Visualization - The tool that can make or break your motivation!

 Do me a favour right now. Close your eyes and vividly imagine all the obstacles and problems you might face on your path to your desired goal. Feel the frustration and sense of failure. You might even get to the point of feeling defeated.

Now, try closing your eyes and imagining encountering those same obstacles and facing them with strength and resilience, overcoming them and finding your way to your goal. Embrace the feeling of success and accomplishment. You might even start smiling.

Now tell me:

Which visualization renewed your motivation to continue on your path?

Which of the two exercises likely gave you the boost of confidence needed to power through the down times on the long road to your goals?

Visualization is an important tool for successfully tackling ambitions and goals in life. Athletes do it the night before (and sometimes right before) big races or games. A runner will feel their muscles tense as they see themselves sprinting towards the finish line, feel the tape taught across their midsection break free as they place first. They feel the joy of winning the race before they’ve even step foot onto the track.

The same applies for any goal or ambition you set to achieve. Want to finish your degree? The best motivation won’t come from imagining all the tired nights writing pages and pages of essays, it will come from imagining your pride at crossing the stage, or the job you are hoping to get once you've completed your studies. Imagining the other side can really help to pull you through the tough middle. The goal doesn’t have to be athletic or academic, it can be anything. If you want to buy a car, your motivation to work hard will come from imagining all the things you want to do with your car: go camping, have easier access to shopping or cities, see your friends more. Whatever your reasons, if you visualize them, they will help you over the hard parts.

If you’re on the long road, look back to see where you’ve come from, but don’t stress the middle, look to the end to find the motivation to pull you through the rough patches, and take one day at a time.

And keep Conquering!

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 Other topics you might be interested in: 

Anxiety Conquerors Unite!

The Nervous System

 Setting Goals

What motivates you?

Overwhelmed? Carve a staircase out of a wall!

Architect of Your Own Fortune

 (PHOTO: Me on part of the Drakensburg Mountains in South Africa)

   

Everyone is the architect of their own fortune. 

This quote (adapted to fit today's language styles) has been credited to various people, but Appius Claudius Caecus (340 BC – 273 BC) said it first in a speech addressed to Cineas, declaring that Rome would never surrender.

 How does that apply to you, here in the 21st century? There is deep wisdom in the phrase. It implies that everyone has the power to direct their own lives; create the fortune that makes them happiest. 

 You hold the key to unlocking your ultimate life. 

           You also hold the key to beating depression, anxiety or whatever you may be fighting. It's not easy to have your ultimate life, or reach your full potential. It's difficult. Really difficult. Most things worth anything are very hard to get, or achieve. That is part of what makes them so alluring, and in the end, so rewarding. Would you feel as proud if you achieved something without even trying? No (well maybe you would, but I'm guessing no), you'd feel bored. Part of achieving your goals and reaching your pinnacle is the road along the way. The obstacles you overcome help you grow and gain strength (mentally, physically and spiritually). 

           Though the path you desire to carve through life may seem daunting, and reaching your goals impossible, it doesn't have to be so. Especially when you remember that you have the power in yourself, and you can control your choices. Control is generally an illusion. We can't control the weather, or nature. But we can control our reactions to events and our choices in life. 

            In following our paths we will come across obstacles, they are an inevitable part of life. We will fall down. Nothing is perfect. Life is not perfect. Life is not fair. There is only one way past these obstacles: "adapt and overcome"; to borrow a phrase used so often by Bear Grylls (survivalist, writer and producer). 

            Though his shows are generally over-the-top, somewhat set-up and usually involve an inordinate amount of creature-killing, his expression is exactly what so many of us need to hear. And it's not just applicable to surviving nights out in the flat tundra of the arctic. 

           To adapt and overcome applies to so many facets of life. Overcoming any obstacle or challenge naturally involves accepting the situation and gradually re-adjusting our route. We can choose to get stuck behind the obstacle and sit there, waiting. But the obstacle will go nowhere and neither will we. Only when we choose to be the Architect of Our Own Fortune and press forward, adapting to our situations and overcoming them gradually with the help of friends, family and other social networks will we move forward on our journeys to health, happiness and success.

