis of healthy relationships.
8. Humour
Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be willing to laugh at yourself and be self-deprecating. This does not mean we have to humiliate ourselves, far from it — it just means we let go of our ego. Humour is often the best antidote for relieving tense situations.
9. Work at Relationships but don’t over analyze
Maintaining healthy relationships doesn’t mean we have to spend several hours in the psychiatrist’s chair. It means we take a little time to consider others, remembering birthdays and anniversaries etc. But, it is a mistake to spend several hours ruminating and dissecting relationships. This makes the whole thing very mental; it’s better to forget any negative experiences. Good friendships should be built on spontaneity and newness, sharing a moment of humour can often do more benefit than several hours of discussion.
10. Concern and Detachment
Healthy relationships should be built on a degree of detachment. Here, people often make a mistake; they think that being detached means, “not caring”. However, this is not the case. Often when we develop a very strong attachment we expect the person to behave in a certain way. When they don’t we feel miserable and try to change them. A good friendship based on detachment means we will always offer good will, but we will not be upset if they wish to go a different way.
.
Make Moves
Make Money
Make Progress
#mmmp
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
#MMMP Some info for Creative People!!!
.The music industry had a wild ride in 2010. Companies came and went, layoffs hit every sector, rapid growth delivered opportunity, and Spotify still didn't launch in the U.S. This year, 2011, should be no different.
Here are some predictions and thoughts about what 2011 may hold for the music industry.
1. A Major Label Shakeup
Despite all the talk about the major label system collapsing at any moment, it doesn't seem likely. However, 2011 may finally see a restructuring of assets and brands. EMI has no shortage of financial issues, and the current discussion points to Terra Firma handing them over to Citigroup in the near future. The big assumption is that EMI will be broken up and sold in pieces to the other three majors (Universal, Sony and Warner Bros). Of particular value is EMI's publishing division, and if the piecemeal sale does happen, there may be a fight for this asset. Of course, the other three majors aren't having the smoothest time with cash-flow either, so it remains unclear exactly who can buy what. At minimum, EMI will not look the same at the end of 2011 as it does now.
2. Indie Label Opportunity Grows
All music companies will be focused on streamlining their efforts in 2011. This involves smarter processes, innovative policies, and keeping overhead low. Independent labels typically have had to function with these elements in place from day one; their ability to stay nimble will allow for continued growth opportunity. As business partnerships continue to solidify between content owners and brands, smaller labels will be able to adapt quickly and profit at lower revenue thresholds. This creates a strategic advantage that, if managed properly, will see upward trends on indie label balance sheets.
3. Streaming Services Reach Critical Mass
In 2011, someone will become the Apple of streaming -- perhaps Apple itself. Consumers are getting closer and closer to accepting renting over owning content. Companies such as MOG, Rdio, Spotify, and Rhapsody are poised to capitalize on this. With good timing, savvy marketing, and clear messaging that succinctly communicates the benefits, a streaming music provider can easily take the leading role in this race. The safe money seems to be on Apple (in part thanks to the Lala acquisition), but the other contenders are quite serious and finding the level of funding necessary to compete. This sector is also making major moves into mobile and car audio; these additional distribution avenues only strengthen the push toward widespread adoption.
4. Free Continues Moving Upwards
"Free" has been a highly debated concept. One side states that the awareness and data capture free provides can be converted to sales over time. The opposition feels that free devalues content and sets the wrong precedent. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, but it is clear that with the volume of free content (legal and otherwise) one has to be giving something away simply to stay competitive. This line of thinking is nothing new, but it has finally permeated the companies and artists at the top. The majors and superstars have relaxed their policies on free (especially when paired with data capture) and that trend will continue. This will happen in parallel with efforts to find techniques to convert free to paying -- a critical element to make this model work.
5. The Essential Toolkit Solidifies
Digital marketers have an almost endless supply of new technology and techniques to try. However, over the past 18 months, many have faded away or a best-of-breed front-runner has emerged. In 2011 we will see this continue as it becomes more clear which technologies and techniques provide real value. In 2010, it became easy (and essential) to track true performance metrics; marketers now have multiple tools to evaluate effectiveness based on conversion, data capture, sentiment, and engagement. This analysis is helping define where to focus efforts -- and that is helping digital music marketing become a more precise practice.
Companies with momentum in the digital marketing toolkit space include Topspin, Bandcamp, Nimbit, Rockdex, NextBigSound, Rootmusic, SoundCloud, Buzzdeck, Artistdata, Mozes, and the ever-essential Google Analytics. Let's also not forget the mainstays -- Twitter, Facebook, and email-marketing platforms such as ExactTarget, Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
6. The Net Neutrality Debate Continues
The positions and arguments haven't changed much, but the Net neutrality discussion (particularly at the government level) has accelerated. In late December, the FCC approved rules that enable mobile carriers to regulate application use. Many members of Congress have already stated they will fight this by creating a new law. This debate is still far from over; expect heated discussion all year long.
