Guides To Self Improvement

You know you should do it, and I know we all should do it. It sounds like great advice – set goals to really put in perspective what you want out of life. We all have gone to the goal setting seminars, read the chapters of goal setting in all the self help books and have thought to ourselves, that sounds like great advise. But, as with everything in life, goal setting is sent to the back burner of our daily routine and we never set them. Well, because it just makes sense to spend a little time thinking about what we would like from life and how we can get it, I’ll share with you just four easy steps to set your goals and actually stick to the act of goal setting and achieving.

1. Think about what you want – This seems like the easy step but it is really the hardest one. The one step we would like to avoid and move right along to writing our fantastic goals. But it is the most necessary. Just sit down alone, with a blank piece of paper or your computer notepad – whatever works for you, and just write what you would like to achieve, accomplish or whatever it is that you want to happen in your life.
2. Write it down – Now that you have thought about it and written anything that came to mind – however long or short- this is where you have to put it in cons ice, simple and clear words. Let me give you an example, I once thought about what I want it to do with my talents, how I wanted to grow and learn professionally. So, my thoughts were all over the notepad document, and I had summarize a page of rambling in just three or four words. I realized from reading my thoughts that I wanted to earn my living writing, so that became my professional goal. I phrased the goal like this “I want to earn my living writing.” That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less. The statement is powerful and cons ice.
3. Visualize and focus – Print the goal, write on a sticky note. Whatever works you. But put it in at least two places where you will see it many times during your day. So every time you see it you will have to focus on what you decided that you wanted to accomplish.
4. Give it a timeframe and break it down to sub goals – Now that you know the goal, to make it easier to achieve, give yourself a timeframe and take the goal and break it down to the smallest elements. Those small elements will become the tasks or actions you will need to take to achieve this goal.
5. Enjoy the sense of accomplishment – Once you have reach your goal, enjoy the moment. Feel proud and accomplished. You made a choice and acted on that choice and hopefully you achieve it.

We all know these steps, but we need to be reminded of the good things that come from goal setting and achieving. Goal setting, goal achieving are all fancy words for just figuring out what you really want from life and creating a list of actions that you can take to make it happen. So, as Captain Picard in “Star Trek: Next Generations” used to say, make it so.

Modern day culture and American culture in particular stresses hard work and long hours. We need only look at the bustling American economy to see the fruits of our labor. And what does it take to work so hard? More energy.

Fighting Fatigue

The number one thing that can hold us back from working longer is fatigue. Fatigue can be a sign of exhaustion; sometimes all we need to do is take a 15 minute cat nap in the afternoon to help energize us.

Drink More Water

Dehydration can contribute to fatigue. If your feeling tired, coffee can help but coffee can also be the culprit in causing dehydration. Next time you feel fatigued, drink 2-3 glasses of water and you’ll notice a quick pick me up.

Quick Exercises

Go out for a short brisk walk, the combination of walking and a burst of fresh air is sure to reignite your alertness.

Stimulate More Adrenaline

Adrenaline is what gives us that flight or fight rush. Even though we don’t want something so exhilarating, a little stimulation to the adrenal gland can go a long way in fighting fatigue. Open either one of your hands and about 1 inch below your middle finger, there is a round bone. Rub it in circle motions for 20-30 seconds at a time in each hand and this should pump more adrenaline.

Sleep

Finally, if you are feeling fatigue all the time it usually can be remedied by sleeping more.

You may have your priorities straight but still, many Americans struggle daily with a lack of motivation that can hinder their productivity at work and in their daily life. Many times, their lack of motivation can be falsely diagnosed by medical professionals as ADHD, nutrient deficiency, and even depression. However, sometimes all the person needs to get out of their funk is to implement simple steps in their daily life that will put drive back into their routine and help them become more productive, successful, and happier individuals. Here are some of those steps:

Set Goals

This first step follows the old advice and question of, “If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?” Research studies have continually asserted the notion that goal-oriented individuals are far more likely to be productive and happy in their professional and private lives simply because they have something to get out of bed for each day. Goals can be as small or as large as you wish, but it’s best to have a conglomeration of the full scale. Long-term goals help a person to look forward to the future and keep their eye on the prize on where they want to be in the years to come. Long-term goals typically apply to five, ten, or even more years down the line. Medium-term goals are set for three to five years away and help the person keep perspective on how their short-term goals will eventually affect their long-term goals. Short-term goals can be set as soon away as the next day or as long away as several months to a year. Short-term goals help the person keep focus day in and day out on what they are doing to reach their medium and long-term goals, keeping the person motivated and driven throughout their life.

Get Exercise

Not only does exercise make you look and feel better, but it actually can help tremendously in bolstering your productivity and motivation. Like setting goals, exercising keeps the person focused on activities and takes away the stress of thinking about how big their work or private life problems are all day. If you are exercising effectively, chances are you aren’t thinking about that major project at work that is coming due in the next few days. Exercise gives the mind, as well as the body, a much-needed workout in that it enables the mind to relax thinking about “work” mode and allows other areas that focus on physical exertion a chance to work.

Get Organized

If your work area is so messy that you can’t find what you need to get done, much less actually work on it, you are going to get highly stressed about it and, eventually, become less motivated to get it done. Experts agree that organization is a top priority for working individuals that wish to pick up their motivation. A clean, precise methodology of precision organization helps workers stay focused on their tasks and successfully completing them instead of devoting precious mind resources and time into finding the items they are missing multiple times throughout the day. Take some time to clean up your computer files, your paper files, your desk, and your inbox each week and you may notice a world of difference in keeping motivated on the task at hand.