Please take a few moments to listen to this very motivating song by a progressive metal band from Sweden:
Circus Maximus - Architect of Fortune

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Other topics you may be interested in: 

 What motivates you?

Engine for Change - Motivation for self-relection and self-improvement. 

Staying Motivated when Discouraged

"A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step"

 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." 

Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu 

Chinese philosopher (604 BC - 531 BC)

          Today I was speaking with a friend about motivation, road-blocks and walls. We are both musicians, and aspire to create. There is nothing like the feeling of cohesive music that just flows from your mind into your instrument and out into beautiful music. There is nothing like writing the perfect poem or story, or achieving your goals. But there are so many potential obstacles that can arise along the way. The thoughts of encountering these obstacles, or actually encountering them, is enough to stop most people's motivation dead in its tracks.

The same is true for coping with depression or anxiety. There are many walls and obstacles that can crop up - some may be physical, some may be emotional/mental. Sometimes the simplest task is overwhelming and the urge to shrink from it is strong. Getting out of bed some days can be very hard for some people. Facing a personal fear can be daunting. Finding the will inside to keep pressing forward, through the emotional fog and walls can be exhausting. Finding the motivation can sometimes seem impossible.

As people, we don't often give ourselves credit where it's due; we are our own hardest critics, our worst judges. It has been said before and it's true. But this mindset doesn't help to keep you motivated, and it definitely doesn't keep you feeling mentally well. We rarely look behind us to see where we have come, the challenges we have conquered, the goals we have achieved. We are constantly looking forward, berating ourselves for not being there yet, not being better yet, not being good enough.

When taking on a big battle like fighting depression and anxiety, or setting long-term goals, or starting a new routine or habit, people don't often acknowledge the little steps they take along the way in order to make it to the end goal. It's an all-or-nothing, black-and-white perspective that will leave them feeling defeated.

I didn't do all the tasks I had set out today. I'm a failure. 

I didn't run the whole 5km. I didn't succeed.

I didn't.... 

This list can go on.

But, chances are, you did do some of the tasks on your list. And chances are you at least put on your shoes, maybe took a few steps, maybe you ran half your 5k. Chances are, you did do something to help you achieve your goal. These are little steps.

They are the most important steps you will take.

Little steps are what set you in motion for sustaining habits; they are the power behind the inertia of routine. They will get you to where you are going.

Be happy with the little steps, as they are the biggest part of your journey.




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Other topics you may be interested in:

Overwhelmed? Carve a Staircase Out of a Wall!

Engine for Change - Motivation for self-relection and self-improvement.

Motivating and encouraging statements - Help yourself stay above the water!

Staying Motivated When Discouraged

Weekly Challenge 6 - Week of February 5 - February 11, 2012

Hey everyone, hope you had a good Saturday night and have started your day right!

I have missed a couple Weekly Challenges for you guys over the past month, but today I have one in store that I hope many of you will enjoy.

Lately I have been thinking about the things that define me in my life: people, relationships, jobs, hobbies and thinking processes, etc. I have been considering much about how the way we interact with people reflects how we interact with ourselves and how we perceive our environments and experiences.  

My challenge for you to undertake this week is to come up with 5 things you dislike about your traits or behaviours (negative behaviours) and craft a 3-6 month plan of how to conquer at least one of them.

For example, you may not like that you don't spend enough time with your family, or you are not adventurous (don't like starting new hobbies or doing new activities).  Of course I am not suggesting to rip yourself apart and change everything about you, because you are who you are. But if there are traits that *you* don't like in yourself or can see them negatively affecting others and wish to change them, then these are the ones to consider.

