Motivation

 We all know that motivation is the key to success in everything that we do but especially in direct sales or when you have your own business. Lack of motivation makes it hard to take action, and without action, your goals remain unfulfilled. Did you know that there is actually some types of motivation that hinder you rather than help you?  Everyone who reads this blog or knows me, knows that I am a HUGE believer of the Law of Attraction.  I may struggle practicing it some days BUT I never give up.

Based on that belief, If you’re motivated by what you don’t want to occur or what you’re afraid will happen if you don’t take action, that is that motivation that is keeping you from reaching your goal.  Think about it – are you ever excited and motivated to run away from something?  Are you motivated when you feel like you have to keep moving to stay ahead of what you’re afraid might happen?  Now, if you are being chased by a bear or something, yes that is motivating but I am talking about reaching your goals.

Everything starts with a thought, right?  So if you are thinking about what you DON’T want, you are creating more of those things that you wish to avoid.  Make sense?  Think of it this way, when you create a  a feeling or thought of what you don’t want, you are actually drawing it to you and giving it strength.

If you create a very clear picture of what you do want, decide how it would look, sound, and feel to have it, and then start moving toward that goal.  I struggle with the feeling side of this so it helps to talk it out with a friend; with their help (and asking me lots of questions) I can start to put that into a visualize.  It feels good when you are moving towards a goal.  Regardless of how big the steps are, you are creating positive energy and drawing those goals to you.  It feels good to move in a positive direction toward something you want.  When you focus your energy on what you want, the Law of Attraction kicks in.

When you are clearly focusing on your goal and visualizing how it will feel once you have it, amazing things start to happen.  Here are a few examples of mindset shifts you can make that will shift your motivation from moving away from to moving toward courtesy of JulieAnn Jones

• Change from: “I don’t want to be broke and I have to be able to pay off my debt” to “I’m abundant and I know money is flowing to me as I work toward my business goals.”
• Change from: “I have to get more bookings or my business is going to dry up” to “I am a booking magnet and I love doing parties for all of my excited hosts.”
• Change from: “I’ll never get everything on my to do list done. I have to work harder and longer to make it happen” to “I love taking positive action every single day with a clear plan and path to what I want to achieve.”

I know it can be tough.  It is amazing to me how changing just one or two words in a sentence (don’t want or have to get) can change the whole flow of the Universe.  It feels like magic.  Training your brain takes practice and you really just need to be intentional about opening the flow, getting out of your own way, and allowing what you need to come to you.

The best way that I have found to stay on top of this shift it to take a gratitude walk.  I don’t mean an actual walk although that is a great option BUT what I mean is to close your eyes for ten seconds a day and give thanks for the things that you already have.  When you feel positive about the amazing things you already have, whatever goal you’ve set for yourself seems within your reach.  If you do nothing else and just do this, you’ll be amazed at what starts to happen in your life and business.

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!

The Bully in Your Head

TGIF!  This is the start of an exciting (and emotional) weekend – it is my 40th HS Reunion.  Yes, I graduated HS in 1975.  Over the last several weeks, there have been lots of pictures floating around including the one above from the 4th grade.  I am in the back row, 2nd from the right.

I am excited to see many old friends, introduce hubby to them and finally SQUASH the inner gremlin bully that lurks in my head.  Maybe you have one too.  “Who do you think you are?”  “You aren’t as good as ….”  Some days the bully is loud and intimidating while on other days he sleeps.  Yet without fail, he shows up to shake your confidence.  Mine has slept a lot over the last few months resting for this weekend.

Maybe you can relate.  Maybe you are applying for a new job, asking for a raise or starting your own business.  Maybe you are seeing friends and family who push your buttons. You know that you are successful.  You have awesome skills.  You have a business (or the job) that you love. You are confident.  Just as you walk in the door  — the bully rears its ugly head. “You’re not good enough, people are going to laugh at you,” What do you do? “No, what is your real job”  Do you retreat and go home?  Or do you fight the bully?

Thank you to the AWESOME Traci Bild for these five strategies that will calm the noise in your head:

1. Stay focused on what it is you want:  Talk to the Universe putting ONLY the positives out.  Move into the driver’s seat and redirect your thoughts to focus on what it is you want, what you can do, will have and are capable of.  Positive thoughts NOT negative ones.  Remember, you get what you put your focus on.

2. Restate damaging thoughts:  So what do you do when those negative thoughts creep in? The next time the bully shows up, take the damaging thoughts or words and restate them to emphasize what you want. If your thought is, “You will never have a successful business!” Restate to, “I am a success because I can pay my bills and enjoy my life as a result of it.”  Say it over and over because it’s going to feel odd, it will work.  You may have to “fake it till you make it” but as you speak the positive into the Universe, good things will come to you.

3. Retrain your brain:  How? Surround yourself by positive or inspiring thought patterns. Placed laminated quotes, images and inspiring words on your vanity mirror the refrigerator, and in your office.  As your mind naturally wonders to them, reading them multiple times a day, you are re-training your brain, every day, to focus on what it is you can do, and are capable of.  You are giving yourself the tools to battle the bully in your head. Over time, your mind will naturally focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t and that is power!

4. Protect your dream:  This one really surprised me but makes perfect sense.  Be careful who you share your dreams with. People are quick to remind you of “what you can’t do or why” because they haven’t defeated the bully in their own head. Confide only in those who support and encourage you or else risk another bully- this one outside of your head and in your circle of influence.

5. Use the risk-reward formula: Whenever you’re making a big decision ask yourself  — what’s the worst thing that can happen? If you can live with the worst case scenario, take the risk and move forward. If  you can’t then don’t; it’s that simple.

Will this squash the bully forever?  Probably not, he will will return to test the waters, to see if you’ve weakened your resolve and if it’s able to penetrate your mind enough to derail you. Be sure to fight back. Focus on what you want, can do, will have and the way it will feel once you’ve accomplished your goal.

Who is ready to reach for their goals and STOMP out that inner gremlin?

Have a ThirtyOne-derful day!