Friday 18 April 2008

How to get motivated to achieve anything you desire

Are you one of those people who always put off things for later? Have there been times when you felt you lack the confidence and skill required to do a certain task? Well, you are not alone. Motivation will provide that inner drive you need to achieve what you aim for. Step into the world of confidence-building and see your dreams turn into reality.

There is a simple equation that you can apply whenever you are faced with the responsibility of taking a decision as to whether something should be done or not.

D x V x P > C

DISSATISFACTION
First of all, you must be really discontent with the way things are right now.

VISION
You should have a clear vision of what you want and why you want it.

PRACTICAL STEPS
You should be aware of the steps involved to implement the change. An action plan has to be drawn up.

D x V x P is the formula of your desire for change.

COST OF CHANGING
What will you have to let go in order to make way for the change? How much will the change cost you?

The underlying rule is that you will proceed with the change only if your desire to change is greater than the costs of the change.

Numerous people fret over their figure and take up diets to reduce their weight. They start, make some progress and then give up. People don’t mind making short term sacrifices. They tend to give up once they find that the sacrifice has to be extended in order to succeed.

De-clutter your life and improve your motivation.

Many people carry around with them a lot of excess ‘baggage’ or ‘clutter’.

Do you have a mental list of ‘if only’s’ and ‘should have’s’ cropping up every now and then? Be honest with yourself. Because if you are like this, your confidence and motivation have probably been suffering.

So now, what do you have to do? Get rid of this useless burden, that’s what! Try out these questions.

Putting up with
List 10 things that you are putting up with at home
List 10 things that you are putting up with at work
List 10 things that you are putting up with, in any other area of your life
Create an action plan to weed out these things

Unfinished matters
List all the things in your life that you feel are unresolved/unfinished
Create an action plan to reduce this number
Do you need to clear the air with anyone? If so, just do it, life is too short!
Is there someone you are supposed to call or keep in touch with but failed to find time for? If yes, do it now.
Let go of as many ‘coulds, woulds, shoulds, maybes and oughts’ from your life as you can.

Your standards
Write down the standards that you have always told yourself to try matching. Now let go of them and create a new list. These should be the standards that you are going live by from this day onwards.
List 5 people that you admire the most and their qualities, their behaviour and their way of life. What standards do they have? What are the standards that you could set for yourself, in order to be more like them?

Attitude and motivation

The most important factor that goes into determining one’s success is what goes on in his/her mind. Where you are today and what you are today is because of your own mental attitude towards yourself and others. And you alone can change it. All that is needed is a change of your attitude.

The mental attitude that you carry is actually more important than it seems. It may be a boon or a bane for you. It could be affecting your life without your knowledge.

Your mental attitude could either take you up the path of success or down the depths of failure. And changing it is in your hands.

For a free copy of my fabulous 6 part e-book Get Motivated! (normal price £39.97) simply e-mail your details to coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk

Friday 11 April 2008

Fit your own mask before helping others

I spent time today with a friend who works as cabin crew on a major airline, and we were talking about how some people want to help all the time. She tells me what a battle it is to ensure parents fit their own oxygen mask before helping their children (not that it happens very often of course!). I realised that some of my coaching clients do just that, metaphorically speaking. They always seem to have the answer for their staff, spouse, children...

Perhaps they should let others help themselves and find the solution that way? Maybe those clients would benefit more from looking out for themselves first. Do you know anyone who puts others' needs first? Someone who thinks that by helping they are doing the best thing for those they care about? Do they ignore their own needs?

One of my clients in particular spent so much time worrying about whether his daughter would get into her first choice University, that he never stopped to ask her if she was worried? One of his small actions from a coaching session was to ask her - and guess what? Exactly, she was comfortable that she would get in, and even if she didn't, she didn't see it as the end of the world. So perhaps my client was worrying unnecessarily and his energy could have been better spent elsewhere!

So, some food for thought as we go into the weekend - fit your own mask before helping others.

Wednesday 9 April 2008

Busy, busy, busy

It's been a really hectic week so far, I've been travelling all over the country training and coaching. This morning was my chance to be coached - amazing how these sessions always seem to come at the right time! It was a chance for me to review my goals, and in particular how I am managing my time right now. The great thing about coaching is how you can be honest about your frustrations, and how the coach helps you to move forward in small steps.

I've always been a bit of a 'giant leap' sort of person, so sorting it into smaller steps has been a challenge, but what results!!!! This type of coaching is focused on finding solutions, and doing more of what works well already - quite a change from the British attitude of dissecting problems to find root causes, even before we look at possible solutions.

I now have dates for my next 7 Steps to Understanding Coaching Workshops, 7 June near Warwick and 12 Sept near Guildford. E-mail coach@lizkentishcoaching.co.uk for more info and to book your places.