Self Motivation

The true measure of success may be how much time you spend doing exactly what you want. Never mind the money, if you already have enough. How much of your time is spent doing that which either aggravates you or wastes your time? Even the very rich can find themselves caught up in stressful situations that cry out for a solution. Most of the time, eliminating them altogether is the best strategy.

The problem is one of habits. If you've always done things a certain way, you may be creating a problem that can be solved by a change in thinking, followed by a change in acting. Are you checking your email more than 5 times a day? More than 50? Why? Consider checking email twice a day, at the most. If you warn people that you only check email twice a day, you may find that those who depend on you to respond immediately change how they behave towards you.

Another consideration is negative influences. You may have a majority of customers that are a pleasure to deal with, and a few that are nasty, negative and chew up most of your time. Consider firing the troublemakers. That will make room for more good customers and make sure your attitude isn't negatively affected by dealing with people who delight in making you miserable.

Cut yourself off from the "news". Television and newspapers seldom serve up news that is actionable by you. When was the last time a public official or government agency contacted you regarding your take on the latest news bulletin? For that matter, when was the last time you missed something important in life that you didn't hear about from a friend or neighbor? If the world is about to blow up, I guarantee you'll find out about it without resorting to the media. Eliminate daily news briefings. You don't need the negative influence in your life.

Try outsourcing your chores. If you've automated your business so you can spend more time on yard work, housecleaning or maintenance, stop and think! How much will it cost you to pay someone to mop your floors, mow your lawn and clean your rain gutters? Unless you are a seasoned professional at such labor, you'll probably get a better result than if you keep doing it yourself. Even if you are a seasoned professional at such labor, isn't the reason you got into IM precisely to free yourself from daily drudgery?

Learn how to shut your mind tightly against negative thinking and the negative influence of other people. You can begin by practicing meditation, where you stop thinking about your thoughts and simply remain quiet, in your mind. With practice, you'll find it's easy and effortless to break a train of thought you do not wish to encourage. You'll also find it beneficial to cut out all the people who want to dump their problems on you. You don't have to be nasty or rude. Just stop allowing them to invade your life with the things that they, themselves, are unwilling to deal with. It is not your duty to hear other people whine about their life. There are troubles and duties we all must deal with. I'm not suggesting you drop your responsibilities and slack off on what you know you must do. Just take the time to question all of your assumptions regarding duty and responsibility. Figure out how much of your life is spent doing things that you really don't have to be doing. Get rid of all the old, bad habits that cause unnecessary aggravation and eliminate them from your life.