Pat Anderson Today

And today is the last of my 3 part answer to the question I have been asked, in many ways:

How do you stay motivated even when family members and friends are keeping me down - I want to keep my motivation up even when I don’t feel like it.

How do you motivate yourself when you have run out of momentum?

- Have you had a break?
Your body functions in rhythms. Let yourself take a break when you need it and always strive to make that break rejuvenating and refreshing so that when you come back from it you are highly motivated again.

- Do something!
When you are going through a spell of being unmotivated the only way you will regain that motivation is to force yourself to work on something productive. Force yourself to be very productive for 15 minutes. If you need to, take a break after your 15 minutes of productivity. Do something active. Go weed the flowerbed or go for a run.

When you come back (and please do come back!) force yourself to do something again where you will see progress, even if its only for another 15 minutes. As you begin to see progress you will regain your motivation. If you don’t then you probably need to reread and take action on the first point of this post.

- Sometimes being unmotivated stems from procrastination.
Are you procrastinating doing a specific task? If yes, identify what it is about that task that you are not looking forward to doing. If it is a task that cannot be delegated spend a few minutes outlining the steps to completing this task.

Is there a certain step that you dread more than the others? Why not tackle that task right now and get it behind you? Ultimately going through it will not be as hard as dreading it endlessly! Go for it - do it now and move on with life. You’ll be glad you did.

Take care of yourself, be sure of your desired outcome and forge ahead and you will find the motivation to achieve the success you desire!

Create a Great Day!
Pat

In my previous entry I posted a question I get asked:

How do you stay motivated even when family members and friends are keeping me down - I want to keep my motivation up even when I don’t feel like it.

Like I said, I will answer this question in three parts. The second part of my answer addresses the fact of who motivates you. When we determine whom we will allow to motivate us we may find that looking to others for motivation isn’t really the best method of motivation. Let’s think about this.

Do you allow people to determine the amount of motivation you have?

- People will press their agenda onto you when you are not sure of your own agenda. Make yourself clear, for your sake, their sake and the sake of your business - what is my agenda; what do I want to accomplish and why?

- Offer people specific blocks of your time (you determine the amount and the time) and stick to it.

- If you are filled with negative voices make sure you get around people who will keep you motivated and excited; people who believe in you! People’s input into our lives determines the life we live. Make sure you choose your friends wisely.

If you want people to motivate you then be sure that they are giving you the motivation you need.

Someone asked me the following question:

“How do you stay motivated even when family members and friends are keeping me down - I want to keep my motivation up even when I don’t feel like it?”

My response comes in 3 segments.
Segment #1:

1. Motivation can come from others but the best kind of motivation comes from within.

- Do you love what you do?
- Do you find your work inspiring?
- What can you do to motivate yourself instead of relying on others?

Discover the answer to these 3 questions and find your inner motivation today!

Create a Great Day!
Pat Anderson

I’m not really into bugs - in fact, I’m not into them at all. But my kids have a love/hate relationship with them now that it’s summer.

As a result of the current fascination I became aware of some very basic lessons we can learn from one creature in particular - the ant. (Sorry to those of you who may now be saying “Oh yuck!”) But the design in nature has many lessons to teach us.

What lessons can I learn from the ant?

Self-motivation. An ant does not need a leader in order to accomplish the incredible amount of work it completes! What about me? Do I constantly need someone to tell me what I should be doing next? I need to be more self-motivated.

Takes action. An ant works hard to get what she desires. Taking action is the key to achieving results.

Diligence. Does the ant stop working because something came up or she wasn’t in the mood. An ant works with diligence and gains her reward.

Faithful. An ant is faithful to her work. She doesn’t complain about her workload. She doesn’t get distracted. She knows her purpose. Am I faithful to what I commit myself to doing? Faithfulness brings results.

Provides for the needs of others. An ant works for the greater good of the community of ants. What about me? Am I working for the greater good of the people I am privileged to have in my life? Am I making a difference in this world?

Reaps the harvest. All these character traits pay off for the ant - she reaps a harvest when the time has come. She is not lacking because of her hard work, diligence, self-motivation, faithfulness and desire to do her part. How about us? Are we reaping the rewards of our efforts? If not, maybe we need to develop some of the characteristics we learn from the ant.


Prov.6:6

This week our son graduated. He has finished his first 12 years of education (well, actually his first 18 years!) Graduation is an exciting and a nostalgic time for parents. We reflect on all the ways our son has developed into a young man and we remember all the incidents that have taken place to shape him into the person he has become.

During this time we also come face to face with the goal we set as parents of this child: our goal for our kids is to raise them to be responsible, capable adults. Now - reality is that they don’t belong to us. They’ve been in our care for the first few years of their lives and then we release them.

It’s easy and logical to say that we must release our kids but much harder to let it sink into our hearts. The state of “being ready to be released” puts a lot of pressure on parents; pressure to have done a good job. What does it mean to be ready to “be released”?

Is my son ready to face the world in which he will exist? Have we taught him to embrace life with passion? Is he capable of facing each day with a positive attitude? Does he have the skills to become excellent in his field?

