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They say that to grow you should associate with those people who motivate you to be more than you aspire to be. Associating with "lesser" people will hold you back, whilst associating with people on the same level will leave you where you are now...at the same level as they are.

Associating with people who make you think, re-assess and challenge you physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally will sometimes make you wish for the quiet life, but your life will be an amazing kaleidoscope of new challenges and experiences to sense, absorb and to think about.

And just as other people can be a catalyst for your growth and change, so you can be a catalyst for others. So as you go through your day ask yourself this:

Am I helping other people to grow and change, or am I dragging them down to my level? If you haven't tried anything new in the last couple of weeks, something tells me you are stuck, so get our of your mental rut and do something different.

What happens when your creative world has dried up? The words will not flow, the images cannot be formed. The blank page screams and you dread the beginning, like a trip to the dentist you sit down and face the void. Panic sets in. You know you have things to do, things to say - people are depending on you. You are depending on you to produce something, anything - just to start, because you know that when you start you will be able to continue. But that first stroke eludes you again.

Shaken you get up and pace the room, your words are worrying - "What happens now? What happens if it cannot be done? What if this is all there ever is in my world? How will I cope? Who will pay my bills? Am I forever going to be penniless and destitute?"

You sit down again and pick up the pen, the brush, the computer whirrs in protest at being woken from its slumber. Deep breath and your hands refuse to move. There is disconnect between your fingers and your brain. You want to scream and shout - "it's not fair, why me? why now when I have so much to do and so little time in which to do it?"

You berate yourself again for not starting sooner, and your creative energies fail and flounder in the sea of negativity in which you wallow.

We have infinite capacity to create. But our minds act like a brake rather than a catalyst. Why? Because we allow it to.

If you are truly stuck, then a change of scenery may help - but that is just another way of delaying the start. So pick up the tool of your creative choice and start with where you are now. Draw a line, draw a second. Join the dots. Write a shopping list. Procrastination yes, but a way of jump starting your recalcitrant mind. And when it is off chewing on something you have provided, you will find your creative side was there all along...waiting patiently.

Have you ever tried to change another persons beliefs? Tried to get them to see your point of view? Have you noticed that no matter how eloquently or forcefully you make your point, the other person refuses to accept your position?

Have you felt frustration at their lack of true understanding of your position, and the fact they have no empathy for you or your situation? If you are anything like me, and I would say with respect you do understand where I am coming from, it is easier to push water uphill than to expect respect.

In reality you cannot change another person’s behaviour by constantly pointing out that they are wrong and you are right. That’s just asking for trouble. Why? Because more often than not - being right or wrong is subjective. So what can you do? Do you keep banging your head in frustration on the brick wall that you are faced with? Do you carry on getting frustrated and angry because they cannot see your point of view let alone agree with it?

Or do you change the ONLY thing you do have complete control over – YOU?

You can accept that some people will continue running around in ever decreasing circles claiming to be right, claiming the right to be a “victim”. You know the sort of person I am talking about – they are the ones who whinge and whine about how bad their life is. The point is, you could continue to allow them to rule your life (how many previous conversations have you got running through your head?), by allowing them room to manoeuvre inside your non-conscious thought processes. I have noticed that the more you try and change someone, the more likely it is that they will dig their heels in, stamp their feet and strike their all-too familiar pose when they don’t get their own way. And more importantly the less time you have to change the person who really matters the most to you – yes YOU.

Be a better person today than you weren't yesterday;
Treat yourself and others with respect - even if someone doesn't believe / see / understand your point of view, doesn't mean you can't see theirs, so agree to differ;
And if they can't even do that, accept that position and then move on. Don't waste your time and energy on things and people that are stuck going nowhere fast.

Self-esteem - or how you feel about yourself can change in a second. A casual remark made by someone can drive your self-esteem through the floor. What to them was a throw-away comment can literally make or break your day.

But before you head for the hills, I have a couple of suggestions to share with you.

The word "Esteem" - can be described as "to have great respect or high regard for" (Dictionary sitting on my desk). "Self-Esteem" actually says "good, esp. unduly high opinion of oneself" - ouch.

We have been given the most amazing piece of machinery that has ever been created. But we only get one each. It can run on inferior fuel without a break for days on end. And it can hide us from the world. I am of course talking about your body. To have a high regard for this piece of machinery is one of the best things that you can do for yourself. Why? Because without it, you wouldn't be here.

Esteem starts with the knowledge that we are unique, there is no-one else on this planet we call Earth that looks like us, we have been given some gift or talent that no-one else has - so if you are lacking self-esteem, then look for your good points.

If you think you aren't going to be able to do something - guess what - you won't even try. Or if you do try, you don't try very hard.

You see, our thoughts can and do make our reality.

If you believe you can do something, if you want something badly enough, if your dreams, ambitions and goals are real and vivid to you - you will do everything in your power to get it, do it, reach it.

Unfortunately - most of the time our thoughts are going in the exact opposite direction to where we say we want to be. We want to go on holiday, but we spend money on things that don't matter. We say we want to have a meaningful relationship - but our inner dialogue is negative, and we end up having arguments and fights with the people we say we care about.

"It's not my fault" you tell yourself - but it is. You have the power to think for yourself, and if you have the power to think for yourself then you can choose the thoughts that you have. Because the important bit about this is, you will attract to you what you are thinking about most of the time. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen" you say. Well it did happen - because you had spent so much time and energy predicting the outcome. The question is - why can't we spend the same amount of time deciding what we do want to happen?

The problem I have noticed is that people know what they don't want - they rarely know what they do. And if they do know what they think they want - they discount the idea as not being possible because they're not worthy of it... so they delay starting those things that will take them towards their dreams and goals.

One of the keys to breaking the procrastination habit is to decide what it is you do want.... and why you want it. The more reasons you have, the faster you will reach your target.

Get rid of the blame list and give yourself permission to be successful. You deserve it.

Most people don't have enough reasons, which is why procrastination is like being stuck in the mire of if, but and when I get around to it.

Procrastination is depressing. Not only does it affect your body's natural rythmns and behaviours, it keeps us stuck in the same place doing the same kinds of things. Never getting anywhere.

Beating procrastination is frightening, because it means that you are going to have to be accountable to YOURSELF. We hide behind busy work, telling ourselves that we will get around to it, one day - and give a whole list of excuses as to why you can't do it now.

Only you can beat the procrastination habit, only you can want to beat the procrastination habit. It's a little like climbing a slippery mountainside - one step up, two and a bit down and maybe one or two sideways in order to get a grip on your life. And this is where most people get stuck, they keep on trying the same things in the same way in the same hope that someone, somewhere will put them out of the mire. But unless you want to change, then nothing or no one can help you. You have to help yourself first.

But how do you help yourself, after all you may feel you have tried every option available to you, but none of them worked, so why try?

Since starting this web site, we have had a few comments and suggestions as to how to beat the procrastination habit. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so. Some of the suggestions include:
- Finding the inner winner;
- Tell someone of your plans - someone that you respect and don't want to let down;
- Start and don't stop until you've completed the task;

Let me say at this point - what works for one person, may not work for someone else. That's why there are so many books on the subject of procrastination and how to beat it. Bear in mind that - their plan worked for them - why - because it was THEIR plan. It's not yours, so don't beat yourself up if you "failed".

So what can you do?

Well you can take a suggestion and apply it to where you are in your life at this point. And it may start a whole avalanche of successes that will naturally propel you forward, for a while. External success is all very well - until you come to a bump in the road, and then what happens? That's right you come to a grinding halt, which can take some getting over. Your new found diet regime works - until someone invites you out for dinner. You wanted to go for a walk tonight - but there is a weather front moving through and who wants to get cold and wet! And on it goes. Your inner critic tells you you've done it again - and you believe it.

