5 Tips to Stay Motivated!

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn

Okay, so you believe that a positive living approach is the way to go. You’re meeting and greeting the world with a whole new positive attitude and your life is starting to show the signs of success. People are actually being influenced by your new positive attitude and are sending positive vibes your way.  Positivity is contagious after all and spreading joy really works!

Then something happens…

You receive some not so pleasant news and you feel like you’re right back where you started! The negativity spiral begins…

The grey days are there to check your resolve – remember stay focused – the sun will shine through the dark clouds and create a RAINBOW!

What can you do to start doing on a regular basis to stay motivated?

Putting together a personal motivation plan can definitely keep you on track. Motivation is, as the word itself suggests, a MOTIVE for ACTION.

Below are a few suggestions to get you started:

1) Incorporate  Motivation Daily

Is it possible to be positive and optimistic all the time? NO WAY! 

It’s true that motivation doesn’t last forever, however,  if you work at it by keeping yourself on track, then you will have many more UP days than DOWN. If you want to stay continuously motivated, you’ll need to integrate motivational tools into your life. Just like we need daily food for physical energy, we also need daily motivational tools like affirmations, positive quotes, meditations, etc. to feed our mental health.

2) Build A Motivational Base

Read or listen to motivational material daily. Check out the online bookstore or Amazon to find yourself some inspirational books, poems, or workbooks. A well-written book that offers sound advice is more motivating than reading about the latest pandemic news or market decline. Alternatively, If you have no time to sit down and read a book, then try audiobooks. Audio is valuable to listen to, simply because you have the ability to multitask while you’re listening. Spending half an hour every day listening to motivational CDs or MP3s in your car or while working out.

Check out the Happy News website or the Bobby Bones radio show (listen to the Tell Me Something Good segment!)  They will start your day with a smile and positive feeling with their fresh outlook on what’s going right in the world around us 🙂

3) Have A Healthy Lifestyle

Exercise regularly. It helps your body to work more effectively and efficiently. When the body moves, the mind shifts even more. An active body promotes a healthy mind. Set aside time each week to exercise your body. You’ll be more productive when you return to work.

4) Participate in Enjoyable Activities

Determine which activities give you real pleasure, excite you, and allow your talents to shine. The activity should make you feel good about yourself and promote positive emotions. When you enjoy what you do, you tend to automatically excel and succeed effortlessly. With each success, your self-esteem will grow and will motivate you to greater heights. 

5) Remind Yourself of Your Goals

You should have clearly written down goals or an action plan with concrete deadlines. Jot down the necessary steps to achieve your goals. Remind yourself constantly of these goals. Place sticky notes on your bathroom mirror or create a vision board to have visual reminders of your goals. You will develop a strong desire to attain your goals. Your subconscious mind will steer our daily activities and action towards attaining these goals. If you know what you want and want it badly enough, then you will surely get it. Strangely, what you do today has everything to do with where you’ll be in 6 months.

In order to get ahead, you must always be motivated. All the motivation in the world won’t do anything for you unless YOU ACT NOW and apply these steps, believe in yourself, and then let the results inspire you!

Along the way, count your blessings at every opportunity, every obstacle or resistance you encounter, and be grateful for the journey.

Inhale. Exhale.

Violet Buddha

P.S Check out these great motivational quotes to get you started!

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How to Say No at Christmas

The oldest, shortest words – “yes” and “no” are those that require the most thought. – Phythagoras

From the toy aisle to the dinner table, the holiday season is full of “no’s.” It’s important to be able to say no when it comes to things that you can’t do, do have time for or even don’t want to d at all. Unfortunately, expectations run high during the holiday season which makes saying no to friends, family, or even complete strangers very challenging. After all, everyone knows that Christmas is all about giving and thinking of others before ourselves. Don’t be afraid of coming across like a Grinch because its important to take care of your mental and physical health too. I’ve put together some tips to help you say no – even at Christmas time.

Stay Positive

Even if you need to say no, you can still state your case in a positive way. If someone is asking you to organize a holiday party, bake or to set up decorations, try to highlight the benefits of doing things a different way rather than the negative aspects of their plan. You could suggest a girls day to tackle the tasks together. Like John Heywood said “many hands make light work.” You can also propose getting the kids involved in baking, decorating and meal prep.

Be Confident

People can often tell when you’re feeling unsure of yourself and this can make them less willing to take no for an answer. If you want people to take you seriously, it’s important that you project confidence and speak assertively. When you need to tell someone no, say it with clearly without wavering so they can see that you’re serious. This doesn’t mean that you need to be aggressive or rude. Just be firm and concise, and stand up for yourself.

Find a Better Solution

If you’re telling someone no about something but you don’t have an alternative to suggest, the person you’re talking to isn’t likely to come up with a new plan. Instead, they will probably try to find a way to make their initial suggestion seem more logical to you. While a compromise may be better in some situations, you’ll still end up doing something that you didn’t want to. Instead, try to come up with an alternative plan for the person to consider. They just may go along with it, and that way you can avoid their request without actually saying no.

Avoid an Argument

Any disagreement can turn into an argument at any moment, especially during the stress-filled holiday season. With tensions running so high, even the smallest issue can turn into a Christmas confrontation. If saying no causes an argument, ask if you can discuss the subject once things have calmed down. Arguing isn’t likely to lead to an agreeable solution, and can also cause feelings to be hurt unintetionally.

Stick to Your Guns

Stick to your guns, no matter how hard someone tries to sway your decision. Remember that you don’t need to feel guilty about saying no. There’s no reason to be upset about it either. The majority of the time, it really is in everyone’s best interest. Simply explain that you’re not saying “no” to be mean or difficult. Reiterate the reason or reasons why you’re saying no, as gently as you can.

Yes, believe it or not, it’s entirely possible to say “no” at Christmas. Armed with all of the tips listed above, the task is probably easier than you think.

Inhale. Exhale

Violet Buddha