Your Vision & Your Motivation

In business it's easy to identify how your vision for the business impacts the motivation of your employees but relating this to your personal life may not be an easy leap. How often to do you hear a concise response from those who choose to stay at home when they are asked "So what's your vision?" and more truthfully how often do they get asked?

We know that your vision statement describes goals for the business which then drives each department to determine what actions do they need to be conducting to reach and live the business's vision and mission. As an individual, outlining what your vision is or mission might be is more aligned with focusing on and identifying what your life goals might be and how your goals impact what your life looks like once you have achieved these goals.

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Life Coach and Business Coach Karen Kleinwort is the founder Therapy in Transition and is a Certified Professional Coach specializing in the integration of her clients' mind, body and spirit into her Personal Empowerment Coaching practice. For more information, visit www.coachkarenk.com. www.therapyintransition.org, www.empowermentforme.com or contact her at success@coachkarenk.com.

Motivation at Work

Whether your life is that you are in business for yourself, you work for someone else or you are a Domestic Engineer (a title often associated with those individuals who choose to stay at home with or without children) staying motivated can be difficult if not outright challenging. There are two aspects to motivation and your workplace scenario – one is from the perspective of management and the other is from the viewpoint of the employee. As part of the ongoing series focusing on Motivation, today we are concentrating on motivation on the job.

Have you identified your specific scenario yet? Most of what we will be sharing in this article you will be able to apply to your specific situation.

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Life Coach and Business Coach Karen Kleinwort is the founder Therapy in Transition and is a Certified Professional Coach specializing in the integration of her clients' mind, body and spirit into her Personal Empowerment Coaching practice. For more information, visit www.coachkarenk.com. www.therapyintransition.org, www.empowermentforme.com or contact her at success@coachkarenk.com.

Motivation - A Hot Topic

The word motivation is not only a hot topic, buzz word or twitter trend, it is a word that when broken down can truly give us a guide to finding our inner fuel to achieving our goals. The simple definition can be found in any dictionary; Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary defines motivation as “the act or process of motivating.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motivation) This definition really only opens up more questions, so let’s move to the root word of motivation - motive. Motive is defined as “something (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act.” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/motive) Ah – ha! Now we are getting somewhere.

When it comes to finding motivation to achieve our goals there are some of us who just naturally have it and then there are others who struggle to locate and embrace it. As a person who is always highly motivated, I do find there are certain days where I wonder where my motivation has disappeared to. It is on these days I question if there is a way to actually measure my motivation levels in comparison to others days; outside of a knowing I feel more or less motivated. We know that motivation is the fuel that supports people to take actions necessary for them to achieve their goals.

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Life Coach and Business Coach Karen Kleinwort is the founder Therapy in Transition and is a Certified Professional Coach specializing in the integration of her clients' mind, body and spirit into her Personal Empowerment Coaching practice. For more information, visit www.coachkarenk.com. www.therapyintransition.org, www.empowermentforme.com or contact her at success@coachkarenk.com.

Love Your Children? Hate the Chaos?

Don't get me wrong. I love my children – immensely, unconditionally – and would not trade, give away or accept any other option that might be presented to me. But (and this is BIG "but") I hate the chaos that came with being a mother. Before having children, I adhered to a daily ritual of getting a coffee in the morning, sitting down to write my three pages of "stress dump," and then 20 minutes of meditation focusing on being centered and having a proactive day.

I truly thought I would be able to keep some (if not all) of this ritual in place once my son, who is now three, was born. But reality set in quite quickly, and it took me almost 10 months to find my groove again. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to do it, but I did. Then in May 2011 I gave birth to my daughter, and the groove I was able to find is once again changing.

Chaotic? Yes. Manageable? Yes. What did it take? Three simple steps (Remember Coach Karen's three simple steps to managing chaos and emergency life situations is I.C.E.) and a lot of self-patience!

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So You Think You're Confident?

Self-confidence is what empowers you to take action in periods that are difficult and down right scary. Confidence is created over time as well as through experience. The big question is, "Do you still get butterflies when you are about to take action?" If your answer is no, then you need to ask yourself if you truthfully believe you hold the desire and feel deserving of what the outcome of your actions will be. One of your greatest inhibitors with regard to being confident that I've experienced with clientele is they try hard to create and work toward the life they desire, but their self-worth and the value they possess of themselves stands in their way toward reaching it.