To successfully beat the procrastination habit - you have to want to. It has to come from within - and the way to ensure your success is to ensure you have enough reasons for why you want to do it.

The more reasons you have, the more concrete those reasons are, the more likely it is you will succeed. If you don't know why you want something - then you won't have the drive or the passion to achieve it. So don't just think about what you want to achieve - work out WHY as well. If you don't know why - then you don't want it badly enough.

In today's issue of the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine I talk about the importance and power of sleep. Question - have you signed up for your copy of the Daily Dose yet? Or are you waiting for me to post the items into the archive? You do know that's procrastination don't you. If you haven't yet signed up - then stop reading this and do it, because it may be a while before the messages get posted. Every day (well most days) you will receive an e-mail "e-zine" giving you some suggestions as to how to end the procrastination habit. So if you are serious about getting more from every day, then it is time you joined those people who are well on the way to doing just that.

But that is a little bit of a digression. We were going to talk about sleep, or rather the lack of it.

Do you get enough sleep? If you're anything like me, probably not. The average person needs between 7 and 9 hours sleep per night. I probably get about 6, 6 and a half if I am very lucky. Sometimes it is because I go to bed late, but other times it is because I don't sleep very well when I get there. And having to get up early - to get to work, can be a struggle sometimes.
 
Do you wake up refreshed and raring to go, or are you suffering from an over-indulgence from the night before? And I don't just mean alcohol.
 
You see - in order to work hard you need to sleep well. Sleep is the body's mechanism to ensure that it re-builds itself during the body's downtime. An over-indulgence in food and alcohol just before you go to bed can see your body go into crisis mode to process the "energy" it doesn't need - and where does it go? Yep - right into those waiting fat cells. The problem with having your engine turned on - is that your sleep is disturbed, and the cells don't get replaced. Imagine a car engine revving and you will begin to see what I mean. If your cells don't get replaced, what happens is that your body is sluggish, those things you don't see - the transport mechanisms of the blood, the lymphatic system, the air flow and all those other internal processes we take for granted, slow down. Usually the first visible sign that your body is exhausted is when your hair and skin start to look "tired" too. And no amount of creams and shampoo can help, if you've ever been there.
 
But it's not just about food and alcohol that can cause your body to stop feeling sleepy. Long gone are the days when we went to bed when the sun went down, natural light has lengthened our days, which does mean we can "do" more. But it's not just the light that is a problem, what about your evenings activities? Do you watch disturbing items on the TV? And I inlcude the news in that genre. What kind of books do you read? Are you studying? Have you noticed that when you over stimulate the mind close to bed time, you have trouble switching it off again?

So a suggestion - take some time this week and evaluate your evenings, and your sleep patterns, keep a notebook - don't trust your memory on this one. I'm not asking you to cut anything out - but as it goes into your mouth write it in your book, write down your activities (use code if you don't want anyone to know !!!) when you have about a weeks worth of data, you will begin to see where you can make changes. If you want to or need to that is. But I know that the better the sleep you get, the better the following day will be, and the more productive you are.
 
Sleep well and I will see you on the starting line tomorrow

The more I read and learn, the more I realise I don't know. I know that personal and professional development does not stop when you leave Uni, but given the vast storehouses of information out there, I'm not even going to scratch the surface.

But what is even more interesting to me is that, most of the time we don't know we don't know, so we are unable to ask meaningful questions of those who do know. A state of ignorance is bliss, or just a blissful kind of ignorance?

Confused? For me it is quite a humbling experience - because I work in the Information Industry, therefore it stands to some kind of reason that I should know most things, or at least know where to go to find the answers. Before the Internet, I thought I had a pretty good handle on where to go to find the information that I and my clients needed. Books, Bibliographies, Indexes, Abstracts - if you've ever tried to search chemical abstracts by hand you will understand what I mean when I say that you have to become a very good lateral thinker, with a keen eye for detail if you want to find information of relevance and use.

But those early skills trawling through the reams of felled forests, has stood me in good stead with the advent of computer based databases (Dialog etc) and of course the Internet. Most people these days go straight to Google when they need something. I still prefer to go to my personal collection of reference books before turning on the computer. But that is not the norm these days. Even my kids go straight to Google despite my daily reminders that it's not all the on the Internet you know.

But it is getting somewhere close - vast libraries are opening up their catalogues to the search engines, some books have been digitised - long before Google got in on the act there was Project Gutenberg - http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page - those books that are no longer in copyright can be found on sites like Gutenberg. And journal publishers are making articles, indexes and table of contents freely available for those who have the time and the knowledge of where to find them. And for the first time ever, there is a growing movement in online blogs, everyone can be a publisher in the electronic realms (and probably has), what before was kept hidden from prying eyes behind padlocked diaries and hidden memoirs are now being shared with the world. Now I don't know about you but I definitely won't have time to read everything there is to read. Which just makes my dilemma worse. Knowing what to read first.

I used to constantly worry about "tomorrow" what was going to happen, would it happen in the way that I thought it would? I would lie awake worrying about things I had no control over, and would wake tired and unable to do the things I was hoping to get done.

But it has dawned on me over time, that I only have control over my actions "today". I may not be here tomorrow, so why should I waste time and energy on something that may never happen. Yes I have long term plans and goals, but now I have it figured out - it is those tiny decisions that I make today that will impact on where I am with regards to my goals and dreams tomorrow.

I can't say that I want to lose 20lbs by Christmas if I choose to eat chocolate and potato crisps today, sit on my backside and not exercise. A few days like that and I will have forgotten that I wanted to lose 20lbs and may "tell" myself - OK that was a little unrealistic I'll settle for 10lbs by Christmas.

The decisions that you make, every conversation that you have, every negative and angry thought that crosses your mind and comes out of your mouth, every time you choose inaction over action will impact on you and your dreams and goals. Heck it may even impact on your ability to hang onto your job if your attitude stinks today.

I am convinced more than ever that I am in the business of ME inc. And if I want my "business" to succeed then I have to make sure that everything that I do today, will have a positive impact on where my "business" is tomorrow. For example, if you want your business to be rich, then don't spend all your money today. If you want your business to be healthy, then eat well and exercise today. If you want your business to have healthy "thoughts and philosophies", then read and watch those things that will have a positive impact on yourself and the business of "you". And tomorrow really will take care of itself.

The Vision of James Allen

“I looked around upon the world and saw that it was shadowed
by sorrow and scorched by the fierce fires of suffering. And
I looked for the cause. I looked around, but I could not find
it. I looked in books, but I could not find it. I looked within,
and found there both the cause and the self-made nature of that
cause. I looked again, and deeper, and found the remedy. I found
one Law, the Law of Love; one Life, the life of adjustment to
that Law; one Truth, the Truth of a conquered mind and a quiet
and obedient heart.

“And I dreamed of writing books which would help men and women, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, worldly or unworldly to find within themselves the source of all success, all happiness, accomplishment, all truth. And the dream remained with me, and at last became substantial; and now I send forth these books into the world on a mission of healing and blessedness, knowing that they cannot fail to reach the homes and hearts of those who are waiting and ready to receive them.”

A classic book - available from http://www.mindsofpower.com or http://www.gutenberg.org the latter also gives you access to hundreds of other titles which means you don't have to buy them. Happy reading.

1. Want things to change AND be willing to do WHATEVER you need to do to achieve the goals you have set for yourself.

2. Sign up for the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine - We all need a reminder to stay on track - what better than on a daily basis. 

3. Be truly open minded to change. If you have always done things in a certain way, then you will always get the same kind of results. So if you are open minded, you will begin to see things presented to you in a different way. And the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine can help you to think and see things in a new light. Once you have begun to  see things in a brand new light, you will act in a different way, and you will begin to get different results. The more successes you have the more successes you will have. Conversely the opposite is also true.

