Motivation Comes from Doing Certain Actions
Someone recently asked me how I stay motivated all the time.
I thought it was odd because it was asked in a certain way, as if I was a super human and I was born motivated.
Well, for one, I was definitely not BORN motivated.
I was definitely NOT motivated to study hard in college (My C+ in Physics is proof of that, and believe it or not, I once got a single digit out of a possible 100 on a test.
I was so pathetic, and I’ll have to share about what happened in that exam with you in person.)
If it weren’t for my parents pushing me, I probably wouldn’t have even made it to college.
So I was definitely not BORN motivated.
So how do I seem always motivated now?
Our Minds are Constantly in Flux
Our minds are never stagnant.
Humans are emotional beings, and there are always two parts in our emotional lives.
You can call it…
the Good versus the Bad…
or the Angel versus the Devil
or the Ying and Yang.
Whatever you call it, there are two polar opposites that are always pulling us in different directions.
These two forces are constantly swaying our minds.
We are either moving toward being more positive and motivated, or moving towards being negative and de-motivated.
Our Minds are Always Physically Moving
It’s not just emotions and abstract things that I am talking about.
Our brains are literally moving all the time because our grey matter is made of molecules, and molecules are always in constant motion.
Just look under a microscope. If your cells or molecules stop moving, it means you are dead!
Since our brain cells and molecules are constantly moving, that means we are constantly being pulled toward the Positive or Negative.
The Positive side motivates us, while the Negative de-motivates.
What Staying Motivated Means
Being motivated requires constant effort to do the things that pull our minds in the right direction.
It is a nonstop, 24/7 effort that you must make!
Because, whether you know it or not, our brains are being pulled in a direction.
For example, if you talk to a negative person who shoots down your dreams, you have just been pulled toward the dark side.
If you talk to a mentor who encourages you, then the balance swings back to the positive side.
If you talk to a potential customer who turns down what you have to offer, then you inch closer to the negative side again.
Those are three obvious examples, but what we have to be careful about are the subtle things in our environment that impact us.
We must pay attention to our surroundings.
This is especially true for people who are entrepreneurs or those who have network marketing businesses.
Success in business requires being focused and self-motivated, and we must make a conscious effort to keep our minds going to the right direction.
Things That Hurt You
Anything that pulls you to the Negative side hurts you subconsciously and de-motivates you.
Here are some not-so-obvious, hurtful things in your environment that you may not realize:
1) Close friends who don’t believe that you can succeed in your pursuit of your dreams.
Their lack of belief in your quest to achieve financial freedom subconsciously pulls you to the dark side.
These are most dangerous people since many of them are close friends and family who don’t have bad intentions.
But the simple fact that they are not excited about your pursuit of a better future has a HUGE negative influence; it de-motivates you.
To be successful you have to learn to distance yourself from these negative influences.
2) Media
We live in a world that craves negative news. Don’t believe me?
Just look at the front page of ANY newspaper in the world, over 50% is negative.
For most publications like the LA Times or NY Times, it is closer to 80%.
Turn on the news, such as CNN, and there is always a “breaking news” alert about something that is negative and depressing.
Have you ever asked yourself whether that “breaking news” will ever impact your life?
It doesn’t, so save yourself the time and mental anguish. Just stop reading the news.
Majority of news will pull you to the dark side and de-motivate you.
To stay motivated and achieve your goals you must give up these negative influences.
In more than 10 years as an entrepreneur I have never met one self-made millionaire who consumes his time reading, listening or watching the news.
If they do read or watch the “news,” it is either business news, so they know the trends and markets, or sports, which makes them feel good.
3) Our Negative Feelings or Thoughts
Any negative feelings or thoughts you have, such as anger, jealousy or frustration, de-motivate you.
The other day I was just thinking about a situation that frustrated me. I felt things could be better. The more I thought about it, the more I became annoyed and angry.
And then I caught myself. I realized I was consuming my brainpower by feeling annoyed. I was fortunate because I stopped before it de-motivated me.
I just let it go and moved on, thinking about other things instead.
If you don’t know what it feels like to “let it go,” it’s like when you go to bed thinking about something stressful or exciting.
As long as you have those thoughts, you won’t be able to sleep. But if you shift your thoughts to happier, peaceful images, you can fall asleep immediately.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s suggested you should never do strenuous mental work 30 minutes before sleeping.
Staying motivated and positive is the same way.
Learn to let go of your negative feelings and thoughts.
Things That Help You
Fortunately, there are also forces that pull you to the Good Side and help you to stay motivated and focused on your goals.
The best way to remember what they are is to think about where you will be five years from now. Where you will be in five years is determined by:
1) Your Self Development
These are the books you read, audios you listen to and seminars you attend. All successful people are non-stop learners.
They invest in their mind because as they grow as a person, their income and everything around them grows.
Successful people expose themselves to daily motivation because they realize that we are in a constant battle against the Negative forces.
2) People You Meet
Your average income is determined by the five people with whom you spend the most time.
That is one of the reasons why we’ve been having a lot of success in my Mastermind Coaching groups.
There is a certain magic that happens when motivated individuals come together and share ideas.
If you hang out with turkeys, you become a turkey. If you spend time with eagles, you will fly like an eagle.
3) Places You Travel To
Traveling is a prerequisite to a meaningful life, and it’s another way to learn and educate yourself.
Exposure to new cultures and people educates your mind and, as your mind grows, your income grows with it.
How I Stay Motivated
I make a conscious effort EVERY DAY to do the things that keep me motivated.
I know that I MUST listen to audios, read books, talk to my mentors and stay away from negative influences. My iPhone is loaded with motivational audios and books. I must listen to something EVERY DAY or I lose my motivation.
It is a constant battle that requires non-stop work.
But you already know success requires effort. 🙂
What Are You Going to Do Next?
As entrepreneurs, and especially if you have an MLM business, we cannot control what our prospects do.
Sometimes people just don’t buy or join our business, and that de-motivates us.
But we can balance our disappointments by doing the things that keep us motivated.
By increasing the Positive forces around us, we counter the rejection and disappointments we face as entrepreneurs.
The good news is that you can get VERY FAST RESULTS if you do the three things that pull your mind to the Positive side and cut out the three things that hurt you, (i.e. news, negative people, and bad feelings).
Even if you do it for just five straight days, you will see amazing results. You will be more motivated than ever, staying focused on your goals and doing the work that is required.
So what things do you plan to do to stay Positive?
And more importantly, what Negative influences do you plan to GIVE UP?!
Have a fantastic motivating week!