So yes! Your self-confidence impacts your self-worth. And yes, your self-worth impacts your self-confidence. The opinion of life in general is that we have a tendency to magnetize what we believe we are worthy of receiving. Consequently, self-worth is one of the most important elements of how we go about escalating our self-confidence; that is, you need to possess belief in your own skills, abilities and most notably, you need to consider yourself truly deserving of the outcome you desire.

You can picture all you want, make yourself feel good, concentrate on encouraging emotions, etc. But unless you sincerely like yourself for who you are and think with every thread of your fiber you deserve to get the best out of life, you might not be able to improve your self-confidence, which in turn brings about good fortune, friends, love or success.

So here are a few questions to ask yourself in order to find out if your view of self stands in your own way to success:

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What Is Your Crown Jewel for Success?

In the world of business there are limitations or restrictions of which you need to be aware when you want to achieve goals and ultimately succeed. There are some things that just, well, fall into place without compromise. Curious what restrictions need to be in place for you to succeed? Great! What about not compromising? Wondering what's not up for compromise?

For one, your attitude! Your attitude needs to be in what your crown jewels are encased, much like Queen Elizabeth’s crown is made of gold; your success crown is made of attitude, allowing you to show off the jewels within you. With a positive attitude, a little self-discipline and a certain level of knowledge, you're empowered to make sound decisions along your journey to success even when a challenge might raise its pretty little head. Your attitude can not be compromised by anyone but you. You are in complete control of your attitude, and being in control of your attitude means your limitations are set by you and only you.

In a previous article I talked about why your foundation for success needs to be built not just on stone but must also include sand to allow for flexibility and growth. Knowing where your foundation is enables you to then focus on identifying your crown jewel and gaining clarity on the steps it takes to achieve your goals. Your crown will, of course, have more than one jewel held within it but jewels (or, here, skills) that need to be on display for others to notice.

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Achieving Goals: 5 Steps You Can Take to Improve Your Odds of Success

A goal is a target on which you aim your focus and put your time and effort into the process of achieving. There are five steps essential in guiding you toward achieving and realizing your goals. Achieving a goal can take longer and require more commitment than you realize or might imagine. Self-empowerment and motivation are great tools for you to use, and they are two tools you can use as ingredients to steer yourself toward creating your vision, which will lead you to your target.

Some people believe that when they fail in achieving a goal, it ends the existence of their goal. But this is not true at all. Failing to achieve a goal provides you the opportunity to go back to the drawing board to redefine it and refuel the spirit of your motivation.

The first step you can take to improve your odds of succeeding and achieving your goal is not to allow failure to enter into your description or definition of success. Instead, replace the term "failure" with the idea and feelings associated with the term "reset": meaning, you did not fail at achieving your goal, but instead you need to simply reset the goal you had. Where you are today is not where you were when you initially established the goal. The growth you've achieved means that resetting your goal today makes it that much more achievable.

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Choice Is Motivation

We hear the term "empowerment" a lot these days. For those who need a reminder, empowerment refers to liberty and our ability to achieve what we desire. Motivation, on the other hand, is that what keeps your spirit and enthusiasm high. Your need for self-empowerment or self-motivation in life comes from within. Motivation gives you something to which to look forward, and it makes everything seem attainable – even those goals that may seem impossible.

Mainly what motivates you is the dream of having a better life, career, family or love. Acquiring self-motivation can be a difficult process to start, but it ultimately all comes down to making a choice. Your decision to choose an appropriate motivational tool can be more difficult than you might think.

Personal motivation is a very important skill in this day and age, especially when we have so many distractions to pull us away from tasks at hand. When you can maintain your focus on the tasks at hand, you will begin to see you journey take great, positive strides toward the success you seek. I've talked about and given ideas in previous blog posts regarding your focus, but how do you stay motivated when some days are filled with challenges? Feeling empowered is important, but being a self-starter – a person who can pick herself up and jump right back in – is the foundation of staying motivated.

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What’s Your Edge?

