A quick search on the topic of 'motivation' reveals a ton of websites devoted to teaching you how to be motivated by a 'qualified' motivation coach. Sorry, but WTF? - There are people who will always try anything to make a living, and I feel especially sympathetic to those whom these workshops are targeted at, i.e, desperate unhappy individuals who are willing to part with the remainder of their savings in order to basically 'learn the secret of success'. I'm not going to say anymore, except, close your eyes to such nonsense - I can show you the path for free, and you can thank me by being a good human being.
Motivation; the solution is not to merely tackle the problem by hurling motivational advice and phrases, but by understanding the individual situation. Although there are psychological issues which can often be resolved using NLP techniques, the practitioners of NLP, neuro-linguistic programming,fail to embrace solutions outside their field, because any type of healing, and making someone motivated is a form of healing, needs a holistic approach in order to be successful. NLP, which I am a firm advocate of, is only one approach, and many 'motivation coaches' believe that it is the end-all-be-all-holy-grail answer. I'm telling you it isn't because the mind is affected by the brain, which is an organ of the body. You affect any physiological process of the body, and it will affect the way you think - makes sense right? Such a rationally simple piece of holistic thinking, escapes the NLP believer, and without this foundational logic, most of the people who subscribe to their courses are going to fail.
There are many reasons why someone may not be motivated. When someone feels 'lazy', finds it hard to get out of bed, or have energy to start exercising - they're going to blame themselves - 'why am I so lazy?' Next they'll force themselves, coercing their bodies into physical rigor - it won't last long, there is only so much that physical determination can do. They'll believe that something is wrong with their thinking, and will probably find 'inspiration' in motivational quotes, see a motivation coach, etc. As I see it, it's akin to pushing a wheel barrow with a flat tire.
One major reason for tiredness in many cases is due to the liver being unhealthy. The liver is the second largest organ in the body next to skin. It is responsible for removing toxins, and making energy for the body. If you're eating fatty junk food all the time, then your liver is also going to be clogged up with fat. If you're not drinking enough water, then your kidneys are going to dry up - the job of the kidneys is to clean the blood, your kidneys need water for optimal functioning, if they aren't working that well, then your liver takes over its job. If the liver is busy doing the job of the kidneys, it's not going to do its main job of breaking down fats and making energy for you very well, is it? So keeping your liver in good condition is the FIRST step in overcoming your motivation problems.
Other causes of tiredness could be a build up of toxic metals in your body. In which case, chelation can be used to remove them. I have amalgam fillings given to me by a drill-happy dentist - every time I chew, I'm releasing cumulative amounts of mercury into my body. Naturally, my body gets rid of any poisonous metals if I'm eating the right stuff. A natural chelation supplement is Selenium, which occurs at high levels in Brazil nuts, but be careful you don't take too much - you can overdose on it. Selenium will remove other metals in your body that are useful to you, so make sure you replace metals like zinc and calcium. Selenium is also found in other food substances, here is a list and other useful information.
Digestion problems can also be responsible for lethargy. If you're not digesting your food properly, then you're not able to absorb the nutrients that give you energy and help your body repair. From a holistic point of view, digestion can be the root of many severe problems - I've read so much stuff, that I wouldn't be able to do it any justice by attempting to even begin to cover it. The digestive tract consists of so many organs, including the stomach, that any diagnosis would be specific to any array of secondary symptoms.
Finally, no matter what. Every human should get enough life-giving, nurturing, energizing SUNLIGHT. We've been warned about the dangers, and of course the radiation from the sun can be harmful in the form of UV rays, but the sun is a good source of vitamin D (which is most beneficial to the liver). It is good to get this solar supplement without sunglasses or sunscreen when the sun is at the lowest in the sky - meaning near sunrise and sunset. Sunlight has been known to cure depression, and many people who suffer from SAD, seasonal affective disorder, can attest to the healing effect of sunlight on their mind. The more sunlight you get, the energized you will become in body and mind. Not only will it cure depression, it will also clear your mind of worries or other neuroses. Getting daily sunlight is as essential as breathing!