In many ways 2011 won't look much different than 2010. The music industry is still suffering from steep declines and is still building strategies and systems to counteract this. The key words moving forward are innovation and experimentation; most people have accepted the fact that we cannot force consumers to behave as they did in the past. Instead, we must seek to better understand our audience, foster stronger communication, and be willing to take leaps of faith on a regular basis.
*****
What predictions do you have for the music industry in 2011? Please share them in the comments.
Jason Feinberg is vice president, direct to consumer marketing for Concord Music Group. He is responsible for digital and physical direct-to-fan solutions for CMG's frontline and catalog including the Rounder, Fantasy and Stax labels. Recent campaigns include Paul Simon, Allison Krauss, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Carole King/James Taylor, and Crowded House. Follow Jason on Twitter @otmg
Here are some predictions and thoughts about what 2011 may hold for the music industry.
1. A Major Label Shakeup
Despite all the talk about the major label system collapsing at any moment, it doesn't seem likely. However, 2011 may finally see a restructuring of assets and brands. EMI has no shortage of financial issues, and the current discussion points to Terra Firma handing them over to Citigroup in the near future. The big assumption is that EMI will be broken up and sold in pieces to the other three majors (Universal, Sony and Warner Bros). Of particular value is EMI's publishing division, and if the piecemeal sale does happen, there may be a fight for this asset. Of course, the other three majors aren't having the smoothest time with cash-flow either, so it remains unclear exactly who can buy what. At minimum, EMI will not look the same at the end of 2011 as it does now.
2. Indie Label Opportunity Grows
All music companies will be focused on streamlining their efforts in 2011. This involves smarter processes, innovative policies, and keeping overhead low. Independent labels typically have had to function with these elements in place from day one; their ability to stay nimble will allow for continued growth opportunity. As business partnerships continue to solidify between content owners and brands, smaller labels will be able to adapt quickly and profit at lower revenue thresholds. This creates a strategic advantage that, if managed properly, will see upward trends on indie label balance sheets.
3. Streaming Services Reach Critical Mass
In 2011, someone will become the Apple of streaming -- perhaps Apple itself. Consumers are getting closer and closer to accepting renting over owning content. Companies such as MOG, Rdio, Spotify, and Rhapsody are poised to capitalize on this. With good timing, savvy marketing, and clear messaging that succinctly communicates the benefits, a streaming music provider can easily take the leading role in this race. The safe money seems to be on Apple (in part thanks to the Lala acquisition), but the other contenders are quite serious and finding the level of funding necessary to compete. This sector is also making major moves into mobile and car audio; these additional distribution avenues only strengthen the push toward widespread adoption.
4. Free Continues Moving Upwards
"Free" has been a highly debated concept. One side states that the awareness and data capture free provides can be converted to sales over time. The opposition feels that free devalues content and sets the wrong precedent. The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, but it is clear that with the volume of free content (legal and otherwise) one has to be giving something away simply to stay competitive. This line of thinking is nothing new, but it has finally permeated the companies and artists at the top. The majors and superstars have relaxed their policies on free (especially when paired with data capture) and that trend will continue. This will happen in parallel with efforts to find techniques to convert free to paying -- a critical element to make this model work.
5. The Essential Toolkit Solidifies
Digital marketers have an almost endless supply of new technology and techniques to try. However, over the past 18 months, many have faded away or a best-of-breed front-runner has emerged. In 2011 we will see this continue as it becomes more clear which technologies and techniques provide real value. In 2010, it became easy (and essential) to track true performance metrics; marketers now have multiple tools to evaluate effectiveness based on conversion, data capture, sentiment, and engagement. This analysis is helping define where to focus efforts -- and that is helping digital music marketing become a more precise practice.
Companies with momentum in the digital marketing toolkit space include Topspin, Bandcamp, Nimbit, Rockdex, NextBigSound, Rootmusic, SoundCloud, Buzzdeck, Artistdata, Mozes, and the ever-essential Google Analytics. Let's also not forget the mainstays -- Twitter, Facebook, and email-marketing platforms such as ExactTarget, Mailchimp and Constant Contact.
6. The Net Neutrality Debate Continues
The positions and arguments haven't changed much, but the Net neutrality discussion (particularly at the government level) has accelerated. In late December, the FCC approved rules that enable mobile carriers to regulate application use. Many members of Congress have already stated they will fight this by creating a new law. This debate is still far from over; expect heated discussion all year long.
In many ways 2011 won't look much different than 2010. The music industry is still suffering from steep declines and is still building strategies and systems to counteract this. The key words moving forward are innovation and experimentation; most people have accepted the fact that we cannot force consumers to behave as they did in the past. Instead, we must seek to better understand our audience, foster stronger communication, and be willing to take leaps of faith on a regular basis.