For all those who strive to be successful in their professional lives, whether they work for a corporation or they are an entrepreneur, there are a few things they (or should I say you) definitely need to have in order to achieve and keep their edge.

Having a vision is critical to being able to climb the corporate ladder. Your vision is what will allow you to stay motivated while working toward achieving the goals you've set for yourself. Goal-setting isn't always easy, as there is an art behind it that involves knowing how to set realistic and achievable goals while also managing your time and energy as you spend time completing the necessary actions to meet your milestones along the way that ultimately lead you right into the hands of success.

Knowing your vision and taking action to make it a reality takes more than just yourself. You need a support network that will act not just as cheerleaders to help keep you motivated but also to be the "naysayers" and play devil’s advocate. These elements, when combined, create a recipe for success. In order for you to earn the promotion to the next rung, you need something we call respect. Respect is a two-way street. Not only do you need to hold respect for those to whom you report, but those who report to you and those on the same level must do the same.

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Employee Motivation: A Secret Society?

Motivation is a key ingredient to success. This is not a news flash by any means, and all managers and good leaders embrace some degree of motivational program for their employees; whether they do this consciously or subconsciously, they all do it. Motivation is not some secret society either, but the secret to motivation is the "what" behind it. So what is the "what" anyway?

It's a great question and one that every great leader seeks to answer—although the answer is never the same twice! So that is what makes motivation part of a secret society, remembering and understanding the same employee will have different motivators at different times of her life? And yes, different times can be as often as yearly, monthly or even daily. This is the "what" behind keeping your employees motivated and feeling empowered.

Now that you're a part of this secret motivational society and you’ve been let into the inner sanctum, you're reading this and still thinking, "What? That isn't a news flash, either!" And yes, you would be right—but the news flash is the remembering that translates into engaging in some form of communication with your employees regularly to ensure you're in the know of what their current motivator is or might be. Regular communication is the real secret ingredient to realizing your success as a great motivational leader.

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Attitudes that Don't Foster Success

Success is attainable for those who seek it with both their thoughts and their actions. Unfortunately, people tend to give significantly more attention to their actions, not remembering that their thoughts and attitudes can dramatically impact their failure and success. Too often the negative messages we hear while we’re growing up and our overall conditioning further contribute to anti-success attitudes. For example, you likely have a negative attitude toward success if you repeatedly encountered the following types of messages while growing up:

• Don’t expect too much; you’ll just be disappointed in the end.


• You’re not good enough to deserve good things.


• Life is about dealing with problems.


• People are out to pull you down with them, not pick you up.


• Your capabilities are limited.


• When you don’t expect anything good from a situation, you’re being practical.


• “Optimism” is just another word for wishful thinking.

While these specific messages might seem harsh, peers and parents often unwittingly pass them along via their own attitudes and actions. For instance, constantly comparing one sibling to another can make one feel as though she can’t measure up or has only limited talents and abilities. Beliefs like this breed low self-esteem and ultimately result in failure.

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Measuring Motivation

When it comes to finding motivation to achieve our goals, there are some of us who just naturally have it—and then there are others who struggle to locate and embrace it. As a person who is always highly motivated, I do find there are certain days when I wonder to where my motivation has disappeared. It's on these days I question if there is a way to actually measure my motivation levels in comparison to others days, outside of knowing I feel more or less motivated.

We know that motivation is the fuel that supports people to take actions necessary for them to achieve their goals. When people have a strong desire to take action or are willing to take chances, think outside the box or blaze their own path, we recognize they have a strong sense of being motivated. Yet when an individual has a less-than-strong inner desire to take action and makes little or no progress in his life, we know these people as slackers or lacking motivation.

Outside of these two perspectives, is there another way to learn how to measure motivation? Simply put: yes. This is done by actually looking at and recognizing the type or quality of action steps highly motivated individuals take versus those who lack motivation to reach their goals.

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Napoleon Hill

All of us yearn for success. We all want to be rich and fulfill our ambitions, but very few of us know what road map to follow in order to reach that coveted destination. Napoleon Hill not only discovered this road map, but he also shared it through his books and seminars.