4. Be better in the next 5 minutes than you were in the last 5. We can all be better in the next five minutes that we were in the last, can't we?

5. Start now - there will never be a right time. So stop waiting for a point in time that will never arrive. Don't wait for the kids to leave home, or to finish the food in the cupboards before starting that diet. Get on with your new life NOW.

6. Take one decision at a time. We make millions of decision every day. And every decision impacts on the next options you are given. The thing is you may not know all the answers when you start on a particular path - but - those answers will come - when you need them. The beauty about goal setting and goal achievement is that the more you achieve, the more you succeed, the faster those achievements will come to you.

7. Don't sit on the fence and wait for someone to push you off onto the wrong side - stop giving away your power. When someone asks you want you want to do today, do not say "I don't mind" and then hate every single minute of someone elses decisions and choices. If you can't make up your mind, don't "mind" if someone makes yours up for you.

8. Be consistent with your actions. Chip away at the problems.....if you can't take a flying leap that is....some gaps can only be made in one jump!!

9. Be persistent - do something towards your goals for 5 minutes, make one phone call, write a letter, write a chapter outline, go for a walk, do something...get out your plans, and to do lists....and do something.

10. Understand the reasons why you want something. The more reasons you have the more likely you are to succeed.  

Attitude is everything! It is part of what makes our self concept - ours.

People with “attitude” are wrongly labelled as troublemakers, punks, brats, spoilers, dissenters and drama queens. Whilst these people do seem to have a need to display some form of aggressive, emotional or “disturbing” behaviour, not all people with “attitude” are troublemakers, punks, brats, spoilers, dissenters and drama queens. In fact we all have “attitude” and depending on our mood or state of mind usually determines our “attitude” at any given time.

But the thing is - attitude is all about choice. You can choose the kind of person that you are and the attitude that you adopt in the same way that you can choose a pair of shoes or the clothes that you wear. What you have to eat and whether you drink a little or a lot. It is all about choice, and attitude is no different. Whilst it might be fun to play the drama queen game occasionally, pouting and flouncing to get your own way, if you do it on a regular basis it will only make you believe your own press. “it worked once, so it will work again”. Let me put it this way – most people can see straight through the attitude, so change it, you will get far more out of life and your relationships if you treat other people with the respect they deserve.

As we go through the next couple of weeks we will see some of the best and the worst behaviours of "attitude"  I hope yours is a positive one and your concept of self is not negatively impacted.

Song lyrics have inspired people for generations,  we sing in the shower, in the car to and from work, we remember hymns we sang in church, and these modern day poets continue to inspire.  I love the fact that their words have the power to make me laugh, smile and cry (on occassion). They have the power to transport me to new places, remembered places, they have the power to transcend the trivial and the mundane. They are the true motivational "speakers" in this jaded world.

"If you place a thing in the centre of your life that lacks the power to nourish
It will eventually poison everything that you are and destroy you
A simple a thing as an idea or your perspective on yourself or your world
No-one can be the source of yourself, it lies within, in the centre"

Faithless 

"At the end of the day .... it gets dark" - and there is nothing you can do about it, so accept that it happens. What you don't have to accept though is the daylight hours you waste on unimportant, non-urgent stuff that you fill your lives with.

We waste energy on people who do nothing to enhance our lives. We give them power by giving them attention...even when they are not in the same room as us. Don't believe me - then consider the last argument you have had....I bet you remember it in glorious technicolour don't you...well how much more could you do if you used that energy for the people and the projects that are important to you.

So my final thought for today. Choose your words carefully, they have the power to destroy or they have the power to build...it's up to you which you use. Stop wasting time and energy on people and things that drain you, get your head out of the sandpit and actually see what you are doing. Because most people listen but do not hear, and look but do not see.

Have you noticed, that what motivates you one day, may not have the same impact the next day or next week?

Why?

Well - there are lots of reasons, not least of which -

We lose sight of what is really important to us.
We get part way through the steps that should be leading us to our goals, only to find that we don't really want it  after all.
We haven't aligned our goals with our core values - namely what makes you - you? Consequently there is dissonance between what we say we want, and what we actually need.

So - if you "can't be arsed" to do what you need to do today then you should think about the points mentioned above, and then sit down and spend a few minutes to go back over the reasons. Remember the reasons are the most important - what reasons do you have? The more reasons you have, the more you should be inspired. I carry my life list with me. You know that list of goals and things I say I want to achieve - before I die. And if I am in any doubt about what I am doing I get the list out of my bag and I read the list again. Which usually prompts me to add a few more. If you don't have a life list, now is the time to make one, because on it you will see what you really want to get out of this life. Then you can determine if the reason you aren't motivated is because what you are doing now is not having any impact on what you should be doing.

So what's on my life list? Well - Pay off the mortgage, be carbon neutral, buy land down at Wyadup Bay and build a writers retreat, make my living from writing full time, do 100 push ups without stopping (girly ones first), learn the times tables properly, climb a rope, go to circus school and learn how to handstand properly....

Plus all the trips I want to make, countries I want to see...

Take time out today and check your life list, you might be surprised. I know I was. 

Yesterday I mentioned that I hadn't won the lottery again....reading my personal whinge it made me wonder if I actually attract "lack" by thinking that I am wasting money on things like the lottery. Which is interesting, because today I was sent a link to a NLP site, NLP = Neuro Linguistic Programming...which says exactly that. You get what you think about. So does that mean that if  I tell myself that I am going to win a million dollars I am actually going to?

No - because that is a "demanding type plea" and one that I don't actually believe will happen. So any positive thinking is offset by the "yeah right" thought that directly follows the request for more money.

So a couple of thoughts. If you attract that which you think about, remember that every thought that you have, every word that you speak and every action that you make is your choice. No-one else is responsible for anything you think, say or do.

Think about it.

Most of us think about what we don't have. In my case - a "decent win on the lottery" because I "deserve" it. Says who?

We spend most of our time thinking about things we want, without recognising what it is we have already achieved. So when you are thinking about your goal setting, it is important to add in a few extra thoughts to the process.
- Be grateful for what you have already. 
- Be grateful for what you have achieved, and the person you have become as a result of achieving, or working on those goals.
- Take the "But" "If only" "I'm not worthy" thought processes from your mind and vocabulary. If you believe that you are worthy of receiving then you stand more chance of achieving whatever it is you say you want. If you don't believe in yourself, how on earth are you going to get anything?

Change your thoughts and you can change your life. If you believe in yourself that is. 

"If you would not be forgotten,
as soon as you are dead and rotten
either write things worth reading,
or do things worth the writing."
Benjamin Franklin 1790

It is very tempting to look at other people and their achievements and think that what you have done is not good enough, however it can also motivate you to do more and achieve more.

One thing I have learnt is this - the only person you should be benchmarking yourself against is you. Whilst you can aspire for greater things and may look to others for inspiration and guidance, see what they did right and learn what they did wrong. Only you can decide whether or not you are willing to to whatever it takes to move onwards and upwards, onwards and sideways or stay where you are.

The January 18th edition of the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine looked at this - do you define success by using other people as your benchmark. Read it here.  http://www.motivateme.info/daily-dose-ezine/2007/1/18/do-you-define-success-by-using-other-people-as-your-benchmark.html

Every day we are faced with millions of tiny decisions, and it is those tiny decisions that have the biggest impact on our lives. Little by little we can move towards our dreams, or we can find a million different detours to take us away from what we say we want.

It's the middle of February already, I know you know that, but to me I feel like I am already behind. Too many unstructured evenings has meant that my normal writing time has been eroded. But there is an added dimension - I don't think so well when it's hot, and being summer in Australia believe me when I say I think my brain started to melt on occassion. But this week it is going to be fantastic. Warm but not stinking hot....and not too humid either. So a great chance to move my writing onwards by several chapters.