*****
What predictions do you have for the music industry in 2011? Please share them in the comments.
Jason Feinberg is vice president, direct to consumer marketing for Concord Music Group. He is responsible for digital and physical direct-to-fan solutions for CMG's frontline and catalog including the Rounder, Fantasy and Stax labels. Recent campaigns include Paul Simon, Allison Krauss, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Carole King/James Taylor, and Crowded House. Follow Jason on Twitter @otmg
Saturday, April 23, 2011
5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell
Written by Mr.SelfDevelopment Published on November 22, 2010 - 8 Comments
Categories: self improvement
Alexander Graham Bell was a prominent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first “practical” telephone, although some believe he stole the idea from Elisha Gray.
Bell’s father, grandfather, and brother were all involved with work on speech and elocution, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell’s life’s work.
Bell’s research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices. These experimentations eventually resulted in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Interestingly enough, Bell considered his invention an interference with his “real” work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.
Bell is also known for many other landmark inventions including his work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.
5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell:
1. Development
“A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with – a man is what he makes of himself.”
You are what you make of yourself!
This is why self-development is so important; you are “exactly” what you have spent your time developing into. You decide what you become. You can develop into success or failure. You can get better or worse, you decide. A man, or woman, is what they make of themselves.
2. Preparation
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”
Les Brown said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, then to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Are you prepared to succeed? If the opportunity you’ve been waiting for suddenly appeared, would you be ready for it?
The first step to success is to be prepared.
3. Concentration
“Concentrate all of your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
Alexander Graham Bell said, “What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.” Are you concentrating? Are you focusing all of your power on the work at hand? You’ll never know your potential if you don’t focus your power.
4. Look for Open Doors
“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.”
Every time a door closes another one opens, look for the open doors, look for the opportunities that are in front of you.
Are you looking for opportunities? It’s hard to find an opportunity if you’re not looking for it. With every closed door there is a seed for something greater.
5. Steady Progress
“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.”
Most people want overnight success, however, those who succeed, succeed as a result of many years of steady progress. Are you making progress? Are you closer to your goal this year in comparison to last year?
To succeed you have to make progress, you have to be consistent to win the race. As the quote goes, “The race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end.
Make Moves
Make Money
Make Progress
#mmmp
Written by Mr.SelfDevelopment Published on November 22, 2010 - 8 Comments
Categories: self improvement
Alexander Graham Bell was a prominent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first “practical” telephone, although some believe he stole the idea from Elisha Gray.
Bell’s father, grandfather, and brother were all involved with work on speech and elocution, and both his mother and wife were deaf, profoundly influencing Bell’s life’s work.
Bell’s research on hearing and speech further led him to experiment with hearing devices. These experimentations eventually resulted in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone in 1876. Interestingly enough, Bell considered his invention an interference with his “real” work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.
Bell is also known for many other landmark inventions including his work in optical telecommunications, hydrofoils and aeronautics. In 1888, Bell became one of the founding members of the National Geographic Society.
5 Must-Read Life Lessons from Alexander Graham Bell:
1. Development
“A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with – a man is what he makes of himself.”
You are what you make of yourself!
This is why self-development is so important; you are “exactly” what you have spent your time developing into. You decide what you become. You can develop into success or failure. You can get better or worse, you decide. A man, or woman, is what they make of themselves.
2. Preparation
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success.”
Les Brown said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and not have one, then to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” Are you prepared to succeed? If the opportunity you’ve been waiting for suddenly appeared, would you be ready for it?
The first step to success is to be prepared.
3. Concentration
“Concentrate all of your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.”
Alexander Graham Bell said, “What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.” Are you concentrating? Are you focusing all of your power on the work at hand? You’ll never know your potential if you don’t focus your power.
4. Look for Open Doors
“Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open.”
Every time a door closes another one opens, look for the open doors, look for the opportunities that are in front of you.
Are you looking for opportunities? It’s hard to find an opportunity if you’re not looking for it. With every closed door there is a seed for something greater.
5. Steady Progress
“The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the result of steady accretion.”
Most people want overnight success, however, those who succeed, succeed as a result of many years of steady progress. Are you making progress? Are you closer to your goal this year in comparison to last year?
To succeed you have to make progress, you have to be consistent to win the race. As the quote goes, “The race is not given to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to the one who endures until the end.
Make Moves
Make Money
Make Progress
#mmmp
Friday, April 22, 2011
#mmmp
MMMP
What Kills Your Motivation?
It changed my perspective entirely when I took the time to identify the motivation killers in my life.
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to write a teen fiction book. Besides my love for writing, the primary motivation behind my goal has always been to create an original story that sucks young people in and gets them excited to turn to the next page. A secondary motivation is to have a means of bringing truth and encouragement to teenagers in a day and age where they face such unique challenges. Yet another motivation behind this goal was a desire to create something lasting and tangible to leave behind me after I pass away.
