How to motivate anyone including yourself with 7 minutes and a cup of coffee

Do you, your team or organization need to overcome obstacles and deliver results?

Perhaps, you are having issues motivating your team or even yourself?

Do you need to know how to find those elusive "hot buttons" that ignite people into action?

Until a few years ago I would have answered, "Yes" to all of these. Then one day I had an epiphany.

You cannot motivate anyone!

Yep. You heard me. You cannot motivate anyone...except yourself. Think about it.

Motivation is very personal and comes from within us. Let's look at the definition.

Motivation n: the reason or reasons behind one's actions or behaviour (Oxford Dictionary)

Whether it is the primal drivers of the need for food and perpetuation of the species as in migrating salmon or it is because you have been made redundant thanks to the recent recession and you are motivated to provide for your family, the reason motivates you. There may be external factors but the driver comes from within.

Now what you can do is inspire others. Inspiration is initiated externally. At its root, inspire relates to "breathing in". Oxford Dictionary defines inspiration as:

The process or quality of being inspired; a person or thing that inspires.

That is we must breathe it into ourselves first. Breathe in the inspiration and then use it, as the body uses oxygen, to help us to live and wilfully act upon our surroundings.

Inspiration precedes motivation. You need to be inspired and motivated to inspire others to become motivated.

No matter the audience, when I have asked for a show of hands those who could tell me exactly what motivates the people around them at work, rest or play, there has been very few or no hands up. A sad testimony don't you think. No wonder there is such a chronic need today for effective leadership development?

Now think of Dr Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech. He inspired a movement that was motivated to bring about cultural change. That inspiration came about because Dr King connected with his audience. He connected with them at an emotional and spiritual level. He was giving them the vision that inspired them. The intention was to pass them the baton to make it happen. As leaders know, or most of them anyway, they cannot deliver the vision on their own. They need help.

Share the Dream

So for you to motivate anyone you must first share the dream. Communicate it clearly, consistently, constantly and creatively.

Next help your motivatees to understand their purpose as it relates to achieving the dream, goal or target. Help them to connect with it so they understand their part and how meaningful their part is in the achievement. Help them T.E.A.M U.P. - Together Everyone Achieves More Understanding Purpose.

Using a football analogy, every player has a position and with that position comes role to play (their purpose) in the game plan especially when they understand the importance of working as a team. No game plan. No awareness of their role. Out of position. Bad result.

Key Questions

Here is a question worthy of some significant consideration. Ask yourself. Ask your team.

If we do this in sport, why do we not tend to do it in business or even in at home?

Your role is to understand your purpose and, where relevant, help your motivatees to identify theirs and how it fits into the inspiring bigger picture. Do that and motivation is beginning to take form.

As the late Jim Rohn said, "When the why gets strong the how becomes easy."

Inspire the team. Power comes when you align the individual's purpose with the team's purpose. The individual becomes aware, perhaps for the first time, how key they are to the success of the team or the organization. After all, teams win championships not individuals because they work as a team playing off each other's skills, knowledge, experience and responsibilities.

Now you might be asking how do you help your motivatees to discover their purpose?

Well, one simple way to gain insight into what may motivate someone is to ask them the following question:

If you had unlimited resource in your life, what would you do?

Everyone is born with a purpose. It is hard-wired into their DNA. Everyone has strengths and gifts that will support that purpose. Regrettably, most people never discover what their purpose, gifts or strengths are. This is a way to draw it out.

Another couple of simple clarifying questions to ask them are:

What comes easy to you?

What's your dream?

These answers will begin to enlighten you (and hopefully them) as to what those "hot buttons" might be.

Now that we have some lights coming on, what value would it be to you, your team and your organization etc if you had a simple and effective method or tool that enabled you (and everyone else for that matter) to really know what those "hot buttons" really are in about 7 minutes over a cup of coffee?

The Hot Box

Enter the "Hot Box". Draw it out.

This is a 3 x 3 matrix with:

i.Left to right the headings 90 days - 1 year - 3 years across the top

ii. Top to bottom the headings Personal Goals - Professional Goals - Personal Development Goals

Sit down with your team-mate and work with them to fill in this box.

For illustration purposes, let's use a work scenario and overlay the success model first devised by Napolean Hill - Be x Do = Have. Who we are combined with our actions delivers the results.

1. Ask them why they go to work. The answer you are looking for is so they can make money so they can invest it in their personal lives to deliver the lifestyle they aspire to.

