In life you either need desperation or inspiration – Tony Robbins

Everything changes whether we want it or not. Nothing stands still. The river of life flows changing everything around. Only two things remain the same: whether we go with the flow or take responsibility and make an attempt to go upstream in our personal development.

What drives us to move forward, we ask? One friend once said: in life you either need desperation or inspiration in order to strive for the best improving yourself continuously. What we constantly do is what shapes our daily lives and our destiny. When we make a decision to take matters into our hands there are simple reminders to take into consideration to make this everlasting sustainable change.

10 Tips For Self-Motivation

1. Mind De-Cluttering Habit

There’s one tool I find particularly helpful when it comes to decluttering the mind. A meditation technique called “A Loving Gardener”. Imagine your mind was a garden. It has everything you like. Thousands of colourful flowering bushes and roses, orchids and rhododendrons. Birds tweeting cheerfully. Wells and meadows lit up with sunlight, butterflies playfully chasing each other. A beautiful garden. Your garden of the mind.

Now imagine yourself taking care of that garden. Getting rid of the grass and fallen rotten leaves. Getting rid of anything that changes the scenery. Getting rid of anything, that creates any sort of disbalance.

When we learn to de-clutter our minds, that is when are ready for new positive thoughts to fill up the headspace.

CALM is particularly useful. Choose your tune and get into meditation. You will thank yourself later.

2. Self-Education Matters

The process of learning never stops after graduating from school or university. The school of life continues. Its lessons never stop knocking on our doors in a disguise of opportunities to learn.

Take care of your personal education. There is nothing more compelling than to have a conversation with an intelligent person!

Create a list of books you always wanted to read and go through with it. It is rewarding. You will start getting new ideas and insights.

Your imagination will expand. It’s like a parachute, it works best whilst opened.

If you have new skills you always wanted to develop, there are useful sites like TED with its countless ideas of inspiration and YouTube with all kinds of lessons, tutorials and “how to” videos available.  Also in iTunes University, there is a huge catalogue of full lectures available to boost your self-education even more. Never stop learning new things every day.

Watch this incredible TED talk How to learn anything by Josh Kaufman. 

 

3. Be Open Minded

Try new things. Become more and more open-minded. Maybe it’s time to take up new hobbies, introduce new activities? The more you get into new things, the more you learn about yourself and your unlimited capacity.

For example. Once I told that I was talentless as an artist. Maybe it’s true for someone who said that years ago. But that was just an opinion. Once we break free from opinions and pursue something we’ve always wanted, there’s nothing there to hold us back.

4. Soup For Soul

There should always be a place for wonder in your life. Even if years have passed since you believed in Santa Clause, unicorns and fairies.

Fill your life with its mysteries and marvels. Take up yoga and meditation classes. Something mind-opening. Whatever it is, make sure it becomes one of the richest sources of your inspiration. From star admiration to photographing the sunsets. Fill up your soul with the warm energy of positive marvels of life.

5. Read More and See Through

The more you read, the more you learn about life. The more you are in touch with your eternal emotions and feelings, the more you will be able to understand people around you and connect with them better. You will expand your ability to see through and between the lines.

What is on your reading list now? Which book are you excited to read next?

6. Love and Respect Your Money

Love your money and they will love you back. Very weird, but it appears to be true. Make a simple observation. People with no money either avoid this topic or constantly and religiously repeat same “mantra”: “I Don’t Have Money. Money Is Tight” and so on.

Rich and successful people, on the other hand, are talking about money openly. They love it and they surely know how to multiply it at any given time. They dare to dream big, so will you.

7. Dream Big!

We dream every day. We dream about many things. We dream relentlessly. Our imagination is filled with the limitless universe of floating images of things we want to see, feel, accomplish and experience. That warm stream of our dreams brings us hope, inspiration and that flickering anticipation that, maybe someday, we will somehow experience something from that abundant kaleidoscope of fantasy here, in reality… Whatever your dreams are, dare to dream big!

8. Rid Your Life of Toxic People

When you are on a highway of life and some people as it appears are trying to pull you astray, get rid of this interference. No excuses. Choose the right direction for you and go with it. There is no need to keep people who bring nothing but problems in your life. Why stay in touch with people who have goals lower than yours and as a result plant seeds of doubt in you? Or with those, who’s a personal hobby is to bring you down and make you feel less than you are or, even worthless.

For example, if you want to take up vocal classes, but your friends say that it’s a bad idea (they might even come up with a bundle of reasons due to their own limiting beliefs) who would you listen? Will you give in to somebody else’s opinions? Or are you more likely to make up your own mind about where your life should take its next step?

9. Have a Purpose

Have you ever tried to hit a target whilst being blindfolded? Have a clear vision of your purpose in life. What do you want? How can we gain anything if we have no idea what we want? It’s like wanting a green car (never acknowledging it), but receiving a red one disliking this colour.

Distinguish your goals that will be filled with purpose. Let it be your North star guiding you through your life.

10. Take Action

Take action. Go for it and change your life for the better. Try new approaches. Don’t just stay still waiting for things to come to your doorstep. You need to go forward and leave old limiting beliefs and doubts behind. No one will live your life better than you or for you. Take action.

Photo by Natalia K.