My mother has been suffering from arthritis in her fingers for over six years. She was referred to a specialist who said that the best thing that they could do for her was to operate, and there was no guarantee that it would improve her condition. Since then, her joints have gradually gotten worse, becoming swollen and sore, causing the thinner skin at the knuckles to form abscesses.
After some careful analysis and research, I finally diagnosed that the arthritis was caused by a gastro problem, as my mother suffers from a frequent and persistent heartburn which she self-medicates with indigestion tablets. I deduced that the indigestion problem was caused by a lack of stomach acid production, as it is also related to acid reflux.
I prescribed her apple cider vinegar; she has been on it for two weeks now, and her abscesses have cleared up, no sign of red sores, and she is not experiencing any pain. I expect that if she continues taking the supplements, the swollen joints will eventually recede in size. The apple cider vinegar has been aiding her digestion, giving the extra acidity required to break down undigested proteins in her stomach, which were leaking into her bloodstream and getting trapped in her joints.
Now this is first-hand experience about the effectiveness of apple cider vinegar helping cure arthritis - you may or may not believe that this simple product can have such curative strength, but I have seen it, and it is up to you whether you want to try or dismiss it. There are plenty of websites (which I believe function as big pharma propaganda disinformation) which claim that the apple cider vinegar cure is an old wives remedy and does not cure anything - The best advice is not to take anyone's word for it, but to try it yourself. Apple cider vinegar is a harmless food product which you cannot overdose on, and it does not manifest any side-effects, so there is no harm in trying.
Most people, when their parents begin to suffer the symptoms of ageing, think that they can throw money at the problem and hope that some 'so-called specialist' can solve the problem. The problem with the medical profession, is many of those who practice it, do so only as a job without any real passion or interest in the subject and thus they are unable, or unwilling, to keep up with the latest or alternative developments in their fields. You love your parents, why would you leave them at the mercy of people whose job it is to prescribe the most expensive method of treatment?
Do yourself and your parents - and your relatives and friends, for that matter - a favour and put the effort into researching their symptoms and finding alternative natural cures which are often better than conventional medicine. Only true love and caring can drive a passion for learning. The books are available in libraries and academic bookstores. Money may be the quick and easy 'pay and forget' answer, but it could also be the regretful decision in years to come - Show your love, and study as hard (and with passion) as the professionals whose advice you pay for!
• This herb is a great food for the circulatory system in that it feeds the necessary elements into the cell structure of the arteries, veins and capillaries so that these regain the elasticity of youth again, and the blood pressure adjusts itself to normal. It rebuilds the tissue in the stomach and heals the stomach and intestinal ulcers; in equalizing the blood circulation, Cayenne produces natural warmth in your body; and in stimulating the peristaltic motion of the intestines, it aids in assimilation and elimination.
• Cayenne regulates the flow of blood from the head to the feet so that the pressure is equalized; it influences the heart immediately, then gradually extends its effects to the arteries, capillaries, and nerves (the frequency of the pulse is not increased, but is given more vigor).
• Human circulation; it is warming; dilating; specific for varicose veins; equalizes the blood pressure in the arterial and venous system; equalizes blood pressure instantly actually.
• Cayenne is useful in alleviating allergies, muscle cramp, improving digestion, gives more pep and energy, and helps wound healing with minimal scar tissue.
• Cayenne is a counter-irritant; it brings blood to the surface and allows the toxins to be taken away.
In an article reported on March 16, 2006 by Reuters, the main ingredient in Cayenne, capsaicin, was found to destroy prostate cancer cells. Here is what the article said,
"Capsaicin led 80 percent of human prostate cancer cells growing in mice to commit suicide in a process known as apoptosis, the researchers said. Prostate cancer tumors in mice fed capsaicin were about one-fifth the size of tumors in untreated mice, they reported in the journal Cancer Research. 'Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture,' said Dr. Soren Lehmann of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine."
• Capsicum supports the natural beat (rhythm) of the viscera and interior actions of the glandular, circulatory, lymphatic, and digestive systems. It has been used with great success as a cure for spotted fever (?); the most active stimulant to support and re-animate feeble or exhausted powers.
