Most personal development teachers will agree that motivation plays a big role in your ability to achieve anything. Today I’m here to offer a different opinion. I believe motivation as significant as it is insignificant if you are willing to accept such a cryptic statement. This article will look at the essence of motivation and outline some of the ways it can help or hinder the progress towards your goals.

If you think motivation is the key to success you are wrong. Firstly what exactly is this thing called motivation? Different people define motivation in different ways but for the purposes of this article here’s what I think.

Most people define motivation as an ability to take action. To these people motivation is a state of mind, it’s a feeling. In other words it’s a mental construct, it comes from your brain.

My problem with this is that as a state of mind, it is subject to continual change. You know what I mean right? For most people motivation comes and goes. Some days you are motivated and some times you feel lazy. In other words, motivation never lasts! If as many success experts teach, your level of achievement rests on your ability to ‘motivate yourself’ we are all in a lot of trouble!

Most people in this frame of mind talk about motivation as coming from a desire to achieve a certain goal. As psychologists would tell us, motivation can be intrinsic, arising from a desire we hold within, or external, when we are motivated by some external influence like a coach or a deadline. Again whether it be internal or external, these factors are subject to change: our desires fluctuate like the changing tide and external factors are in also in perpetual motion, increasing and decreasing in their effect on us.

In my mind I believe the motivation that we need is something very different.

I believe that to be ultimately successful we have to be driven forward by things that are eternal. We have to have as our motivation, underlying principles, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values and goals that will never change. By being motivated this way, we can retain the sense that we must continually take action regardless of how internal or external circumstances change.

So what factors of our lives have this level of consistency?

While there are many, the main one is your purpose. Your life purpose, whatever it is you’re here on this earth to do, and your innate need to fulfill that is the most powerfully motivating force you can experience. When your action each day is inspired by a desire to fulfill that which is the essence of your existence on this planet will push you farther than any emotional or physical external influence. What else?

Your values!

The things you value as a person are far more concrete than fluctuating impulses of desire that you experience daily. Your values contribute to who you are and once developed and clarified, create a code of conduct for your life that you will be very reluctant to violate. The urge to live these values and be congruent with that you value and believe also represents a powerful source of motivation.

While there is more, I intended this article to be merely a sample of some of the sources of motivation that are truly compelling. With a deeper level of introspection and a greater clarity of who you are you can experience a profound sense of motivation that can guarantee continual action and progress through all the seasons of your life’s journey.

Andrew Hansen is an entrepreneur, author and personal development trainer. He runs a website dedicated to personal growth that provides tips, information and advice on attaining the level of success that you’re worthy of in all areas of your life. For more information on motivation theory please see motivation theory.
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Changing Bad Habits For Life

Often times the first step in improving your life starts with an evaluation of yourself and your habits and lifestyle. There are things you are not happy about, daily activities you want to add or change, or people you want in your life or even out of your life. What kind of life do you want? And what kind of “life energy” do you want to have on a daily basis?  Find out with these 12 easy steps.

Step One

Ask yourself some questions:

What do you want your life to be like?
What habits and lifestyles do you need to eliminate?
What positive habits do you want to have to make your life better?

When you answer these questions, be honest with yourself. Make them obtainable and realistic. Follow your gut and your heart when you answer these questions.

Your intuition can be very powerful, so make sure that you listen to it. Tell yourself right here and now that you will trust yourself, and trust your intuition. When you are in doubt about something or someone, follow that intuition. It may not be 100% correct all of the time, but at the very least you know you are being true to yourself. This is critical.

Step Two

Now turn those questions and answers from Part 1 into specific goals you want to achieve. Be specific. Again ask yourself some questions:

What habits are you going to let go?
What new habits are you going to replace those old habits with?

Make your goals specific and realistic. Also make ones that you can actually measure, so it is easy for you to track progress.

Step Three

Now you must develop a sincere desire for the items you want to achieve. To make your life better, having the desire for it is the starting point.

Take pictures of what you want, or draw it out. Put the pictures on your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator, or on your coffee tables. The mind is more motivated by pictures and being able to visualize your goals and why you are changing bad habits is a great motivator. Your creativity comes from the right side of your brain, and pictures feed this creativity.

Every thought you have uses electrical energy to imprint a new picture into your subconscious mind. The more you use pictures of your goals and what habits you want to break, the faster you will attract them into your life. It’s important for you to fantasize about what you want out of life. Use these pictures and fantasies to keep your goals in mind. You must think about what you want, in order to achieve what you want. There are no limits!

Step Four

Make a plan to achieving your goal and write all of this down. If you ever wondered what the difference between a wish and a goal is, it is this; a goal is written down. Once you have a clear picture of what you want in your mind, you can achieve it.

Focus on what you want, and concentrate on what you want. This deliberate concentration will break through all obstacles that may stop you.

Step Five

Distinguish between your goals and your activities. A goal is a specific end result and activities are the things that you do to achieve your goals. Always remember the goal, and don’t get caught up in the activities. Reaching the goal is always the most important thing.

Step Six

Create deadlines for your goals. You must have deadlines in order to motivate yourself to produce the results. Your mind must have a clear picture of when you want to achieve the desired results.

First write down your one-year goal and then write down the activities that are necessary to achieve the goal. Make the activities in a particular order. What are the first ones you need to do? After the first set of activities, what is the second set? Write all of these down.

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About the Author:
Find out the rest of the easy steps to take to get your life back.  See how changing bad habits can change your life for the better and change it permanently!  Visit http://hubpages.com/hub/ChangingBadHabits
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