2. Ask them to fill in 1-3 personal goals they would like to achieve over the next 90 days, 1 year and 3 years. Examples could be an all-inclusive vacation to the tropics or buy a house or start a hobby. This helps you both identify what is driving them, their "Why?" - their "hot buttons". These are the ultimate results or the "Haves"

3. Help them make the connection between their personal goals and their professional goals. Ask them what they need to achieve in their professional role over 90 days, 1 year and 3 years that will ensure they then have the resources to deliver the personal goals. The answers go in the respective boxes. These answer "What?" they need to do to achieve those personal goals. They represent the "Dos". If they do not act on these, they won't get the results they desire.

4. Assuming that as time progresses they desire to grow, help your motivatee to then establish their personal development goals in their professional role. A great question to ask here is, "Who do you need to 'be' to deliver your professional goals?" Examples could be they need training to be more productive or to be better at sales or be a better manager. These answer "Who" they need to become and helps identify their development needs. Emphasize the connection between "Who" they need to become with "What" they need to do and "Why" that is so important to them.

Completed this way, you will have a Personal Motivation Plan - a record for yours and their reference at any time. And all it takes is about 7 minutes.

Now there is a piece missing. Do the following and you and everyone else nearby will know what the "hot buttons" are.

5. Once completed, request that your motivatee then obtain a picture that represents each respective Personal Goal and post it where they (and you et al) can see it easily and frequently e.g. a photo next to their phone, computer or car sun visor or an image on their iPhone or as a screensaver. This provides a constant reminder of "Why" they are truly there - for them and for you and for the rest of the team.

6. Now, as and when required, you can hit their "hot button" and reinforce their motivators. Ask a question like, "So, how are you getting on to attaining that dream holiday?" to reconnect them with their purpose. Or comment, "Now that you have made this project so profitable, congratulations on your raise! Now you will have the down payment for that house." You get the idea.

No Excuses!!

So now are you motivated? Go get some coffee, carve out 7 minute blocks, sit down and pull out the Hot Box. Now you have no excuses. Ask. "Why?" "What?" "Who?" Ignite yourself. Then ignite the team. You will be glad you did. Oh...And please let me know how you get on.

Dr Richard Norris
Your Performance & Legacy Coach
Author of "Hoof it! 7 Key Lessons on Your Journey of Success"

Self-Motivation-learn how to motivate Yourself to reach success

With so many different requirements to each of us and the daily grind that juices about one of all thought of getting a guru, is it any wonder that many people give themselves before they even attempt to better manage their time? No more-for we are going to let you in a secret mantra for time management help you seek a Guru to guide you by looking within-Yes, how your own time management guru is what this article is going to teach you!

All management gurus can be preaching and you may have seen some very disciplined superiors at work after the practice of managing the proper time and wished it for yourself! Well, that is not the same as do and as a wise man once said, an action is better than a thousand good intentions, so put that desire to work and the fruits of know and understand how to sift through the clutter of things to do and finding priorities and time for each one of the things you want or need to do! Stick around and read by to learn how to create your own motivation may be why not start now?

Going by the local gym glossy advertising pamphlets and the ultra-lean or muscular disorders not intimidate you or instructors any the less for the fact that a normal body; feel however, in a healthy weight range, feeling energized and can do for yourself, eat well and integration of regular physical activity is very important for you to stay fit. So, your quest actually does not begin with joining a gym, picking up that glitzy magazine for the latest fad diet or following what a friend did to lose weight-simply because the motivation is in you're from and what works for others don't have to work for you, because you are different, because you are you are!

Treat yourself as an individual and come up with your personal health step-up plan for long-term success with losing weight and maintaining this weight loss; be your own motivation and taking over your life, including your level of physical fitness! Today do-we show you how:

It makes sense to first to find out the real reasons behind why a person wants to throw that extra baggage so that false reasoning is no obstacle for their fitness program and they are getting the results they; So, analyze your reasons for wanting to get into shape!

This means that want to get into shape for yourself and not to fit in with the rest, because it is the in-thing, to imitate someone else etc. Small, realistic goals and have a figure in mind that you hope to lose in a timeline – especially, stick to a balanced, healthy diet, daily exercise plan and all the temptation to give in to the various scams about instant weight loss products does the rounds these days! If this were indeed real options, why there are so many overweight people in the world today-think logically, realistic goal and learn to prioritize your goals health over other demands on your time for a happy, happy and healthy life!