• This is a medicine of great value in the practice, and may be safely used in all cases of disease, to raise and retain the internal vital heat of the system, cause a free perspiration, and keep the determining powers to the surface. The only preparation is to have it reduced to a fine powder. For a dose, take from half to a teaspoonful in hot water or tea sweetened with honey.
• Dr. Coffin includes cayenne pepper in his composition powder to restore the normal function of the body in the various stages of pregnancy and childbirth. For morning sickness he recommends a combination of ‘White poplar bark, agrimony, centaury, raspberry leaves, yarrow and rhubarb, each a quarter of an ounce, steep in two quarts of water, strain, and add while hot two teaspoons of powdered cinnamon, half a teaspoonful of Cayenne pepper, and let the patient take one tablespoonful every three hours until the symptoms are removed if this should not relieve, give an emetic and repeat if necessary.
• Great for heartburn.
• Capsicum is a powerful rubefacient.
• Capsicum is a general nervous stimulant; a specific for delirium tremens.
• For atonic gout, in paralysis, in dropsy, in tympanitis, and in the debilitated stages of fever.
• For scrofulous; dyspepsia; flatulence; it's an excellent carminative.
• For sore throats—gargle (prepare the gargle with honey); for spasmodic and irritating coughs; heartburn and diarrhea;
• Enables feeble stomachs to digest food; for atonic dyspepsia; specific for hemorrhoids; cures intermittent fever; Capsicum has the power to control menorrhagia; relieves sea-sickness;
• In delirium tremens it is beneficial by enabling the patient to retain and digest food.
• Capsicum is particularly efficient in tonsillitis, and the sore throat of scarlet fever and in diphtheria no application is so efficient as a strong gargle or wash make with Capsicum.
• Promote digestion; relieves pains of the womb; removes obstructed menstruation; for quinsy; for all diseases of the throat; use as a plaster with honey for rheumatic pains, pains of the joints, gout, swellings, etc.; Use outwardly as a liniment, apply it warm or hot for arthritis and rheumatism; gargle for scarlet fever; use an infusion for ulcers in the mouth, strep throat or tonsillitis. (p.103)
• Cayenne is an excellent remedy for a cold; mix infusion with slippery elm and molasses or honey, and take in doses throughout the day; also excellent for sore throat and coughs.
• Cayenne mixed with pennyroyal (an herb) taken for three days will expel the dead birth material from a miscarriage.
• Eases toothache; preserves the teeth from rotting, and when rubbed on the gums, stimulates them enough to prevent pyorrhea.
• Excellent for any type of internal hemorrhage, (create an infusion with bethroot or star root);
• Capsicum is an important remedy in cholera; Capsicum stops vomiting; combine with equal parts of Capsicum and common table salt, one half ounce of each, one pint of good vinegar, give in tablespoon doses for cholera, vomiting "cholera morbus" -- the gross material associated with cholera from the system
• In chronic lumbago a plaster of Capsicum with garlic, pepper and liquid amber (silarasa) or storax is an efficient stimulant and rubefacient application. (p105)
• When made into a lozenge with sugar and tragacanth it is a remedy for hoarseness.
• For a carminative make pills of equal parts of Capsicum, rhubarb and ginger or aloes.
• Combine Capsicum with cinchona for intermittent and lethargic affections and for atonic gout and in advanced stages of rheumatism.
• Combine with asafoetida and sweet flag root or camphor in the form of pills in cases of cholera.
• Capsicum has a powerful action on the mucous membrane, and in hoarseness and sore throat, and in putrid throat a gargle made of Capsicum is particularly beneficial.
• By pouring hot vinegar upon the fruits of Capsicum all the essential qualities are preserved. This vinegar is an excellent stomachic.
• The whole plant steeped in milk is successfully applied to reduce swellings and hardened tumors.
• An infusion with cinnamon and sugar is a valuable drink for patients suffering from delirium tremens as it satisfies the craving in dipsomaniacs. A dose of ten grains of finely powdered capsicum seed, given with an ounce of hot water, two or three times a day, sometimes shows wonderful effects in cases of delirium tremens.
• Capsicum can be used in the treatment of a snake bite.
• As well as the fruit being used as a spice, the leaves were applied to ulcers and headaches. (p.111)
• Capsicum is given internally in atonic dyspepsia and flatulence. It is used externally as a counter-irritant in the form of ointment, plaster, medicated wool, etc. for the relief of rheumatism and lumbago.