Napoleon Hill (Oct. 26, 1883-Nov. 8, 1970) was perhaps among the first American author to write about the intricate connection between one’s personal beliefs and success. He explained how having a firm set of beliefs and values was an essential component of success, while negative emotions like fear, selfishness, anger, etc., only bred failure. His book Think and Grow Rich, in which he discusses his own observations and secrets about success, is the one of the best-selling books of all time.

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Zig Ziglar Biography

This month I wanted to share with you a brief introduction to a man who definitely walks his talk. Zig Ziglar is one of those individuals whom if you ever needed an individual to keep you motivated for owning your truth while embracing all life has to offer, then he is one you want to keep on your motivational radar. From a sales expert to a popular self-help and motivational author, Ziglar has had one incredible journey. Ziglar is a born-again Christian and places immense faith in God. His belief in Christianity is strongly reflected in most of his works. However, what makes Ziglar’s teachings unique is that he combines his religious beliefs with the philosophy of positive thinking.

The following are some of his famous quotes that speak volumes about the man, his teachings and beliefs:

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Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

To grow in life you need to embrace and accept change constantly. The problem is most of us agree with this statement in principle, but when it comes to following it we find it difficult to get out of our comfort zone and break our established routine.

A practical example will perhaps explain my point better. Let’s say you’ve been working in a firm for five years, know everyone at your work place and have built several good personal and professional relationships. You’re good at your work and have established a routine you can follow with your eyes closed. The situation sounds comfortable, right? But the vital question here is “Are you challenging yourself enough to deliver your best constantly?”

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Wayne Dyer: LOA Godfather?

There are a lot of talk shows, books, videos and “gurus” focusing on the Law of Attraction, but there is one man who just might be considered or referred to as the “Godfather of LOA.” Wayne Dyer gave the world undying and unparalleled hope when he put forth the Law of Attraction, which argues that "if you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get it."

Dyer has touched many lives, as he is so much more than just a good author. He has built his own life on the theories in which he believes. Dyer served in the United States Navy from 1958-1962 and pursued an academic career thereafter. He published several journals, ran a successful private therapy practice and took lecture at St. John’s on positive thinking and motivational speaking techniques. These lectures brought him a lot of popularity. The turning point in his career, however, came when he published his first book, Erroneous Zones.

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Deepak Chopra

One of my favorite quotes by Deepak Chopra is, “If you want to reach a state of bliss, then go beyond your ego and the internal dialogue. Make a decision to relinquish the need to control, the need to be approved, and the need to judge. Those are the three things the ego is doing all the time. It's very important to be aware of them every time they come up.”

In this quote he refers to our every present “need” of all things and notes that when we let go of our neediness we allow room for love to appear—both love of self and love of others. Chopra reminds us the secret of attraction is to love yourself. This is a very difficult task to do when our minds are focused on external expectations and keeping ourselves on track to achieve great success. When Chopra says that “Attractive people judge neither themselves nor others. They are open to gestures of love. They think about love, and express their love in every action. They know that love is not a mere sentiment, but the ultimate truth at the heart of the universe,” he reminds us that “attractive” is a state of being; it is the state in which others perceive our self-worth. When we value ourselves, we not only bring more value into our lives but are also perceived differently by the world.

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New week ~ new theme? How to's ...

Last week we focused on different articles that I had read and thought were interesting regarding coaching and the articles offered some food for thought. I have been searching the 'how to' websites like Wikipedia and About.com for support regarding plain text verbiage for my new website regarding how to explain in layman's term exactly what I do. I was quite surprise at what I could find descriptions and instructions for and as a result decided to post a few of these this week. Enjoy!

How to Find the Motivation to Meditate
Source: WikiHow.com

Meditation can be a great way to relax and de-stress, as well as to create emotional and spiritual well being. With the hectic pace of life in today's society, however, even these benefits can get lost in our lists of to-do's. Fortunately, meditation may help you overcome these same scarcity conversations in your head. Now if you could just start meditating...A bigger idea: Meditation may be called prayer, perhaps for hours, to find a quiet place, "peace." Some believe in an unknown meditational tone or language ("glossolalia" - lingua) with which the "Holy Spirit" may communicate in "groanings" to the heavenly Father as in "charmistic" meditations.
Charismatic meditation has an attribute of the unseen Holy Spirit in relationship with the Father (discerning the Spirit).