Abhishek is a time management expert and he has some great Time Management secrets his sleeve! Download Free 62-page eBook, "How To Become A Highly Effective Time Manager!" of his http://www.positive-you.com/58/index.htm website. Limited free copies available.

How to stay motivated and achieve great success

How do you stay motivated? It's easy to keep track of your passion and work ethic at the beginning of each effort, but what happens after a number of months or weeks elapsed? Read on for great tips.

If you have fifty people ask for their definition of success, you would probably get fifty different answers. But while success take various forms, there is a key attribute which everyone must in order to be successful. And that's motivation.

Have you just started your own business? You are in for a qualification study? Do you want to lose weight? Got a new job? If any of these scenarios a recent event in your life, you're probably still excited and so you're probably still motivated.

But as the days go by and week, the first high can disappear. There will be days when you don't feel that worked so hard.

You recognize that you are in a day ' down ', but for a minute or so stop and consider why you feel that way. It is not uncommon, that in fact is the perfect man to have down ' days. Think about taking a complete break ... maybe for a few days, just to recharge your batteries.

Or maybe your daily activity has become annoying to you. Is there a way you can outsource or delegate that task to someone else? Or splitting into several parts and work on it in a different way. For example, maybe your work involves creating a lot of phone calls, and it starts to get it for you, you can telephone conversations into smaller periods of time, say 30 minutes eruptions and do anything else in between.

A change of scenery can do wonders. Grab your cell phone, a hot cup of coffee and find a quiet bench or sit on a hill in a country park. Sales calls take while watching the blue sky on a beautiful spring day can suddenly change of a liability in a completely fresh and pleasant experience.

If your ultimate goal seems a world away, and it's hard to see when that day comes, a "dream Board". So if you are trying to lose weight, cut out pictures of your ideal shape and body outfit. But if your way to work to build a successful business, places an image or the new sports car you drive your beach-side condo.

Go a step further, this dream board into a visualization exercise. Find some music that inspires, and refreshment you, turn down the volume loud, staring at your dream Board and forms a precise mental image of you achieve the results you are looking for. The images so vivid, detailed and true if you can. This every morning for the perfect motivational begin on the day.

Gemma Swansburg hopes that you've been motivated in achieving success and realize your dreams. She is a writer, researcher whose most recent work is a Luminess Tan Review hot new airbrush tanning system that actually works. Visit her site for the best offers, product info and makeup tips for the Luminess airbrush system

How many keys to success?

So, I have been working in schools and in a counseling environment with children and families. I have 3 children who sometimes lacked the motivation for the appropriate tasks, such as homework. I find myself very unmotivated to some things to do. For many of us there must be a reason or evidence why we have to do something. As in the proof that it will work or that there is a purpose for it. I had some intelligent children and I think their minds did great gymnastics figuring out why they didn't have to do homework, etc. because they knew all stuff that. Why did you give me to prove it to you. One who knows that in college, he had skills and was bright, so he thought he could get a decent job without college, but he was not one of those people. He went back.

For my coaching practice, the motivation issues comes with many of my clients of children, which have been adopted, but before that can have lived in terrible situations and they really don't care about a lot, because they have lived without much at all, with the exception of neglect and/or abuse. When adoptive parents trying to make something to motivate children to find, it is very difficult. They are good sitting in their room doing nothing. Most kids would respond quickly – when I told me that she was grounded, they were quickly motivated to behave to unfounded.

In working with all students, it's about finding something that they care about that will motivate them to work to get there. Many have parents who life happen, so she'll probably do the same. I try to open their minds to new opportunities and experiences, and ask questions like "what you want when you grow up" and "How can you" in an attempt to motivate. If you are a police officer to, here's how you get there.

The same is true for those of us on the Internet wealth track. My motivation is financial freedom. Announcing that it is not necessarily fortunes, it has enough money to give me more personal freedom to make choices about how I spend my time. It is the freedom to take a trip as I like, and not be bound by a work schedule.

I know that a joint action is that people spend money and buy programs never but succeed on the Internet, but I'm guessing that they are not so motivated. Maybe their life is comfortable and they don't have to change. Sometimes, the crisis is the biggest motivator. I've been pushed into taking opportunities along the way. I am older now and know that I value the freedom this lifestyle to offer badly enough to be strongly motivated and I believe that in my success, which plays an important role.