• Oral administration of Capsicum may stimulate the gall bladder reflex.
• Capsicum either contains a cholagogue, or acts as a powerful stimulus upon the mucous membrane of the duodenum.
• Cayenne pepper is forgotten therapeutic agent against anorexia, liver congestion, and vascular troubles. Capsicum is highly effective in causing hemorrhoids to regress; and these fruits have the same action on varicose veins. The results are attributed to alkaloids or glucosides in the peppers.
• Excessive amounts of Capsicum (above 20 grams, thus, nearly an ounce) may induce frequent bowel movements.
• Cayenne stimulates the appetite, more especially as a hot climate tends to produce anorexia. We have always held the saliva is the key that unlocks the door to digestion. Capsicum, a sialogogue, will stimulate the flow of saliva and will be very helpful to people who have become accustomed to ‘inhaling’ their food and thus robbing themselves of the benefits of saliva in the digestive process. Capsicum would stimulate their flow of saliva as they return to a healthier attitude toward eating.
• Capsicum may be valuable in the prevention and treatment of blood clots.
• Cayenne pepper is very soothing; it is effective as a poultice for rheumatism, inflammation, pleurisy, and helpful also if taken internally for these. For sores and wounds it makes a good poultice. It is a stimulant when taken internally as well as being antispasmodic. Good for kidneys, spleen and pancreas; wonderful for lockjaw; will heal a sore ulcerated stomach; Capsicum is a specific and very effective remedy for yellow fever, as well as other fevers and may be taken in capsules followed by a glass of water. (p. 119).
So, there you have it. Cayenne pepper is literally one of the greatest health secrets in the world. It's also remarkably inexpensive. I've seen it as low as $1.67 a pound and as high as $35 or so (it was organic certified), but even that $35 a pound figure was astonishingly low, in my view. Big Pharma hates medicinal spices and herbs as they are a powerhouse of nutrition and healing but they don't offer much with profits. It, therefore, takes the dedicated seeker of truth to find out for themselves -- and that is why I put up this website.
A few years ago, I was in quite bad shape. When I was younger I kept to a regular, almost daily, routine of exercise, over the years, I let it slip. So I was leading quite a hedonistic lifestyle where I would binge drink at least once a week, not sleep much, work all through the night until the mid-afternoon without eating, then eating vast quantities of fast food and drink lots of coke. Needless to say, my body became a mess, and I ended up with all kinds of allergies and disorders with my digestive system. This is from someone who worked hard to maintain my health and fitness, and then a few bad habits repeated frequently can destroy all that effort in just a few years. I gained a lot of weight, and if I ran down the street, my lungs would feel like they were burning for ten minutes afterwards.
When my business took off, I decided to spend less time on it, and concentrate on repairing my mental and physical health. My allergies were gradually getting worse, to the point where everyday I had hives and rashes on my skin, and it hurt to inhale causing my breaths to be short, and I would easily get out of breath. So this made me wake up that I had to do something or end up dying from ill health. I could keep going along the road where my quality of life would decline, or I could make a choice to improve my quality of life - after all, if you're going to live life, you may as well live it well.
So the first thing I began doing was quite simple - getting enough sleep, and going to bed early. Having a refreshing night of sleep benefits the mind aswell as the body. Getting your mind fit is fifty percent of the battle for a healthier and fitter body, because as the brain is able to function right, it is able to make informed decisions and drive the body to a better state. Next is eating correctly, nutrition is vital, because if your body lacks any vitamins or minerals, then your organs will not be able to perform its functions efficiently, and the most important funtion is performed by your skin and liver which help export toxins out of the body. Toxins in the body make us feel sluggish and also cause rapid ageing, therefore we want all the vitamins and minerals which enable optimal liver function. Drinking plenty of water is important for the kidneys which filters the blood into urine - if the kidneys do not receive enough water, then they become less effective at doing their job, forcing the liver to do some of it - and the liver is responsible for breaking down body fats and converting them to energy. Someone who is not drinking enough water can suffer kidney failure, and because their liver is busy doing the job of their kidneys, then warning signs could be weight gain and lethargy from lack of energy.