• Derivation: charis (“grace”) and charizesthai (“to show favour”), connoting a spiritual grace leading to salvation granted through faith into good works.
  

Steps

1. List the reasons why you avoid meditation. Handle the problems.
   
   • If you don't like spending an hour meditating, or you get frustrated easily, then try half an hour. Or ten minutes. One true moment in meditation will be greater than one hour spent fidgeting and grumbling.
     
   • If you feel too busy to be still (in body or mind), then give yourself permission to be completely and totally free during your meditation time. (Yes, that means turn off your cell phone.) After all, you deserve to be peaceful as much as you deserve to eat, sleep, or breathe. It is a part of who you are. Furthermore, the world around you—your family, your friends, your companion animals, even strangers—deserve for you to be peaceful, too.
     
   • If you are distracted by your environment, then change what you can control, wait for quietude, or find a more serene location.
     
   • If you feel like a failure, then remind yourself that in meditation, there is no such thing as failure. Or success, really. Do not be attached to your results. They do not tell you who you are, only where you are.
     
   • If you feel physically uncomfortable in your posture, then try sitting on a pillow or in a chair. Lie down if you have to do so. You can always try other postures later.
     
   • If you feel emotionally or physically disturbed (other than how you're sitting), then you may have some mental or emotional issues that you need to address. Meditation may help you with your problems, but usually other techniques are quite effective too, sometimes more effective. Try for example to write your thoughts down.
     
   • If you have other reasons for avoiding meditation, analyze them and create your own solutions. You know what you need better than anyone.
     
   
   
2. Schedule meditation into your day. While it may not motivate you to meditate, at least you won't have anything else to do at that moment (it's true—check your schedule!).
   
3. Try meditating first thing in the morning or last thing at night. At these times, you will probably be least busy, so there will be a limited number of excuses. Moreover, early morning meditation may help you focus throughout the day, and late night meditation may help you sleep deeply.
   
4. Make meditation enjoyable rather than a chore. Perhaps you could create a "meditation zone" in your house or play soothing music.
   
5. Find a community. You may enjoy meditating with others. If you prefer solitary meditation, you may be motivated by discussing meditation with a supportive friend that also meditates, exchanging insights and questions.
   
6. Continually remind yourself of the benefits of meditation. (Remember that one benefit for busy people is that meditation may help you remain more aware and focused, which will make all those tasks you have to perform much easier!)
   

Tips

• Make sure you are comfortable while you are meditating. Full lotus position, for example, may look cool, but it may not be a comfortable position for you. If you are uncomfortable, you'll hardly be able to motivate yourself to practice meditation on a regular basis!
  
• Prolonged stress can result in serious health problems. Even if you are busy, make sure you take some time to relax, such as through meditation, for your own well being.
  
• If you find it difficult to meditate start with sitting for just 10 minutes at a time and gradually increase the time as you feel able. 10 minutes a day will benefit you as you become accustomed to your meditation.
  
• Try listening to your favorite music and if you can, wear headphones, this makes the music more personal to you as you sit with your eyes closed.
  
• If you want to, keep an area of your home just for meditating. Put crystals around the area and light candles during your meditation. Make where you meditate a special place, and in time you will be aware that the energy where you sit is far calmer, because it will become a special place to you.
  
• Have fun! Meditation should be fun. Put a little smile on your face to remind yourself to be happy. Smile with your heart, eyes and mind. If it doesn't go the way you want it to go, just laugh at how silly your mind is.
  
• There are thousands of styles of meditation. Mixing it up and finding new methods (often free, most with creative visualizations) can really keep you looking forward to the next session. Then you can stimulate your imagination a lot easier, making meditations extremely enjoyable. Ya know, the cyclic thing.
  

Warnings

• Be aware that circumstances (of varying importance) will arise in your life. It is up to you if you decide to follow through with your commitment to meditate. As a meditation in itself, notice when and why you decide to meditate anyway. Also, notice when and why you decide to skip meditation. There is no need to judge yourself. Simply notice and learn.

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Find Motivation to Meditate. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.