10 Simple Things You Should Know to be Chronically Motivated

The contrast between the concepts behind the words, mind state and mindset, is striking.  It truly is the proverbial, night and day; apples and oranges; black and white, etc.

 

If you want to be, do, or have all that is possible in your life it is extremely important for you to clearly understand that contrast.

Frankly that understanding is the first thing you should know to be chronically motivated.  Why?

Well, the generally accepted definition of mind state is a person’s mood and the effect that mood has on the person’s thinking and behavior.  Contrast that definition with the generally accepted definition for mindset which is the established set of attitudes held by someone.

Big difference, right?

If you are to remain chronically motivated, your mood (mind state) must be such as to allow the necessary thinking and behavior.  Bad mood…bad outcomes vs. good mood…good outcomes to put the point succinctly.

You see…your established set of attitudes (mindset) is a product of the thinking and behavior driven by you mind state.  Get your mind state in order and everything else necessary for a positive mindset and state of chronic motivation will fall in place.

To summarize, the foundation for chronic motivation is your mind state…the mood that impacts your thinking and behavior.

So, what are some of the additional things that must be placed on that foundation of chronic motivation?

Belief in yourself is the next thing necessary for chronic motivation.  If you do not recognize the personal miracle that is you, you cannot make miracles for yourself happen. 

Consider this…2,240 trillion to one!  Those are the scientifically determined physiological odds of your birth.  Heelllooo!  You are a miracle and that alone should give you the confidence to believe in yourself and your potential.

Of course, you must act on that belief which brings me to the next thing you should know to be chronically

motivated.

Your chronic motivation is born of this progression of thought and behavior:

Planning

↓

Predicting

↓

Achieving

To put that progression into a more complete context you must plan for successful results; allow a well thought-out and written plan to give you confidence in predicting successful results; and finally, following the plan to ultimately achieve your desired results.

The fourth thing you should know to be chronically motivated relates back to the above progression of thought and behavior.  It is…you must have a clear vision/definition of what it is you want out of your life. 

You can’t achieve something you can’t see in your mind’s eye and emotionally define in your heart!  Chronic motivation requires an actively involved mind and an emotionally charged heart.

You achieve both of those through following the progression outlined above.

Next in line for what you need to know to be chronically motivated is an understanding of the fact it is not the human “won’t.”  It is the human “will!” 

Practicing the previous things to be chronically motivated should put you in a strong-willed state of mind.  However, an important reminder is the sewer of life is filled through the drain of negative thoughts.  Negative thoughts suck your will away as the whirlpool described in Moby Dick sucked away the lives of the members of the Pequod.

Talk about a whirlpool!  The fear of change can suck you down just as any whirlpool.  There is no doubt dealing with change can be terrifying, but it is something you need to know how to do if you are to remain chronically motivated.

To deal effectively with change really requires five steps:

1.       Recognize why the change is occurring

2.       Identify your alternatives for dealing with it (which could include totally ignoring it—not recommended!)

3.       Choose the best option for handling the changing circumstances

4.       Act on your choice

5.       Be prepared because change is inevitable and will come again

There is a wonderful series of articles in the Huffington Post that could further help you deal effectively with change.

The seventh thing you should know to be chronically motivated has to do with using your past experiences effectively.  People with the will to believe in the vision of their dreams overcome their current lack of confidence by focusing on what they have achieved in the past.  They dismiss their past failures.  They use the experiences of their past to give them the will to live their future to the fullest.

When you run up against something you don’t quite understand, leverage your past experiences.  Don’t dwell on the negatives…focus on the positive things you have accomplished that may have a relationship to that which you don’t understand.  Adapt those past experiences to meet these new circumstances in your present.

All the above things you need to know can only be honored by exercising passionate self-discipline…item number eight of the ten simple things.

You can’t be chronically motivated until you have a passionate focus on your dreams and dedicate yourself to the discipline necessary to achieve those dreams.

Here’s one great example of that fact:  Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, is now an American icon.  How did that happen? After all, he was only a person with very ordinary beginnings. 

Could it be he was a person who had an idea…a dream that he kept clear in his vision, strong in his heart and acted on it over time despite the odds?  You can make those same choices that lead to passionate self-discipline!

Number nine of the ten things you should know to be chronically motivated is HUGE!  You can’t really skip any of the ten things but for sure this one is necessary.

There are several reasons why your acquisition of knowledge on a continuing basis is so important to creating chronic motivation over your entire life. 

Let me illustrate my point through a wonderful story concerning the value of knowledge.  It’s a thought expressed by Winston Churchill.  The setting for this story is during World War II just before the battle of El Alamein in North Africa.

Winnie summoned his military leader, Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery and suggested that he study the logistics of the impending battle.  It’s important to note that Montgomery was relatively diminutive in stature but large in ego.  His reaction to Churchill’s suggestion would confirm that last fact.

Montgomery doubted that he should become involved in the details of the logistics concerning the battle.  “After all,” he said, “You know what they say, familiarity breeds contempt.”  Churchill replied, “I would like to remind you that without a degree of familiarity, we could not breed anything.”

Familiarity can only happen through the continuous acquisition of knowledge.  This ninth thing comes down to the old cliché, knowledge is power!

The essence of growing intellectually…the acquisition of knowledge…is the overcoming of fear.  Learning enough, through reading and study, about what you must do to live your life to the fullest will give you the great courage to do just that.

Finally, we come to the last thing you should know to be chronically motivated. 

You can’t expect to be chronically motivated without continuously honing your skills.  Skills are the HOW of what you must do to achieve success in your life.

I won’t pretend to know the skills you need to hone to be most effective in your world.  However, there is one skill that is universal regardless of specific personal circumstances.  The fact is your skill at and your commitment to planning will determine your destiny.

Think about it this way, around and around you go and where you stop you better know.  Otherwise, you get confused and lost.  None of this is about getting lost.  It’s about doing the things necessary to be chronically motivated and find success.  In short, the answer is planning.

Your planning must be driven by meaningful goals.  What do I mean by “meaningful goals?”  Well, what else do you want?  If you have a big enough reason you want it, then you will get it.  In other words, you must be able to see it, feel it, taste it, and hear it before you have it, if you’re going to ultimately get it.

A bright future is best defined and assured through a written plan and effective execution of the steps in that plan.  Here is a list of resources to help you.

I started this post by contrasting the concepts of mind state and mindset.  My belief is by practicing these ten simple things you should know to be chronically motivated, your mood (mind state) will allow you to create an established set of attitudes (mindset) that will lead you to great success in your life.

What is your reaction to these ten simple things?  Which one are you motivated to put into action first?

Please share your thoughts by commenting below.  

And…please forward this information to others by following the social media share link at the top or bottom of this post. 

Thank you.