Zen Garden > Motivation - Is That the Only Thing Holding You Back?

Do you lack motivation? I must confess, even I have periods when I am not particularly motivated. So, what can you do?

However, overall I would say that I am very motivated to achieve all sorts of things. The thing is this - when I am particularly motivated to do something I really do mow down the work in front of me. I am always challenging myself to go faster, be more productive and to find better ways of doing things. When I work, I REALLY work - no mucking around!

The hardest part of doing anything is to make a start. A trades-person will often spend as much time assembling the tools as doing the job. Making a start is essential. If that is your problem then might I suggest that you get a clock and work as hard and as fast as you can for 15 minutes. When you have done that sit back and look at what you have done. Often it will inspire you to keep going.

Often I will "chunk" my work into 15, 30 or 60-minute blocks of time. I compete each successive block with each preceding block to see how much more I can get done.

I am always working with targets. For instance, I have set myself a target of 15 minutes to write this article then another 15 minutes to edit and polish it. So far, at this point I have only consumed seven minutes of my time in writing. That leaves me more time to edit and polish, or it may mean that I finish the whole thing quicker than I anticipated. That is always a bonus.

If motivation or, more correctly, lack of motivation is your biggest hurdle then try the techniques I mentioned above. One other thing you might like to try is rewarding yourself after you have successfully completed a target block. Let's say you are digging a trench. Set yourself a point at where you will take a five-minute break and reward yourself with a nice cold lemon juice. How refreshing that would be.

Motivation is all about having a clear plan, setting targets, marking off checkpoints and giving yourself the occasional reward. When I finish this article my reward will be to make myself a nice cup of black tea. I have now taken just over ten minutes to complete my goal of writing this. The proofing and editing took only three and a half minutes. My little rest and that cup of tea now awaits me.

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Gary Simpson is a 7th Dan karate master who teaches self defense, motivation, self help and wealth building to students around the world through home study courses. You may reprint this article as you include this author credit and an active link to his web site. Finance - Self Help - Motivation - Self Defense - Personal Growth MotivationSelfEsteem.com