But most important of all, does he have a strong relationship with his Creator? Jesus is the One who will fill him with passion and excitement; the One who will bring about the opportunities to build his skills; the One who will make life an adventure as our son discovers his purpose here on earth. Our responsibility as parents is to introduce him to this Jesus and then trust our son to put his faith in this great and wonderful counselor and friend.

We have taught him that knowing Jesus and letting Jesus lead is the only way he will find fulfillment and true purpose. Anything else will leave him feeling lonely and disappointed.

So ultimately, we have only one thing that we must be most concerned with during this time of graduation - have we been diligent in introducing him to the most exciting relationship on earth?!

Fear is the greatest culprit for sabotaging our success. When we allow fear to debilitate us we are choosing defeat. Being afraid of failure is usually the source of our fear. When we are afraid to move forward because of fear of failure we have admitted defeat.

Don’t let fear keep you from your full potential. Don’t sell yourself short. Take the steps to overcome your fears and conquer this destructive force.

How do you bust past fear?

I’ve been writing about having a positive attitude over at E-zine Articles and wouldn’t you know it - the tests follow!

Our agriculture business is very dependent on the weather. The floods and the rains have made this a very trying year so far. It’s taking a lot more effort to remain positive! My consolation - as you go through the trials your character strengthens.

So I’m doubling my efforts that I have been writing about:

pushing out doubts and exchanging them with positive promises

positive visual images

smile

speak only positive words

listen to good speakers

brighten someone’s day

think ahead to my achieved dreams and goals and don’t look back

do not worry, no sense in borrowing trouble - I’d rather focus on solutions

believe in a Higher Power than myself!

Now that I’ve shared what character lessons I’m learning and improving, share with me what you are working on and improving in…..

Create a Great Day!
Pat Anderson

check out my articles at Ezine Articles - Pat L Anderson:
http://articlesbypatanderson.com

Zig Ziglar says,

“You will make a lousy anybody else, but you will be the best “you” in existence.”

My daughter has been struggling these past few days with feelings of inadequacy. She has a group of vibrant, fun-loving friends and yet there are times feels she doesn’t measure up. (She does measure up - those inevitable times of insecurity that set in for a teenage girl!) I have reminded her several times in the last while that all she needs to do is be the best “Person” she can be - that’s it! Don’t try to be someone else. They won’t like you that way!

It was a good reminder for myself. Am I being the best person I can be? Do I let myself slip into times of disappointment? Do I allow myself a pity-party every once-in-awhile? Do I show respect to the people closest to me? (Another reminder we’ve been issuing in our household lately!)

When I allow myself to function at less than my best I am not giving the people in my life what they need. They need my very best. They need joy, fun, caring, empathy, a listener, someone to relax with….. Most of all they need me to smile at them and tell them I love them. I have the ability to make my home a wonderful place to be.

What do the people in your life need from you?
What do you need from yourself - to be the best person you can be?

Let me assure you: We love you as the person you are. You have much to give to others. You have a lot to contribute to making this world a better place. Let your true light shine and fill the world with joy! Be the best YOU!

Create a Great Day!
Pat

Our thoughts determine our life. They determine:
• the joy we will experience in life,
• the outcome of the things we set our hands to,
• the way others perceive us and reward us,
• the way others respond to us.

Our thoughts are the birth place of our actions. If our thoughts direct positive action our outcome will also be positive. Our thoughts control how we feel about life. Our feelings determine the quality of our work, the attitude with which we do our work. The attitude we have toward our work also determines the motives we have for doing the work. Wrong motives are not rewarded.

Our thoughts hold the power over our lives. Control your thoughts; control your outcome!

Develop a good thought pattern:

1. Look for the positive in every situation.

2. Fill your mind with good thoughts. Give yourself good things to think about.

3. Allow only wise people to influence you.

4. Develop a way to take stock of what you are thinking. Devise a reminder to stop and think about what you are thinking about. Every time I see a yellow vehicle I ask myself, “What am I thinking about.” (My daughter drives a yellow car so I have many opportunities to ask myself this question.)

5. Recite & meditate on positive promises and affirmations. They will erase the negative thoughts that want to creep into your mind and destroy your joy.

Learn to control your thoughts and start to enjoy the life you are living because of positive thoughts.

As our lives fill up with obligations: relationships, work, financial obligations, family, deadlines, etc. we can easily become overwhelmed. When we get overwhelmed we do not function at a level of excellence. We struggle with many emotions, especially the one of not being capable to do the job. The following checklist will help you defeat those feelings of being overwhelmed.

8 Steps to Peace of Mind and Accomplishment:

1. Get rid of the clutter in your surroundings.
2. Create a filing/storing system so you can quickly retrieve the things you need.
3. Plan your days.
4. Use a calendar or a planner to keep your appointments and schedule from slipping past you.
5. Know your goals, dreams and desires. Keep them fresh in your mind by reviewing them often.
6. Plan your work.
7. Work your plan.
8. Enjoy the beauty of the life you have!

When we organize our life, our space and our mind we function with more control and focus. Take control and defeat that feeling of being overwhelmed!