I know we've spoken before about working at your best time, and how tiny things can have a major impact on our lives. Well February is the shortest Moonth (comes from the moon cycle by the way...and not the sun) so in effect we only have 2 short weeks before the end of yet another milestone that makes up each year. Only 10 and a half months to go before 2007 comes to a close. Now you may decide that you have all the time in the world to do what you need to do, but in most cases it takes time to achieve those goals that you say you want to achieve. I can probably write a couple of thousand words a night, dieting - you can only lose a pound or two a week, exercise, you can only build your new shape by exercising on a regular basis for a considerable period of time. And so it is with everything.

So if you haven't attached deadlines and timelines to your goals, it's time to do so, otherwise another month will have passed by and you won't have moved very far at all. A word of advice, you can wait for someone to come along and give you a shove, or you can take steps to make the choices you need to make.

I cannot believe how much time I waste on things that do not matter. My thoughts wander off like a child running through a meadow following the elusive butterfly. Racing along, not bothering to check where I am or what I am doing. I waste my day, dreaming, thinking, plotting, deciding, resolve that says I won't do this and that, I will do....ooh look there's another butterfly isn't it pretty.

My thoughts aren't necessarily negative, just not productive. I know I have things that I need to do, yet my thoughts if you could see them in a great big speech bubble would tell a different story. Am I thinking about what needs to be done today? Those things I have to do tomorrow? Those things that I need to do to move my projects forward?

If I were honest i have to admit, that a small percentage of my daily thought ramblings are planning ahead, deciding what to do, what not to do. But the remaining thoughts that escape into the ether are jumbled, contradictory, I tell myself that I want to stop doing something, and then conveniently forget and go and do whatever it was I said I was trying to stop.

It's easy when you have clarity of thinking, those rare breakthrough moments that signal the clutter has finally been left behind....but don't look now, it's catching up on you...to know what you are doing wrong, what you are doing right and those things that you need to in the mean time. But as I said to you earlier, those moments in time and thought are rare. Well they are - if you are truly honest with yourself. How do you know when you have broken free of the clutching clutter? Answer: When everything falls into place. You can move forwards with whatever you were doing, you have a determination that says "I will" "I can" "I am worthy of everything" How long do those moments stay?

It's time to put those thoughts to work, because it is thoughts as we have discussed many times before, those thoughts create your reality. I know mine have. But even mine can be improved. Overcoming the procrastination habit is possible, it is likely - if you can think it, you can do it.

We are quick to anger, yet slow to tell someone we love them. We are quick to blame others, but not admit to making mistakes ourselves. And it is easier to make an excuse than to do the work.

What a crazy mixed up world we live in. 

It seems that half the world is obese and the other half starving to death. Where those children who have access to education don't want to go, and those who do, don't have a school to go to. Whilst no-one said life was fair, most of us don't make the most of the chances we have been  given. Where the good die young, and the bad have a good time - usually at another's expense.

We save things for "best" and keep things for a rainy day. We keep the good china and the best chrystal for those special occassions, that usually never happen because everyone is too busy doing nothing to spend an hour with friends.

We know we cannot live forever, yet we waste time every day as if we can go on forever. We can't. Things wither and die and we will spend an eternity locked in a box under a tonne of earth. We can hope for reincarnation and life after death - but nothing is certain. And by the time you find out - it's way too late. You cannot turn back time, you cannot hop into the TARDIS and zap back a couple of decades to try again. It doesn't work like that. But you'd think it did the way people carry on.

So do me a favour. Call your parents, your siblings and anyone else you care about and tell them that you do. Don't assume they know. Then get out your goal list, your mad "do before you die list" and ask yourself why you haven't achieved what you have decided is important to you. Don't wait until tomorrow - for some people it may not arrive.

Do you procrastinate less the older you get? Are you more motivated to get on and do things, because you know time is running out?

I think the answer to that is - it depends. The motivated person will always do what needs to be done in order to achieve their goals. For the un-motivated person, they will find all sorts of ways to perfect the procrastination habit. And I feel age is no barrier.

No matter how old you happen to be, there will be times in your life that you will suffer the procrastination habit. With the exception of babies, young children and some "elderly" people being the exception to this rather bold statement.

Kids don't want to go to school or do homework, adults hide behind the television so they don't have to do any work on their projects, most people don't want to exercise, even I find it hard to write sometimes.

Why?

Well part of the answer lies in the fact that our emotions rule our world.  We are prone to hormonal swings, food cravings can send our blood sugar rocketing and our thought processes wild, and addictions - well they wouldn't be called addictions if we could deal with them on a logical basis now would they?

The other part lies in the thoughts that we have. We allow other people into our space and they can either nurture you or slowly eat away at you. The television impacts us with blood, guts and gore. Bad news sells and we soak it up like psychic sponges. We listen to people whingeing on the radio, we play video games that do little to inspire and we drag ourselves to work and school where we are bombarded with noise and other people's expectations for us. 

Fear rules our lives. We fear we don't have enough, we fear what will happen if we are seen doing something we shouldn't, we fear that we will run out of time and we won't have completed anything. But rather than it acting as a motivator - we stop dead in our tracks and wait for the freight train to hit.

So what can you do - well remember that you only have today. Today is a certainty, tomorrow - who knows. We cannot do anything about the past, apart from learn from the mistakes we have made and hope we don't have to repeat them.

So if today is all that we know we have, what are you going to do to ensure that today is the best day that you have lived so far? Are you still content to do the same things in the same way if you knew that today was it? Sure long term planning is important, but it is the steps you take today that will determine whether or not you will reach that point 10 years down the track after you have climbed your own particular mountain. 

To get more out of every day you need to fill it with things that inspire, instruct and challenge your current level of thinking.....which is all very well - but .... where does this information come from and why is it really important?

Well, thinking new things in new ways can unlock new levels of understanding and comprehension. You know - the great ah-ha moment that suddenly occurs to us as the penny falls into place.

So:

1. It can come from anyone, at any time from anywhere. All you have to do is be willing to listen without prejudice and judgement.
2. A single piece of information can be the key to unlock a door in your mind. Behind which are new levels of understanding and comprehension. Applying that new information to your current level of thinking and your current set of circumstances can be the motivation you need to get up and get going.

There are lessons to be learned from everyone and everything, if you are willing to take the classes.

OK it's not just heat that makes me procrastinate. Sometimes I just can't be bothered. I get caught up with being busy. I know I am not busy and productive, just busy. Busy doing nothing in particular. Filling my days and evenings with stuff, only some of which needs doing. What I should be doing is writing. I make the excuse that the heat has addled my brain, when I could pick up my laptop and head off for the library and enjoy the cool and the quiet.

But no, another stifling weekend. Stifled creativity, stifling heat and humidity, a precious weekend wasted. Sure I feel rested, but what for? Now I just feel guilty.

So there you have it, my confession. I am a procrastinator too.

Do you have a to do list? Endless lists of things to do, but more importantly things that do not need to be done.

I disappoint myself sometimes,  I have grand plans, great ones even, but the boring, the mundane takes over. Must remember to do the washing, take out the garbage (rubbish..sic), motivate the kids to help clean the house of the detrius of school holidays. Given recent events at Virginia Tech it all seems a little pathetic really.

Why should I care about the activities of a lone gun man half way around the world? Why should I allow it to affect me so much?

Well there are a couple of reasons:

My children are based at a school with its share of violent kids, drug takers and lesson dodgers. My daughter is just a few years away from choosing the uni which will determine the next phase of her life, and my son will follow her after a couple of years. Some of the victims in the most recent shootings were not much older than my kids.

The other major reason is that I happen to know a professor who works at Virginia Tech. All of a sudden, my usual aloofness to worldwide events has been dealt a blow. This has become personal. It also made me realise how "small" my life has become. I feel that it is time to make some radical changes to my life - after all we don't know what "grand plans" other people have for us.