As noble as these motivations are, years went by and I made little progress on the book. I recently had the startling revelation that I must be allowing certain things in my life to kill my motivation. So I made a list of the things that were holding me back from accomplishing my goals. This is what my list looked like.
My 4 Motivation Killers:
1.) Social networking. For starters, I spent hours on Facebook and wasted valuable time I could be spending writing my book. But that’s not the real reason social networking is a motivation killer for me. By the time I finish reading all of my family and friends’ status updates, I am usually left processing other people’s thoughts, frustrations, goals and successes instead of focusing my energy on my own thoughts and motivation. All my creative energy starts channeling into solving and mulling over my friends’ mini-crises and I never end up channeling that creative energy into my book.
2.) Fear of failure. The fear here is that it won’t matter if I finish the book because it will only be rejected by every literary agent and publishing house in the country.
3.) Fear of my work being snubbed. The fear here is that even if I get the book published, no one will like it and I will get all this hate mail telling me what a lame book I wrote.
4.) Lack of support. My closest friends are neither readers nor writers so it’s a big motivation killer when I share my goals of writing a book or try to get a friend to read a rough draft of a chapter and I am met with very little enthusiasm.
Once I had identified the things that were holding me back, I was finally able to do what I could to overcome these motivation killers and get back to my original goal. First, I cut back my social networking significantly (no easy task for the Facebook addict) and I began using the time I normally spent on Facebook to pour over online writers’ forums and connect with like-minded people who would help motivate me to finish what I started.
Secondly, I acknowledged that my fear of failure and fear of being snubbed were irrational. If I produced a quality manuscript that fit with what a literary agent is looking for, then it would get accepted and could later be enjoyed by the age group I care so much about. But you can’t create a quality piece of work if you reject yourself before anyone else has even gotten the chance to reject your work. Rejection from literary agents may be commonplace but it’s also commonplace for successful authors to have their work rejected repeatedly before finding a literary agent and publishing house that see the work for what it is—an excellent story. As for the critics I will face one day? Well, they’re simply not as important as the ones who will truly enjoy the book
If you agree reply #mmmp
What Kills Your Motivation?
It changed my perspective entirely when I took the time to identify the motivation killers in my life.
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to write a teen fiction book. Besides my love for writing, the primary motivation behind my goal has always been to create an original story that sucks young people in and gets them excited to turn to the next page. A secondary motivation is to have a means of bringing truth and encouragement to teenagers in a day and age where they face such unique challenges. Yet another motivation behind this goal was a desire to create something lasting and tangible to leave behind me after I pass away.
As noble as these motivations are, years went by and I made little progress on the book. I recently had the startling revelation that I must be allowing certain things in my life to kill my motivation. So I made a list of the things that were holding me back from accomplishing my goals. This is what my list looked like.
My 4 Motivation Killers:
1.) Social networking. For starters, I spent hours on Facebook and wasted valuable time I could be spending writing my book. But that’s not the real reason social networking is a motivation killer for me. By the time I finish reading all of my family and friends’ status updates, I am usually left processing other people’s thoughts, frustrations, goals and successes instead of focusing my energy on my own thoughts and motivation. All my creative energy starts channeling into solving and mulling over my friends’ mini-crises and I never end up channeling that creative energy into my book.
2.) Fear of failure. The fear here is that it won’t matter if I finish the book because it will only be rejected by every literary agent and publishing house in the country.
3.) Fear of my work being snubbed. The fear here is that even if I get the book published, no one will like it and I will get all this hate mail telling me what a lame book I wrote.
4.) Lack of support. My closest friends are neither readers nor writers so it’s a big motivation killer when I share my goals of writing a book or try to get a friend to read a rough draft of a chapter and I am met with very little enthusiasm.
Once I had identified the things that were holding me back, I was finally able to do what I could to overcome these motivation killers and get back to my original goal. First, I cut back my social networking significantly (no easy task for the Facebook addict) and I began using the time I normally spent on Facebook to pour over online writers’ forums and connect with like-minded people who would help motivate me to finish what I started.
Secondly, I acknowledged that my fear of failure and fear of being snubbed were irrational. If I produced a quality manuscript that fit with what a literary agent is looking for, then it would get accepted and could later be enjoyed by the age group I care so much about. But you can’t create a quality piece of work if you reject yourself before anyone else has even gotten the chance to reject your work. Rejection from literary agents may be commonplace but it’s also commonplace for successful authors to have their work rejected repeatedly before finding a literary agent and publishing house that see the work for what it is—an excellent story. As for the critics I will face one day? Well, they’re simply not as important as the ones who will truly enjoy the book
If you agree reply #mmmp
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