How to motivate yourself

By Brian Maynor

 

 

I live to help people.  In fact, I take great pleasure in guiding and encouraging people to live the life they want, but to say I’m a motivator is a bit of a misnomer.  The truth is motivation is not something we can do for someone else; it comes from within.

Some people find their motivation reading affirmations or watching an inspirational video, but for others it’s not that simple.  While it’s helpful to surround ourselves with positive, inspiring people for support and encouragement, only we have the ability to change the way we think; pick ourselves up and keep moving.

So if affirmations and motivational videos aren’t enough to reignite your motivation, try some of these other methods instead:

1.   Prepare to work.  Following our dreams, and creating the life we want is amazing, but it’s not easy.  If it were, we would all be living our dream lives.  Staying positive, focusing on being happy, and raising our vibrational rate are steps to living our dreams, but that’s not all there is.  Transforming dreams into reality takes work.  It doesn’t have to be hard work, but nothing is going to magically appear in our lives simply because we wish for it.  Results require action, so we have to be ready to work.

2.    Set clear intentions.  If that sounds too new age-y for you, call them goals; that will serve the same purpose.  The important thing is to be clear about what we want to accomplish.  It’s hard for me to make commitments because I value freedom of choice; so when I set my intentions it’s helpful to write them down.  Whether they are long-term or short-term intentions, having them on a piece of paper holds me accountable and helps me refocus when life gets crazy.  This is a great tool for anyone who tends to get distracted or sidetracked.

3.    Take the first step.  When our motivation is low it’s easy to take what little we have and channel it into indulging in easy forms of entertainment or distractions like food and television, but in reality that only perpetuates the problem.  The biggest kick-start we can give our motivation is to take the first step.  While that isn’t likely going to get us to the end result, it is still very important because we’re making progress, and once we start gaining momentum it compounds very quickly.

4.    Remember the ‘why’.  Our goals and dreams mean something to us personally.  That’s why we all have different ones, and it’s important to recall that reason frequently.  That ‘why’ is the reason we take risks, work hard and choose a life that’s ultimately more challenging and rewarding than playing it safe from birth to death.  If our why isn’t strong enough to do that, then we need to rethink our intentions.

5.    Surround ourselves with love.  This should include people we love and love us in return, and things we love.  It’s easy to minimize the impact objects have on our mental and emotional health, but their impact is very real.  When we live with and look at something day after day, it’s important to love it.  If we don’t, move it to another part of the house or better yet get rid of it.  Just like culling negative people from our social media feed, we should purge our space from anything that doesn’t bring us joy.

Inspirational tools and people are helpful when we need to boost your motivation, but they can only do so much.  No tool or person can ever do our work.  Only we can regain our motivation.  The tools are there to cheer us on in the process.

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

Click here or on the images below to learn more about the outfit.

 

I am always curious to hear about your weekend wardrobe dilemmas and help make your work wardrobe pull double duty.  Email your questions, quandaries and conundrums to [email protected].  Also find each of these storyboards at http://brianmaynor.polyvore.com with links to purchase each item.

 

 

About Brian Maynor

Brian Maynor has built a reputation as one of the leading style coaches in the Southeast and is quickly expanding his eponymous company, BRIAN MAYNOR and his FIND, FLATTER & FLAUNT line of image consulting services. A professional with a fresh, upbeat and down-to-earth personality and boundless creative energy, he works frequently with with local celebrities; Fortune 500 companies and nonprofit organizations; modeling agencies; fashion designers; production companies; record labels; media and individuals. A regular contributor to various fashion blogs and online communities, Brian Maynor is one of the most trusted and recognized style experts in the region, utilizing his education and training as a broadcast journalist to serve as a style lecturer, emcee, and commentator for over a decade. He has appeared at fashion shows, expos, and charity fundraisers, as well as events with big brands like Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Chico’s and Macy’s. His approach is innovative, creative and fashion-forward, balancing fresh, modern styles with classic pieces to keep one’s look grounded. To learn more, visit http://www.brianmaynor.com.

 

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