|
|
      |
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
|
|
|
| The Lounge | Champions | The Wire | Schedule | Audio | Arcade | The Top Ten | Historical | Email | Video |
 |
Your Biggest Do it Yourself Project
When I meet people and tell them what I do, I often hear, "Oh, you are a motivational speaker," with some amount of assuredness in their voice. While I realize there are many speakers that people lump into this category (some who are my friends and mentors), I strongly disagree with that label. Do I speak? Yes. Can I inspire, challenge thinking, provide ideas, input, and encouragement (and in smaller settings), provide feedback? Yes I can. Can I motivate? No I can't. DIY There is a channel on my television called DIY - The Do It Yourself Network. On this channel you can learn how to make drapes, redo your landscape, take care of your yard, build a deck, make unique crafts, and much more. Many people must watch it, because it has been on my television for several years.Actually this doesn't surprise me. People want to learn how to do new things. They want to avoid the cost of the expensive plumber, carpenter or painter, and they like the pride that comes with seeing the results of their efforts. If people do the things they learn about (rather than just watching) they are doing it because they are self motivated. No crafty, clever, or comical TV host has motivated them - they have motivated themselves. It is the same with our personal, professional and business projects - we may work with others and need expert coaching, advise, counsel and encouragement, but in the end these are "Do it yourself" projects too. Five Suggestions Here are five things you can do to make your own improvement and growth and "do it to yourself" project. 1. Have a reason for doing. If your windows are bare, you know you need drapes. If your grill sits in the grass, you know you want a deck in your backyard. What is the reason you want to improve your skills or habits or achieve new results? Having a clear goal is the first step towards self motivation. If you watch the TV show because you are interested, but don't need that skill, you will just watch. If you listen to a great speaker or read their book and don't have a clear goal, you'll get no more than an enjoyable experience. 2. Take action every day. You have your goal, your reason, so now take action. I can't take that action for you any more than Bob Villa, your boss or a family member can. Make a plan and get started. You don't have to carve out two hours in your already over crowded day, but do something. Take a step towards your self-improvement project every day. At least one thing, every day. 3. Put in the positive stuff. Many people who are learning to build that deck buy books, magazines, and software; go to the local hardware super center for classes and ask for advice, and much more. Are you putting anywhere near this amount of time, effort, and money into reaching your personal or professional improvement goals? Read or listen to the positive, uplifting material each day. Consider it inspirational fuel for your own motivation. 4. Lose the Losers. Do you have people around you who aren't willing to invest in themselves? How much time are you spending with those who ridicule or put down your efforts? While you may not be able to remove these people from your life, you can reduce the impact their attitude has on you. Recognize how they negatively impact you and move on. 5. Turn off the TV. Yes, even football, I remind myself. Am I saying you should not watch any television? No, but TV is the major time stealer in our society and is a self reinforcing habit. Every show has commercials for other shows. So not only are watching others achieve their goals while we aren't achieving ours, but we are being bombarded with messages about products we don't need and being convinced to watch even more. You will find as you watch less TV it gets easier to watch less. Why? In part because you won't know what is on! The person who learned how to dry wall his own basement when asked why they chose to do it says something like, "I figured no one would care as much about the quality of the job as I would, so I decided to learn myself. Besides, I have so much more pride in the results." These are great reasons to "do it yourself." Apply that same logic and reasoning to yourself. Don't ask me to motivate you. That is your job. Just like the expert on TV, I can help show the way and help you see that it is possible. But in the end, it is your life, your results, your project.Go out and Do it yourself. Kevin is Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company that helps Clients reach their potential through a variety of training, consulting and speaking services. Kevin publishes Unleash Your Potential, a free weekly ezine designed to provide ideas, tools, techniques and inspiration to enhance your professional skills. Go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/uypw/current.asp to read the current issue and subscribe.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Personal Safety: How To Avoid Accidents And Live A Safe, Longer & Happy Life Have you ever had an accident?Do you value your personal safety and that of your family?Most accidents may not be just accidents.Some accidents may be caused by our personal lifestyle, carelessness, wrong reasoning, faulty decisions, bad habits, wrong actions of conscious and as well as unconscious origin. Finding A Cure for I Disease The 21-year-old rookie cop had his big chance to brag on himself at his big news conference. "How do you feel about being the one to capture Eric Rudolph, FBI's Most Wanted?" the reporter asked. The New Morality In a world where dynamism alters egos and principles in a man every second, where men divest in tenets that secure them from being devout to something natural, where humanity seeks reasons to be ignorant just to feel sly and intelligent - we're confronted with issues of morality. We can no longer be satisfied with being truthful incessantly, we can no longer be happy for the sake of empathizing, we can no longer be sympathetic in a world that beseeches us to be methodological, we can no longer be human when the invariable pretension has