So, I have that character on my wall in my Office: motivation, determination of the consistency, perseverance and believe me it takes all of 5.

Jordan is a therapist, entrepreneur, a dreamer and adventurer. I have years after my personal goals and my intuition. Check out my website at http://www.jordan-burke.com for a free copy of a quick start guide to online home-based profit. You can also check out http://www.selfimprovement2.com for a free month of access to self-improvement modules for your niche websites.

That is the most important for success-Desire or faith?

When asked what is more important to success between desire and faith, would you expect to get different answers. One of the most common answers possible belief in themselves. But faith in himself could be the basis of success? Much would depend on what do you mean by success.

Be able to answer this question, will you the rope that you have a higher profile in life guarantee will have understood. This is not necessary that a success you must be a public figure and losses of your privacy. What a success means is, you will be able to some obstacles in your life to specific goals that you have entered in the place.

For some people it can mean success are popular among their friends. Other people might think that the popularity is something worth striving for and believe that are worthy of what they see is a greater success to work towards becoming a national sports star or a politician or an esteemed academic or business manager. If you are disabled due to an accident and are unable to walk, would just be able to walk again be a great success.

For a young man to be able to walk with a view to the most improbable probability of doing it, would be a lot of people say that he has a lot of faith would require. In some cases, those who have overcome their disabilities and are able to walk, the individuals maintained that they had confidence in themselves. Even where people have claimed faith in a divine as the reason why they are able to walk after an accident cause their disability, have refused to accept other people, and say that it is the belief that a person has in itself.

It is alleged that no matter how large a desire that a person can have, let alone cannot a person to become successful. There must be a person to faith if they are going to overcome obstacles and successful in their efforts.

However, if you about which is more of the importance of thinking "desire" or "faithful" in achieving success, would you have to agree that you no longer desire to be successful in achieving your goal, you'd probably give.

If you talk about faith, you are not really about desire but about a set of beliefs that something can be achieved if it is possible to perform under certain circumstances. There is an important distinction to be made between the two motivations.

Desire can be realized as a result of various environmental factors. The word "desire" is usually defined as "a desire for something". If a person has a desire for friends or popular, depending on how large is the desire of the person, will depend on how much the person will want to succeed in carrying out this desire.

If you're thirsty, you will do anything to your thirst. Thirst as hunger is a greeting that will motivate you. You also need a strong desire to be successful enough to meet any effort, you will pursue that goal until you reach or you lose your desire.

Yes, your desire to be successful to be the determining motivator or you the success you can currently reach will for a long time.

Fortunately, wealth knows how to show you how. Fortunately, wealth also runs a instructional membership club that has a focus on people getting healthy, wealthy and wise. Fortunately, wealth can be found at http://www.happyriches.name

How to keep your motivation going

A) concentrate on what you really want. Focus on what you want and not what do you do not want to. Your thoughts attract what happens in your life. If you want your life to think "Why my life have to be a fight?", will make your life a struggle. If you think "I'm enjoying my life at this time, I feel positive," you will become a more positive Outlook. If you have a setback (and you) the flip and the positive in the search. Use that positivity to move you closer to your goals. If you think like this, you will see that there are actually a setback can be a great positive moment and actually make you stronger. Remember the old saying, "learn from your mistakes," and you will achieve your goals.

B) keep a journal of your progress. This is very important, especially when your motivation marks a bit. Every time you feel a little "flat", just reading your agenda and see how far you come. If you have a record of all your successes and failures, then you check on your progress and, if necessary, change your approach, so that you don't repeat any errors. Don't just rely on your memory. If you're anything like me you will only remember the failures, that you feel will be discouraged and un-motivated. You might feel like you can't succeed, not more than if you in fact are a great success.

C) mix with people who have the life you want. When you find yourself with people who live the lifestyle you desire surround, that it builds your self belief, keeps you focused. Are around successful people means you can see and learn how they get where they are. It makes you think "if they can do it, then so can I." Spend a lot of time with them and ask them what they did and how they succeeded. You will be amazed at what they say about their failures. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is those who learn from their mistakes that are successful.

D) inspirational and motivational books read. I found that reading about other people's success stories, really inspired and motivated me, especially the biographies of billionaires like Richard Branson. It makes me feel very motivated knowing that people who are starting from scratch, just as I start, it may take up to the top of their chosen life.