One thing I have noticed over the last week or so, is how few people I come across who are positive about life. Most people (myself included I am afraid to say) have something to gripe about - at some point in time or other. Which is why - when you do come across people who are genuinely happy with their lot, they seem to glow. They also seem to attract other people to them  like bees to the proverbial honeypot. Like attracting like? Well in this case, i'm not so sure. But it is interesting nonetheless.

So a task for you today - try not to speak ill, negative or other kinds of "down" words either to yourself or other people. I was staggered when I stopped to listen to my thoughts, listen to the grumbling about bad drivers, can't drive in the rain, what is she wearing - kind of comments that seem to litter my thought processes. And started instead to "see" the good - and was rewarded with a perfectly arching rainbow, backdropped against storm grey clouds. Which then prompted another thought - in order to see rainbows - first you have to have rain. Yes there is always negative around us, but you can see the positive - if you look for it.

So today all I am asking is that you look for it.  

Too much partying and not enough sleep and you could be struggling at work.

Too much food and not enough exercise and you will end up overweight and unfit.

If you spend all the money that you earn and don't think about the future, then what happens when the unthinkable occurs and you have nothing left over to cope with the problem....and it could be a good problem, like you need a new outfit to go to a "do" you've been invited to. It doesn't have to mean that your boiler has just blown up....althought that did happen to me not so long back.

Goal setting means having an eye on the long term - but making sure that your daily decisions match the long term outcome.....otherwise you may end up with egg on your face as you struggle with the sad fact that you are all bluff and bluster and unable to stick to anything. So it is no good saying that you want to run a marathon, if your preferred mode of exercise is lifting a glass of beer with your mates...can you imagine rocking up to the starting line, beer gut still evident. How long do you think it would be before someone took you to one side and said "sir are you sure you want to do this?"

Of course there may be times when your long term goal is delusional...there is no way you are gong to be a size 6 by christmas, especially if you are a size 16 now... Or you are not going to win a million dollars if you don't enter the competitions to give you a chance to do so. Nor are you going to weigh less if you continue to eat as much as you ever did. And by delusional I mean, your goal, your vision if you like does not match your actions - in any way shape or form. In fact they are usually polar opposites.

So - don't say one thing, and do something else....your body knows, yourmind knows evem faster. And besides - who are you trying to kid exactly?

As a writer I am always trying to imagine who will be reading my words. And what impact those words will have on that person and the way their life turns out. As a child I wanted to write like Enid Blyton, as an adult I want to be able to write across a multitude of genres and styles. But it all comes down to some simple things, I want my thoughts and my writing to inspire, to challenge, to make people question, to make people aware that they can be whatever they want to be, make people strive to do something better today than they did yesterday.

Sometimes I think I have it, sometimes I feel that my words have touched a chord with people, sometimes a comment makes me rock back onto my heels and go whoa I hadn’t thought of it like that before. As a writer that makes me humble. Which is why I am constantly striving to be better today than I was yesterday, and to be truly open minded to opportunities and change.

But it’s not just writing that I am trying to improve. As a person who has re-discovered running as a means of getting fit, I am now aware that my previous 24 months of attempting to get fit, were nothing more than cruising. Doing just enough to maintain my position, my weight, my shape. Maintain, it’s an interesting word. Maintenance, a chance to make sure that nothing untoward happens to the status quo you currently find yourself in.

Are you truly open minded to change? Are you willing to question what you are doing? Are you willing to say – whoa I hadn’t thought of it like that before? Or are you living your life without the benefit of peripheral vision. That vision that allows you to see things that aren’t in your direct line of sight, but may be stalking you waiting for that moment when it can pounce on you – and say – hey – remember me, I’m your…..

(MMM1) (MMW1)

It is yet another beautiful winter's day in Perth...we really do need the rain, but today's sunshine and energising breeze was just glorious. It makes you want to do stuff, it makes you want to get out your goal list and get stuck into one of the goals. Well it does me at any rate.

Which made me think about quite a bit of stuff with regards to motivation and procrastination...as you do when you're enjoying the sunshine...well maybe if you're me you do.

• You will always do more when you are happy and enjoying life.
• As you do more, you will find the time to do more.
• Projects will move forward in leaps and bounds when you are energised, not only about the projects, but about living life to the absolute maximum.
• When you know what it is you want, you will achieve it.
• When you live your life in the past, constantly going back over the same old stuff - about who did what to you and when, and why life isn't fair - then you will never move forwards with your life. It's hard to live life in the present, when you can't drag yourself out of the past.
• You will attract people to you - either to help you or to hinder based on where you currently are in your life. If your life is filled with "losers" your energy will be lower than low - it's not easy to get motivated when you're surrounded by energy vampires. But if you are motivated and moving forwards, then you will find people who are willing to help you.
• Like really does attract like.
• This world is filled with amazing people, doing amazing things, and we can to - if we want to, and are energised to do it.
• And the ones who succeed take whatever hand they've been dealt and decide whether or not to make the best of it. Most people assume they can't change the cards. Believe me - you can - if you want to.
• Turn off the television, turn on the radio and clean your environment - move with the sounds and rhythms of other people making money living their dreams. And if that doesn't inspire you - well then - nothing will.

Somethiing to think about - if you are willing to open your mind to the possibility that your current way of thinking is not the only way life is or has to be.

Occassionally I get sent something that I think worthwhile passsing onto readers of MotivateMe! and the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine. The Art of Selling is a short movie created by Winning Without Intimidation author Bob Burg and fellow member of the Daily Dose of Motivational Medicine E-zine, http://www.theartofsellingmovie.com and for the cynics out there who think I might only be doing this for money - well, you'd be wrong.

Deadline - interesting word isn't it when you stop and think about it. We are all working towards our own personal "dead" lines. That day when we decide enough is enough and off we go.

Given that we don't know when our personal deadlines actually are, it should be enough to make you get moving on those things that we say that we want to do and achieve, so we can make sure we actually finish at least some of them in time. Well it should, the trouble is our personal "dead" lines are just an arbitrary point somewhere in the future.

Which is why most people seem to have trouble getting started in a morning.

My question for you today - what would you do today if you knew that today was IT. That was it, no more second chances? Zip, zilch, no more extensions, you've had it buddy!! Would you still be tempted to fritter the day away - waiting for that moment? Would you run around doing everything you needed to do, wearing yourself out? Or would you be cruisy, doing the important things?

Of course it is up to you - everything is a choice. But one thing I have noticed is that if you have a real Deadline to work towards, you do get more done. You know what I mean - Your great Aunt Muriel is heading over for dinner, so you clean the house, the silver, the spare room cupboard, you vacuum, you cook dinner and all in the time it took you to get home from work and open the door to greet your guest. 

Now I am not saying that you should invite Great Aunt Muriel over every time the house needs a spruce up, but if you care to set some deadlines - ones that mean the world to you, you will get more done.

Motivation should be easy. We should be able to motivate ourselves to do what we know needs to be done and achieve our goals quickly and easily, after all they are OUR goals and not someone elses, so why do we procrastinate so much over the things we say matter to us.

Some days it seems like we are running around doing everything for everyone else and getting nowhere fast. I'm sure you know what I mean. We have such a small window of opportunity to do "our" own thing, that it can seem like we get no time at all. If you are like me, you work, you have  a home to clean and maintain, kids to look after, homework to supervise, dinner to cook - and still find time to do what we want to do.

Remember, we do not live forever. Our lives are short, even at the longest, so what do you really want to achieve? What plans, goals and aspirations do you have? And what have you done today to work on those same things? Because if you don't find time today to do those things, when are you?

It may seem harsh, but we are really working towards our own DEAD lines, that we should not waste a single minute. Not one.