In your journal you can write down one of your 5 undesirable traits or behaviours, and underneath it write the goal trait or behaviour (they do not have to be extreme opposites; you might just want to modify an existing trait to be less extreme, for example):

Undersirable trait:         Too conservative/uptight
Desirable trait:              Adventurous and laid-back (This is an extreme change; a more moderate one would be 'flexible' or 'willing to try new things')

3 or 6 months:                3 months

What are actions that promote this trait:
____________________________________________________________________________________

How can I incorporate one or some of these actions into my week:
____________________________________________________________________________________

What are the some obstacles I might face when trying to change my behaviour:
____________________________________________________________________________________

How can I approach these and handle them with grace?
____________________________________________________________________________________

How will I know when I have reached my goal?
____________________________________________________________________________________

Who can I talk to to help me along this journey? Are they supportive? If not, can I find someone who is?
_____________________________________________________________________________________



By writing these out, you are forcing yourself to commit to your new behaviour. This is the first step in actualizing a plan for change. By anticipating challenges (obstacles) and writing them down and how you will approach them you will not be blindsided and overwhelmed when they do arise. This allows you to recover from set-backs quicker and helps keep you on track. By reaching out to others you are creating a supportive network that will be essential for you to press onward during rough times and to celebrate with you when you have hit a milestone!

Be careful to set a realistic and attainable goal, however, as something too lofty will only create disappointment.
If you are currently housebound and seeking counseling, planning a 3 month goal of traveling to the other end of the continent by yourself may not be realistic. Discover your personal boundaries, and seek to slowly expand the circle until your goal has come into view. Once you have reached it, re-assess your position, and seek to expand your comfort circle once more.

The idea on the path to wellness is to create a dynamic, flexible and content personality while not compromising on your beliefs and values.

Enjoy this challenge my friends!

Conquer on!

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Weekly Challenge 5 - Week of January 15 – 21

Welcome back everyone and welcome to the 5^th weekly challenge!!

ConquerTheClouds has officially entered the 6^th week of existence!

I hope you were able to keep up with the Challenge last week of tracking your moods. If you haven’t been following the Challenges, check out this page for a list of what you’ve been missing out on!

This week, I have come up with a creative-challenge (aren’t they all creative? haha!).

I have been thinking about my future and career-goals and want to make them accessible and manageable. As I have mentioned in Staying Motivated when Discouraged (tip # 3) and in Carving a Staircase out of a Wall in order to set manageable goals we have to chunk them into smaller steps. We can call this prioritizing, as well. This is to help stay motivated and avoid getting discouraged from being unable to complete the entire project or goal all at once. We have to make sure things are time-appropriate.

So, with that! I want everyone to write out a couple big goals (buy a car, go to university, write a song or story, get a job, lose 10 lbs, etc.) and put them onto a flash card, or a medium-sized piece of paper. Colour it with funky colours, or make it fun however you like – this is an important, fulfilling goal of yours! Make it fun!

On separate pieces of paper (smaller if you like, like half sized flash cards – cut them with scissors) write at least 3-5 steps that you can take to make it to your big goal. Make them manageable, and attainable.

Imagine you are trying to get a job. Write that on your card “Get a Job”. On the 1^st little paper we can write “write my resume”, on the 2^nd we can write “write my cover letter” and so on. These are much easier to manage than thinking about just getting that job and all that entails!

For me, this week, I am going to write my goals on some flash card sized papers and tape them to my bathroom mirror (or on a wall or door I see every day). I want you to do the same. Tape your goals to a surface that you see often. This will help to refocus your mind if you find it difficult to concentrate, and also provide you with motivation to complete your goals.

If you have no goals for your life at this point, this week can be for brainstorming! Make it fun and wacky as well as serious as your write down your life goals – you can put things like 'having a dinosaur-shaped pool in your backyard by the time you’re 30' as well as 'becoming a doctor'. It doesn’t always have to be serious, but having well-defined, attainable goals for life are important as they provide a sense of purpose and let you feel satisfied and fulfilled.

Now, get to it! :D

If you haven’t been following the Weekly Challenges, start here today!

Thanks for reading!

                                                    Conquer on!

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