When you have cut out all the junk food from your diet, the next thing to do is isolate other food sources which could interfere with the body's normal functioning. Milk is one of those foods which appear innocent, but can contain a cocktail artificial hormones which are injected into cows to enable them to produce enough milk to meet the demands. If you must drink milk, then it is best to stick to organic milk. The hormones found in dairy is responsible for early pubescence in children, and leading to obesity in later life. By cutting out milk, you'll give your body the chance to eliminate these hormones, which can lead to infections from a weakened immune system if not dealt with. Also, many people use milk as a substitute for water when they are thirsty - when you are thirsty, it is your body's way of telling you that it requires certain minerals, vitamins or just water - the adult body does not need milk, and therefore milk is unable to quench a thirst, therefore it is easy to keep drinking milk with an insatiable need.
The next step of my new regime, was to begin taking longer and longer walks. Before, I would spend most of my time in front of a computer, back and shoulders tense from trying to meet my own production deadlines. When I'm trying to get the work done quickly, at the same time my adrenaline is also pumping - although mentally it is easy to deal with stress, it does not go unnoticed by the body, and when adrenaline is released into the body, it has to be worked off physically or it creates problems like heart disease and cancer. The benefit of going for long walks instead of sitting in front of the television or reading a book, is that it absorbs enough of your concentration to avoid snacking, and it straightens out your posture. Most headaches are caused from tension in the back (if not by slight dehydration), by walking, it flexes the spine, and releases tensions in the back muscles. The other important function of walking is to help blood pump around the body, helping move toxins to the organs which can take care of them, and also allow your lymphatic system move and distribute fats around the body - the lymphatic system does not have an automatic pump system unlike the heart of the cardiovascular system, so it uses gravity and or the contraction of the muscles to aid it. Fats that are not properly distributed in the body can cause blocked lymph nodes leading to cysts, but usually trapped fats is visible as cellulite.
Getting healthy and fit is not something that happens overnight. Most people who want to improve their physical condition have unrealistic expectations of results after just a few weeks, and hence they give up. Although all these paid fly-by-night diet and fitness courses might say otherwise, one should not expect major results nor be even thinking within a short timespan. The most successful people who maintain their fitness after achieving it think in the long term, and really it is the ability to think in the long term that ensures any type of success in whatever you do. There are adverts that promise a six pack in just three months, while it is possible for one in a hundred people, for the majority it doesn't work like that, and besides, what is the hurry that a six pack needs to be achieved in three months? What difference really is three months to the person who has had a beer gut for many years! Then what happens when the objective of a six pack is achieved after three months - do they stop and let it get flabby again? These are things that people forget to think about when they are presented with the potential rewards, all rationality goes out of the window and they enter fantasy land. Getting fit and healthy should be thought about in terms of a life long habit, a maintenance routine just like brushing your teeth and sleeping - once this idea is accepted by your subconscious, then you're almost there.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to maintain good physical fitness and health. Exercise is as important as getting enough sleep or drinking water, but many choose not to do it, in the same way that children don't eat their vegetables. As part of a healthy lifestyle to maintain one's body function at optimum efficiency, exercise is not a choice, but an essential regime.
People do not value their bodies enough until it is too late, and partly the problem is to do with their perception of exercise. Children will not eat greens until the adult explains that their growth will be stunted if they don't eat vegetables. In the same way, adults can delay beginning a healthy exercise routine by creating all kinds of excuses in their heads. Once again, we're dealing with psychology, it has nothing to do with the starting physical condition of the individual, it has nothing to do with willpower, it is all about how one perceives the tasks at hand.
The task of exercising can often be seen as daunting, an enormous vehicle to overcome. People who don't exercise and want to start, generally set their goal too high. The goal exists as an image or phrase within the individual's mind, but when the bar is set too high, then one's morale may start to wane after a few weeks. So the trick is not what the goal is but rather, how one sets the goal. Whether through imagery or linguistically, the goal can be set so it is an easily accessible target for the body and mind to achieve and gain satisfactory results each time. It is common to say, "I want to lose weight", instead this can be rephrased, "I want to become lighter" - the use of the word 'lose' often comes with negative connotations; nobody wants to lose something. So once we begin to apply these newly reworded goals, the tasks magically become easier and more doable.