Knowing what you know now, are you still happy to sit in front of the television and watch other people live their lives? Living their dreams? Whilst you sit back and watch them do it?

So if you are ready to move forwards - one word of caution - you can get faked out by being busy. So - do not fill your day with "Stuff" pretending that you are getting on. Work out what your goals are, but once you think you know - then ask yourself one question - why do you want to achieve that item. If your reasons are wishy washy vague statements, then the results you get will be vague and wishy washy vague also. So do me a favour - get specific - very specific because then there is no doubt.

And as you know by now, if you are anything like me, you will have very small windows of opportuntity every day to achieve those items, so you cannot afford to waste any of them.

There's something i've been meaning to ask you. 

When you are bored does that mean you are not at ease with your own company and what you need to do / are supposed to be doing?

I have a restless energy, which can be a good and a bad thing. The nervous ticks keeps my muscles working and expending energy, which in theory means i will burn off the food i've just consumed. But I wouldn't have eaten if i hadn't been restless, so it's a bit of a catch 22 i'm afraid.

But I am convinced this is one of the keys to understanding the procrastination habit. When you are at ease with yourself, when you know what you are doing and for what reason, there is no time for restless energy or boredom to set in is there? Which means i need to re-assess several things:

1. My mood. What is my problem? What am I trying to avoid doing?

2. My goals. What is it about my current task that is not fulfilling in itself. Does it not fit the goal? What is it about the current goal that does not sit well with me? Do I need to re-assess the goal, or just acceept that sometimes we need to get away from it all and change tack completely?

"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

And haven't I been saying that for years. Whilst the words you use can and do tell a story about where you are in your life. It is how you act that screams "ACT - ION" or can't be bothered / leave me alone.

Act as though everything matters and you will achieve amazing things. Act like nothing matters and you might as well go and sit in a corner with your eyes shut.

Now, what are you going to do today?

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.  

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.  

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and  actress. 

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

 Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

 1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

 2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

 3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

 4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

 5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

 Easier?

 The lesson: 

 The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care .

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia .."

(Charles Schultz)

Simply because you never know when you won't be able to - anymore.

As I write this, I am 12,000 miles away from where I need to be. I have my ticket booked to go back to blighty, so that I can see my father. Unfortunately my father couldn't hang on long enough to see us. 12,000 miles away - I might as well be on the moon.

Never make the assumption that your loved ones will always be there. Sometimes things happen, things that are out of our control, and we are left to ask ourselves why? Why me? Why us? Sorry I don't have those answers, just that sometimes you have to play the cards that you've been dealt - good or bad. And it's our decisions as to whether we will throw in the cards or stick it out to the end. Well dad hung on as long as he could, but back to back bronchial pneumonia, on top of the emphysema he carried and that was it I'm afraid.

I never had the chance to say goodbye....but I always told him that I loved him as we finished our many telephone conversations. And that is what keeps me going, as I count down the days and hours before getting on the plane. I know I will not be able to see my dad in person, but I can be there for my mum and my siblings.

Be there for yours, your siblings, your parents, your true friends....after all they are the reason we are who we say we are.

Elle xo

Apologies for the lack of content, I have as you know had rather mitigating circumstances...I was heading back to the place of my birth and my fathers last place on Earth...home.

After weeks of planning and preparation, the day of departure finally arrived...we left Perth on the 13th January and landed back in England on the 13th January. But rather than staying overnight as planned and then driving up to the Midlands, we picked up the hire car and headed north. The journey wasn't too horrid. But given the lateness of the hour, the lack of sleep on a cramped, over heated and so it seemed waterless flight, we took the first left at the service station..i needed caffeine and the bathroom.

We landed on mum's doorstep at 11.20pm and then it seemed we didn't stop. Dad's funeral was scheduled for 11am the following morning, but I really couldn't remember where to go, so my brother and his fiance headed over to lead the way. A good job too, as my kids will tell you I am not the best navigator and driver (at the same time) in the world.

Apart from my parents, I hadn't seen any of my relatives for 12 years....but it appeared that few had changed so dramatically I didn't recognise them...and nor me "you haven't changed a bit" - well I had, but perhaps not outwardly. I was due to read one of my father's favourite poems during the proceedings, so when my sister threatened to lose it - before the service started...I said "don't you start yet" which seemed to be my catchphrase throughout the morning...

The following day we went back to take some pictures of the flowers, and the words written with such love and care...but what got me the most was a small white teddy bear filled with roses for Baby Millie...sometimes I do wonder.

Dad had always loved Portland and had spent many a holiday with my mum down on the island that my sister calls home. they had found the perfect place for dad... Church Ope - otherwise known as The Pirates Graveyard.

A beautiful, soulful place that my father loved. He would stand looking out over the bay, so it was fitting he should be granted this one last great wish. To be where his heart belonged.

From Portland we headed north to Stonehenge and onwards into London....I will upload some pictures into the main gallery in the not too distant future...

The "holiday" has been one of highs and lows...we started with sadness, but ended with my brothers wedding. I shall be glad to get home for a rest.

Love to all

speak soon

elle

Last night we were very fortunate to listen to the entire Elton John concert being held at the members equity stadium in East Perth. The home of Perth Glory. A friend has a place close by, and with the doors and windows open, we were so lucky to be able to hear one of the best concerts so far this year.

Why make that bold statement? Was it because we didn't have to pay? No - would have gladly paid to be part of the crowd. No it was far simpler than that. Elton John was simply on fire. The energy, the passion, the pure unadulterated excitement he put into his performance left the crowd and the air around us vibrating.

As an artist we put so much of ourselves into what we do. When it is so easy to go through the motions, of doing only that which we have to do, as opposed to everything that we can do. The buzz from last night is still with me, it has given today such a deeper feeling for me. Now I know what I should be doing - ALL the time. That's the absolute joy in being a writer, capturing the emotions and the energy exchanges and sharing them with you.

Get excited with life and by life. Make today the day when you make that promise to yourself that you will be true to who you are and not go through the motions. Go on you owe it to yourself and the people who you share energy with.

I'm in the throes of writing out the plot line of a new novel I am working on. Yes in amongst all the other things that I do, I am writing a novel. I'll let you in on a secret - I have always wanted to write pulp fiction...you know the mass market paperback you see in every airport newsagent, corner shop and bookstore. It isn't for the single aspect of earning lots of money (although that would be nice) - just that I want to see my writing - in paperback form....out in the world, challenging people's thinking....making them escape from their current world into one of mine.

Anyway, early morning - Saturday - and I'm awake - early. One of life's little ironies that I can't get out of bed during the week - and can't sleep in on a weekend. So I threw on some clothes (and not enough as it turned out) and went out to find coffee. As a writer I carry a notebook and a pen with me wherever I go. People have commented on the fact that my "handbag" should be a holdall, for the amount of stuff I put in there - but no matter.

I found one of the only places open at that time of the morning, order coffee and raisin toast and go and sit in a corner, so I can survey the room. Minor problem - can't think what to write.  And then I remembered a trick used by Julia Cameron - start where you are now. Write about what you can see and feel....

Well I was cold....the mist had hung low over the damp earth on my drive into town to get coffee...which is exactly where I started from... and the novel moved on by several chapters, and gave it a brand new dimension. Needless to say it was worth waking up early for.

I wish I could be satisfied with living a normal, mundane life. Getting up, going to work, coming home, making dinner, watching some TV and heading to bed...with copious amounts of cleaning done on a weekend...maybe catch up with friends and go to a movie. You know, "normal".

But I'm not "normal". I have a constant restless energy that makes me strive for things. I set myself some ridiculously hard personal goals / targets and then rush like crazy to fulfil them. Sometimes I wear myself out trying to get there, and sometimes I throw my hands up in despair and tell myself that I am not good enough. Then i have this massive guilt trip happening. I wonder what is in my psyche that doesn't allow me to rest, to switch off, I wonder why I need to be constantly stiving, burning the candle at both ends.