If you can keep your motivation to go you will find that your trip to the lifestyle you want will be that much smoother, more fun and a lot shorter! Enjoy your trip and destination will be that much more satisfying.

http://www.freespiritwealth.com

About the authors: Jane Whittard and Sarah Le Bas are sisters, Internet marketers and entrepreneurs who want to share the knowledge and wealth be shared with other like-minded people. http://www.freespiritwealth.com

How to Harness the Power of Momentum

‘It’s like the wind at my back, the sun in my face. It’s like running down a grass-covered hill.’ ~Leo Babauta

It can carry you like a strong current carries a fallen leaf. It can ground you like an early morning walk through the woods. It can move you like wind moves a cloud across the summer sky. It can ignite your spirit and make you feel like you can do anything.

It is momentum – that invisible, universal force that can saturate your every choice, your every step, your every breath, your every moment of resolve with vibrant, joyful energy. Momentum can surge you forward and it can pull you under. It goes with your flow, follows your lead and enhances your trajectory.

It can be harnessed, gathered and used as an incredibly transformational tool.

How do I know this to be true? I’ve been actively gathering momentum for almost six years now, ever since I quit smoking. That one simple yet meaningful change shifted my direction just enough to spark momentum. I triggered it without even knowing it. All I knew at the time was that if I could quit smoking after twenty years of trying, I could do anything. That’s what momentum feels like. It seeps into your pores and tingles the back of your neck.

It feels like possibility.

That one success of quitting smoking led to another success … and then another. I took up running and yoga after years of sedentary living. I became a mindful eater and adopted a vegetarian diet after a lifetime as a meat-eater. I felt like I was waking up. I became aware for the first time in my life that I could make different choices from the ones I’d been taught – from the ones that had become habits. I let go long held beliefs, pounds and lethargy.

Momentum was helping to shape a new me, inside and out.

I found inner strength after years of feeling like someone who repeatedly started a new exercise regime or eating regime only to quit a few weeks in. I now knew I was capable of profound and lasting change.

I gave up the haze of red wine soaked evenings and instead wrote the first draft of a novel I’d been talking about for a decade. Momentum was gathering all around me. Even the word, momentum, kept popping up everywhere like red cars do after you buy a red car. I was seeing the word in books, hearing it in random conversations, feeling it as I ran and waking up with it on the tip of my tongue.

Six months ago, while reading one of my favourite blogs, Leo’s blog, this very blog, I linked to another called Write to Done which carried me to yet another called The A-List Blogging Club. That’s when I decided to write a blog about momentum as a means to express it, sustain it, understand it, embrace it, share it, inspire it in others and live it completely.

Momentum has propelled me and supported me.

It has been like a coach, mentor and teammate, and it has been my constant companion for the past six years of incredible life change and over the past six months of my new venture. It has ushered into my life the unexpected gifts of friendship, community, passion and life purpose. I have harnessed momentum and I never want to let it go.

How can you begin to gather momentum in your own life and make it work for you? How can you harness it’s power to create lasting and joyful life change? Simply let it.

Dip into the warm waters of momentum by trying, experimenting, taking a first step, forgiving yourself for slip-ups and then trying again. Plunge into whatever you’ve been putting off for “some day” and make today the day you begin. Imagine how incredible it will feel to let the current of momentum carry you from this one success towards another. Each can be a wave you ride to the next.

Feel the earth beneath your feet as you step in a direction that makes sense to you – just you. Ground yourself in the feeling that comes from reflecting upon what you believe in, doing what feels right to you and living by your own convictions, counsel and sense of right and wrong. Get solid about who you are and then feel the power and ease with which your choices come to you.

Take that first step in a direction of your own choosing, then with each bold statement, each strong stride, each clear-thinking choice let momentum joyously lift you higher and farther. Exceed your own expectations and strengthen your resolve to be who you were meant to be and nothing less. Don’t strive and stress – instead simplify and find success on your terms.

Once you feel it growing, let momentum fan the fire inside you – a fire that may have been burnt out or smoldering under the surface for a long time. Let yourself feel love and passion towards yourself, your life and everything you do then begin to recover, uncover or discover your true potential. If often leaps out of the flames.

Momentum thrives on you.

It is the water, the earth, the wind and the fire of your being. It embodies the elements of a life lived fully and on your own terms. It can fill your heart, sooth your soul, propel your body forward and, if you let it, momentum just might make you feel like you can do anything – and then likely, you can and will.

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