The other problem is time; in this day and age, with all our modern technology and devices, we're spoilt for instant results, we expect to get trim and fit in just a few weeks rather than thinking in terms of years. Also modern advertising is partly to blame, as many ads for weight loss and gym programs claim big results within a month, but these claims are false, as the companies that produce these adverts often place a disclaimer in small print at the bottom of the screen or poster to say that it won't for everyone. Time and patience is another topic I will cover in more depth later on, but in terms of exercise and fitness, you won't see results very quickly and because of this there is little incentive to keep going or even start. Most people are stuck in the process of preparing for the day when they 'really need to start' but by then it is too late.
Routines are important, and there are many routines that we perform (naturally and unthinking) on a daily basis that don't provide any immediate benefits. A daily routine that most people perform is washing their hands after using the toilet. We cleanse our hands of bacteria invisible to the naked eye, we can't see the bacteria yet we wash with soap and water with the knowledge that it helps remove the germs. We have such confidence in this routine because in our mind, we envision getting some heinous stomach bug and sitting on the toilet with cramp for hours if we were to ignore it. Brushing our teeth is another one, I do not know many people who don't brush their teeth, and the longer we delay to clean our teeth the more we envision our teeth slowly rotting and decaying right inside our mouths - I think it's hard for many people to skip brushing their teeth for long, even after a couple of days, there might not be any sign of visible decay, but the thought and the fear is there, enough so we're willing to take some time out of our daily schedules to take preventative measures. This is something that has been hammered into you from the day you learnt to brush your teeth and learnt about teeth hygiene, and it stays with you because you know that negligence leads to black rotting teeth which you have seen photos of.
So exercise, what are the consequences of not exercising? We already know what they are - weight gain, heart disease, premature ageing, high blood pressure ... the list goes on, but why are they not enough to shock most of us into exercising regularly? The answer is simply that we cannot imagine those things happening to us in the time frame that those things usually occur, we're talking maybe decades. Teeth decay is a different matter, we've all lost teeth, it's a part of growing up, so it is something that we can relate to, thus we continue to perform our teeth brushing, and we're taught that when we aren't brushing our teeth the decay is occurring all the time. Now we should think of exercise in the same terms, people are more motivated to prevent loss than to work towards gain. Someone may be quite reckless in their life, taking risks like drink driving, but if someone pointed a gun at their head, they may view their life differently, most people are not as response to gain as they are to loss. You could tell someone that by exercising, it will improve their looks, but that might not be the type of gain that they're interested in, but if you say instead that they will lose their looks by not exercising, it might be a more persuasive suggestion.
So we learn that in order to motivate ourselves to become better, we should keep in sight the pit that awaits us should we decide to ignore the advice. Think that each day you delay, you are losing your health, the opportunity to preserve your youth, your overall fitness. We do not need to think in terms of years, because you can wake up tomorrow morning with an extra wrinkle, because each day we fall apart, our bodies are continually decaying when we are not servicing them, this is a reason to begin today, for each hour provides an opportunity to preserve what you have, and tomorrow you can be better than without.
Motivation, or the art of getting things done is a subject that goes beyond simply telling yourself repeatedly to do something, and there are other factors involved such as psychology, upbringing, environment and peer pressure. There are numerous websites out there that claim that they can teach you how to be motivated and succeed in life, but they never question whether the motivation is right or suitable for the individual. These sites will motivate you to 'get rich' (for a one time fee), and they'll tell you how and what to do, although I doubt that they really work because such website prey on the vulnerable and the desperate whose minds are already open to suggestion - I suggest that one avoid these type of 'get rich motivation' schemes at all costs.
First of all, let's try to understand what motivation is. For a start, everyone is motivated, people are naturally motivated to pursue happiness, and happiness may be sought in various ways. The mistake is to believe that money is motivation, although money can be a by-product of motivation, money itself is just paper -what you do with the money can be motivation, although it shouldn't be because there are more ways to make money than one can possibly conceive of. If money itself were motivation then there would be many prostitutes standing on every street corner of the world, and some financial professions could be considered to be a type of prostitution.