And then there is acceptance of who and what I am. Few people understand me, as in truly and honestly understand me, and even fewer would give a damn if I leave this place and head to the celestial realm. They might be interested, as in - oh well what did she .... off? Shame! Or maybe I am just sensitive today.... My restless energy that says, it's a bank holiday - what are you doing sitting at a computer when there is x, y and z to do, places to go, people to meet, things to talk about. But I need to be here, I have a couple of hours of solid work ahead of me. I need to get this training program finished, so it can be put into the next phase of the rollout of MotivateMe! So I suppose I had better compartmentalise my mind and soul, file away the restless part of me, and get stuck into the work that needs to be done.

I'll catch you later, on the other side of my "normal" working day. 

When it comes to setting and achieving your goals, there is one thing you should always be aware of.

You will raise the energy and you will find the time to do what you want to do. Why? Well that comes down to motivation and your personal reasons. The bigger and the stronger the reason, the more you will want to do what you want to do. Never underestimate the power of thought, because in thought lies one of the keys to a more motivated life.

Channel your thoughts, clear out the debris and you will be on your way to achieving many great things.

2008 promised so much. The book and training program I was writing was moving ahead at the end of last year. We'd planned a trip back to England to see the folks, and my dad who'd been sick. Then Christmas came and went in a flurry of things to plan and do, before we jumped on a plane and headed back to England. Not to spend time with my dad - in the physical sense, because the first thing we did when we landed was go to his funeral. Jet lag meant I could get through the reading I was to do without losing the plot....and then it was more planning, organising, road trips to my sisters on the south coast, taking Dad to the place he loved most. More travelling up and through stonehenge to London. People to see, places to visit and yes, lots of t-shirts to buy.

Randy Pausch, the computer science professor who rose to fame after giving a quirky last lecture about celebrating life in the face of his terminal cancer, died Friday. Randy had a lot to say about not wasting a minute, and to have fun doing it. If you haven't seen his "last lecture" - watch it here. Don't get to the end of your life regretting those things you didn't do.

Every night I've been adding things to my inventory of "things" I value. I'm in the middle of cataloguing my book collection. Well once a librarian always a librarian. But what I have found happening is this - I'm rediscovering things I had read a long time ago and had forgotten about. Yes these items were on the shelves. but I had "forgotten" them. I no longer saw them - they were just a blur.

I've spent a good proportion of my life - reading, thinking and now sharing what I have discovered written in dusty tomes that form part of my life. And I am at once amazed at how many books I have amassed and read, but how much we miss. There is so much to read, to discover, to explore - other people's journey's, thoughts and things that inspire them, that there isn't any time left over to sit and say "I'm bored".

Saying that - I woke this morning feeling a little "down". I know why - one of the reasons is - I've stopped writing. This is not a good thing. I am on the brink of launching the next phase and need to be writing. Of course not having a computer for a week did not help matters ... so I lost my momentum and need to find it again and get going. The other reason is - a lack of exercise. I spent part of last night cleaning and dusting my bedroom, but it can hardly be classed as exercise. Monday nights are my exercise nights - usually without fail I walk / run 8k's....but last night was cold, wet and stormy and given that I am getting over an ear and throat infection didn't think it prudent to get chilled....so a lack of endorphins. But I was also hoping to connect with a friend last night - but circumstances prevented that from happening...so a real combination of reasons for my flat emotions this morning.

So what did I do? Well I came to motivateme - yes, when I need a boost, a kick in the pants or some plain old fashioned common sense, I come here and re-read some of the entries. It doesn't take long to get back into the right frame of mind to get going again.

Where do you go to find life's great stories?

Are you guilty of doing the same things in the same way every day? Are they good things? As in - are these "things" allowing you to achieve your goals and dreams or are they just "things" you do without consciously thinking about them? Yes I mean your habitual behaviour.

I have been focussing on entirely the wrong things of late. I know what. Yet I find I cannot switch my mind away from them very easily. Unfortunately because they are the "wrong" things, I have been unable to devote any thinking or doing time to the right things. I have to admit I am working on me just as much as you are working on you. But I have identified my behaviours, my thought processes are being pulled back in line and I am now beginning to focus on what matters most to me.

Of course everyone will have a different sphere of focus. But for me - it is making a better life for myself and my children. I need to lead by example and normally do - but I too can be guilty of wasting time. So, if my time is precious - would I be happy with today's performace so far or could I do better? I know I've been sick - real flu that has knocked me for six - as opposed to a cold that people say is the flu (if you know what i mean) - but feel like I am spinning my wheels. And the reason is - because my focus was on the wrong things.

If you've ever tried to meditate you will know how hard it can be to focus on a simple thing to clear your mind and allow it to stay clear, focussing on your goals can be the same thing. Hard if your mind keeps wandering off onto unimportant matters. So, one way to ensure your mind stays focused is - to get excited about your goals. If they don't inspire you to think about them - you are not going to do the work you should on them. The other thing to do is to think about what your life would be like when you have achieved that particular goal item, or in my case - series of goal items.

I want to move house. I know where I want to go and what the house will look like and contain....and I know what i need to do in order to get there...so I am working backwards, but living my new life forwards. What do I do each day in my new life...and is that better than my current life. You bet it is. But I am not just "day dreaming" because I know that in order to get to that point - I need to think big and work harder.... so please excuse me, but I need to get back to my work.

Speak soon

Elle

Visualisation is one of the key concepts about manifesting things into your life - that an ACTION of course. I was sent a link to a short video and a chance to download some mind movies - http://MindMovies.com/vid1/?10397 - lets see if it works !! :-)

I have a lot to do. Things to make, clean, tidy and sort. But not today. Today I need to sit and reflect on a life that was cut rather short. Today is the anniversary my brother died. Granted it was a few years ago now, and I have tried to give time - time. But every year I take a moment to reflect that my brother would have loved Australia, and I wish he were able to share this with me.

Normally I must confess I shed a tear or two over what might have been had he lived. But not today. Today all I can see is his smile. He had a wonderfully wicked smile that managed to light a dull room. That was my brother. And that's how I want to remember him from now on. Happy and smiling. I can actually see him "up there" chucking a massive party tonight - and this year dad, aunt pauline and uncle ray are invited - damn its going to be a big one this year !! and not just because of the extra guests. No, today is going to be big because he's decided we should celebrate life. No matter how long we have to "live" we need to live big and enjoy every single moment. And that's what I shall be doing this week as I head towards my birthday and of course my own personal new year.

Do I set New Year's Resolutions? Of course, what new year would be complete without a scrawled bit of paper with some impossible things written on it. Of course I could always pull out last years list, dust it off and change the date....I mean isn't that what everyone else does?

Saying that though - I have achieved many great things this year. And more will be coming - no i am not saying that to try and persuade you that I haven't been procrastinating. Actually I haven't been procrastinating - just busy and productive as you will find out in the not too distant future.

Anyway, enough rambling from me this evening. I have washing to put on the line and more to fetch in. And a book to read as I drink a glass or two of wine in honour of my folks. Have a great party guys, but don't get too loud I have to go to work in the morning.

Love you always

Elle xoxo

The concept of self is important. Our self concept is what makes you, you and me - me. It is the core of who and what we are and what we are capable of.

Our self concept encompasses many things including ego and self-esteem. Without the positive concept of self we are adrift in a sea of could have been, maybe's and should have's. However it is the negative side of self concept is the one that tends to dominate most of our lives. 

No? Don't believe me?

Well consider how many times have you decided you weren't good enough, or you couldn't do something because (insert negative chatter here) or because you didn't think you had enough time, money or energy. Or you were going to wait before starting something because the kids were too little, or there were jobs to do around the house, or you thought you needed to satisfy everyone else's whims and personal ego's before deciding to spend ANY time on yourself! That's what I mean by having a negative concept of self. Because you didn't think you were worthy / worth it you didn't put in the effort.