made us lose our ethicality forever - we can only choose to be different moralists altogether. Live On Fire Words seem inadequate to describe the beauty and abundance that surrounds us during the month of October in New England. It's as if Mother Nature has taken her paintbrush and with broad strokes has set the landscape ablaze in color. How To Avoid Being Labelled As Average When your life is over how will you be graded? Will you get an A or a B or will you get a C Average? Will your time on this earth be rated as average? None of us want to be average. We all want to be successful. You are the Master of Your Destiny Every thought of a human being is transformed as picture in everybody's mind.The picture transformed into your mind will be depending upon your thought. Motivation - How to Design a Life "Have you ever felt like you've become the worst possible version of yourself?" - Tom Hanks in "You've Got Mail"Have you ever been relaxing at the movies, enjoying a nice lite movie, only to get blown away by a line said in passing?That's what happened recently as my wife and I watched "You've Got Mail" with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. The couple are having an ongoing email courtship, exchanging messages in the wee hours of the night, when this question comes out of nowhere: "have you ever felt like you've become the worst possible version of yourself?"And I thought we were just going to the movies. 212 Degrees At 211 degrees, water is pretty darn hot.But at 212, it's boiling, and making steam. Ever Feel Like Your Elevator Is Stuck Between Floors? What do you do when you make a big mistake? When you fail? When you suffer defeat? When everything just goes wrong? When serious misunderstandings develop with others? When it appears like there is no way out? When solutions to your problems just seem impossible?A Familiar Location; The Bottomless Pit!What do you do; do you do nothing and allow the circumstances to push you around? Do you blow your stack? Do you bite the hand that feeds you? Do you become fearful and run away? Do you get your knickers all in a twist? Do you ever feel like your elevator is just stuck between floors?Or, do you grab the bull by the horns and flatten him like a pancake? Do you turn bad circumstances into advantages just for the sheer joy of it? Do you look at every problem with faith and optimism knowing that positive results can and will be found?Time To Grind It Out!Well, I tell you this; if you are the kind of person that always looks for that kind of satisfaction, then you are busier than a one legged man in a bu** kicking contest. But, you knew that quite well. Rut Busting IntroductionWordNet defines a rut as a groove or furrow (especially in soft earth caused by wheels) or a monotonous routine that is hard to escape; as in "her job made her feel that she was stuck in a rut".What is this thing that we call a rut? Is one man's rut another man's rapture? I. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone - Before Its Too Late Think about what you're doing each day and ask yourself - "Is what I'm doing now getting me to where I want to getto?" If the answer is "No" then do something different. Get outof your comfort zone and change your habits. When Life Gives You Waves, Learn to S.U.R.F. Would you like to learn a skill set and technique so powerful that you could learn to recycle every failure, disappointment, setback and discouraging situation into a steppingstone for your success? Would you like to go into every situation with confidence knowing you will have the skills to convert it into an experience with a positive benefit?Imagine skilled and highly trained fighters going into a difficult and scary situation. They don't go looking for it, but when it comes, they are ready and prepared. Spring! Time for Love and New Beginnings Prepare, prepare, prepare! The horizon screams of spring and the budding trees, tulips poking their head above the soil and thoughts of romance and love fill our hearts and minds. Are you ready for what awaits you? Well, if not, we need to get started right away!First things first, get your house in order, no I am not talking about the dwelling in which you reside, I am referring to the temple (your body, mind and soul) of all existence! Time to throw out all preconceived notions of what the other sex is looking for and re-create the person you are, the person you want to be!Put that smile to work, make eye contact, approach a stranger (be careful), strike up a conversation, and take the initiative for the new beginning you want to have this year! There is no happiness greater than that which is within you, and love evolves from loving oneself. Getting Out of a Rut Are you feeling bored or restless? Do you need to make a change of some type? People who make creative breakthroughs are the ones who usually are looking for different ways of doing things. I am going to suggest some possible ways to get out of your rut. Secrets to Motivating Yourself and Others There is hardly anything more personal that what motivates each of us to perform in a work environment. Here's some insight into how to choose the best "carrot" to motivate both yourself . A Resolution for Excellence "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Creating Your Best Year Ever January is synonymous with resolutions and getting organized is high on many people's list. Unfortunately, perhaps some of us make a resolution, when what we really want is a revolution. Walk In The Light It was a mild October night, weeks after the horrific September 11 terrorists attacks on our nation. With a mix of anticipation and apprehension, my husband, children and I, entered the gates of the North Carolina state fair. Life Is About Taking "Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new. Dont Get Hysterical About The Historical The tension was palpable in the room as I began the first marital counseling session ever for the couple who had passed their 50th anniversary several years before. After a few pleasantries designed to put them more at ease, I invited, "Tell me about what brought you here.
|
Section Site Map - Submit News - Feedback - Comments - Advertise with Us Copyright © 2006 Luminati Inc. All rights reserved. 
|