When we were growing up, our parents and teachers will often tell us to 'work hard'. This is part of a global cultural meme that has been passed down generation to generation without questioning whether it is valid advice or not. There is a difference between 'motivation' and 'self-motivation', 'motivation' itself does not guarantee success (success in the sense of achieving one's goals), one needs to be self-motivated. If we take the example of the farmer and the workhorse who pulls the plough to cultivate the land, the farmer is motivating the workhorse to pull, and the workhorse works hard to do the farmer's bidding, yet left to its own devices, the workhorse would not have the self-motivation to pull the plough by itself, but would probably rather be relaxing and eating hay. This concept can be seen everyday in society, in our cities, where the workhorses are the office workers and the motivators are the bosses.
As I already stated, everyone is self-motivated, we're self-motivated to eat when we're hungry, we're self-motivated to explore, have fun, laugh, be creative. Most of these self-motivations are a natural part of being human, and everyone is gifted with these natural abilities. Think about that most things in life are quite pleasurable or fun to do, but we've been taught to separate fun and work, when actually, and ideally, they could become one and the same thing for everyone. Our educational systems teach us that we must 'work harder' towards goals that we don't want, we are like the workhorse who just wants to eat hay, but the farmer drives us forward with his riding crop, achieving his goals rather than our own.
So how do we begin to be self-motivated? First we must discover in ourself for ourself what we want. Usually the things we want most are those things that we pursue when we are not working, ie. our hobbies and interest, these pastimes that become the manifestations of escape from our tiresome work routines. I mentioned in the previous post, that I do enjoy writing, as much as I enjoy the sound of the keyboard when I tap the keys, it is a pleasurable experience for me - I'm also listening to music as I type this, all these factors combined, the writing experience itself is its own reward and therefore motivation for this piece. Some people may see this as hard work because it is not for them, others may think about it, and realize, 'hey you're right, I'm just as self-motivated to continue reading as you are writing!' - now we are beginning to establish a relationship here, and if everyone could alter the way they think about work, we could have a perfect and efficient society where everyone had fun and did their best work without feeling as if it hurt them.
Often than not, some of those things that require self-motivation may not be too pleasant to do, but they may be needed in order to fulfill our overall happiness plan. This is the most psychological part of self-motivation, and that is our perspective on how we look at things. Exercise is something that is essential to our lives as sleep to maintain our health, yet it is one of those things that many people find it hard to build up the self-motivation to even get started. How we change the way we look at something can often make all the difference. In the same sense as looking at deciding whether the glass is half empty or half full, we can apply that linguistic approach towards how we set our goals in our mind. Self-motivation exists as a constant stream of internal dialogue in our minds, and how it appears inside our head, is how we deal with it, and depending on our character, we can either see it as a challenge, a new experience or an insurmountable barrier.
The human mind has an internal dialogue, a debate rages on inside your head to decide whether you do something or not. You throw some words into the debate, like danger, or pain, and the question is quickly resolved. The brain usually responds to a little coaxing with words that it likes. If we tell ourselves to 'work hard' then for most people those two words immediately conjure up images of sweat, exertion and pain; instead, an alternative choice of words that could be just as effective are 'play less'. Instead of 'lose weight', how about 'gain confidence', 'stop smoking' becomes 'breathe more fresh air'. In order to convince ourself and others, we avoid using negative words or phrases, and replace them with positive terms.
Later on, I will go back to some of these topics like exercising, and cover them in more depth. The point I want to make, is instead of 'forcing' or somehow 'coercing' yourself into doing something, as many of these websites and books will teach you how to do, focus on what you want, and what you want to achieve. If you want to achieve a healthier body, and that is what you really want, the motivation to do that is already inside you, you just have to tap into it, and phrase it to yourself in the correct way, and it will be done. Also, self-motivation comes easily to the things you are interested in, turn your hobbies and interests into your job and earn money from it! You do them anyway, why not think of a way to turn that hobby into an investment, and get paid to do something you enjoy.
I will cover the topic of motivation again in the future. In the meantime, avoid those motivation websites and books, the only thing that they motivate is the author's bank account.