But how do you move from the negative of self concept to the positive of self concept?

Well there are many things to consider. However, I would consider the main one to be that of values. What do you value about yourself? What do you like about yourself and what you have achieved to date?

This is a lesson in learning how to look within.

If you say you value health but eat poorly most of the time, then you are at odds with your values and your self concept will suffer.

If you say you value your family time together but spend a lot of hours at work, and not necessarily working, then you are defeating your self concept in two ways. You are not being productive and consequently poor time management means you don't spend time with those people you say are important to you.

Determine what values you have and hold. Then you need to determine whether your actions are in line with those values or not. Once you have determined these thiings, you will be able to develop strategies to improve your self concept, by ensuring your actions do coincide with your values.

You cannot be half open minded, any more than you can be half pregnant. You either are or you're fooling yourself.

Take any kind of event or training course or program that you are planning on taking or a new area you want to study in. Can you imagine how little benefit you would get from going to that event / training course if you went in with arms folded tightly across your chest with an attitude that says - I don't want to be here, I don't want to learn anything new, in fact you can't teach me anything new. My personal belief system says what you are saying is completely wrong and I just cannot believe what you are telling me.

Now it could be argued - why on earth would you bother going to any kind of event or training course with that kind of attitude. But as a trainer I see it all the time. We ask participants (trainees) what they were hoping to get from the course, and how did they hear about us. The answers are not surprising for some people. The boss sent me. The boss thought I would benefit from coming. And did you? Well no, but I knew I wouldn't. Waste of time really, but if the boss wants to waste his money, then so be it - who am I to say no to a day away from the office...but the food was great.

Over the course of a few weeks I have been fortunate to get a couple of free tickets to events I wouldn't normally have gone to. Plus I paid for a ticket to see something I have not seen for over a decade.

Each time I go to an event, or read a book, or see something on the television I tell myself that I should suspend my personal belief system and to gain as much information as I possibly can. Only once it has been processed and applied to my life can that information become knowledge. And only when you truly live the changes can it be even vaguely classed as wisdom.

So - what did I see recently?

Well Don Tolman's intro to Boot camp for Brains and the importance of eating real foods and lots of them. And if you look at the innards of a fruit or vegetable - how like they are to certain parts of the body. As with all things, the sceptic in me says, yes and statistics can be manipulated. But one of the things I was doing before going to Don's seminar was to incorporate more whole foods and less processed foods into my diet - figuring that if my stomach is full from natural stuff there will be less chance of me wanting to eat processed stuff (and less room for it too). So his food message was timely.

Last Friday I went to see Gary de Rodriguez - Humanistic Neuro Linguistic Programming. Now we all know the importance of being able to think positively and how that will impact on our lives. Well that's not it - and Gary explained the bits we were all doing wrong. After a particularly tough start to 2008, I do need a way to switch off the negative chatter and hope to get to one of Gary's more detailed seminars later on this year.

What can I say - I am a student of life and am always finding ways of learning new things and expanding my thinking and being. Living is guaranteed (at least for a while) growth is optional.

And then last night I went to an open air concert at Member's Equity stadium here in Perth, and home of the Perth Glory. Well the ladies in the audience (myself included) aerated the pitch quite nicely with our heels. But we went to see some music. Galvatron from Melbourne. Cheap Trick from the USA and Def Leppard from Sheffield, England.

What struck me about all three bands, but especially Def Leppard who have been together for a very long time (they made America almost before they found razor blades) was the passion in which they approached their music and their playing. Being up close and being able to see the faces of the musicians / artists of course reminded me that is what most of us are missing from our lives. Passion for what we do.

We live out our lives without getting even vaguely excited about what we are doing. It's really quite sad.

So, whatever you do today, and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow is get excited about it. Get passionate about it. How good would it be to be able to spend every day of your life doing what you love to do, and being paid to have a damn good time.

And that's definitely worth thinking about

Elle

Tell us where to send it, and we'll send you the number one success book of all time.

My friends Vic and Lisa Johnson are doing this crazy marketing test where they're giving away Napoleon Hill's "Think & Grow Rich" All it costs you is the price of postage.

I'm helping them with their big giveaway and wanted to make sure you got your copy before they take this offer down. Get the details here: Think and Grow Rich

You can only buy one copy, so your friends will have to stop by and buy their own.

Elle

P.S. Vic and Lisa are actually shipping these so you need to give them your address before they run out.

Got Your Free Copy of Think and Grow Rich?

They say age should not be a barrier to success and they would be absolutely correct. The only barriers we have are those we have ourselves. We may have been told too many times we should stick with what we have and don't worry about trying to get on - because we are too stupid or not good enough - or whatever their limiting comments happen to be.

Well I am here to dispel that theory.

At 91 Allan Stewart made history for being the world's oldest university graduate after completing a Bachelor of Law at the University of New England in 2006. Now at age 95 he has enrolled in a Master of Clinical Sciences at Southern Cross University.

Stewart says he lives by the maxim

"as long as you keep pedalling the bike, you won't fall off"

And believes in 4 pinciples

• Fitness of Body
• Fitness of Mind
• Spiritual Fitness and
• Purpose of Life Fitness

Maybe it's time to throw away your excuses and go for that goal after all.

Reported in HR Leader 30 March 2010 - p8

I gained a Bachelor of Information Studies just before my daughter was born. That served me well, until the day came and I moved out of the true Information Management field. Thankfully I had already begun working along another career path and I had begun to study again. Not a qualification kind of study path (that would come later) but I was reading material on a range of related topics, mostly how the dgital world was going to impact our physical one.

Then along came Motivate Me and that changed my trajectory again. I was still very interested in the digital realm, that has become the heart of what I now consider my current path. But with Motivate Me I had to change the study path. Bringing into the mix human emotions, psychology and behaviour. Why were people struggling so much? What (if anything) was the common factors. I'm still working on the answers to that one. But I believe part of the problem lies in there being just too many choices. we have the worlds libraries at our fingertips, we can study almost every subject under the sun and often times for free. It's what do you study first?

If I can give you the benefit of my experience it is this.

• Be open to change - there are jobs out there today that didn't exist when I was at school and university
• Understand that not all current jobs will make it - libraries (those that are surviving) are moving away from what we could term traditional printed material into collaborative spaces that foster a more creative path. Yes there are books, but sometimes those books are secondary to the digital formats that are now available.
• Find what you enjoy, what inspires you, what you are passionate about and see if there are any opportunities in that field, or if you can make a niche where you can make a difference.
• Don't get tied down into thinking that you have to follow someone elses expectations of your career path. Just because every member of your family are doctors does not mean to say you have to be one.
• Get formal qualifications if you think it will help you. In saying that I gained 2 Diplomas last year - one in Personal Nutrition which helps me help others if they are lookiing to lose weight. The other is in Social Media and Online Reputation Management - that allows me to help clients who don't understand social media but understand how important it is. And this week I start a Diploma in Digital Marketing. Same reason as the Social Media Diploma. It's imprtant for me to know so I can guide my clients. And I need current theroy to back up my daily practices.

What can you do starting today to make a difference to your future life?

• I love having things to look forward to.
• Our annual road trip around the USA
• The end of a project and its launch
• Birthdays and celebrations, date nights and the preparation that goes with it
• Painting walls - yes I love the way a painted wall can transform my living space

But even I can get stuck on day-to-day basis. So what do I do when I need help to motivate me?

Things that help motivate me on a daily basis

• My physical library of books
• My digitial collection of books and other inrpirational reading material
• Conversations with a friend
• Receiving and reading letters
• My new colouring books
• Meditation
• Music in every guise ... from Thomas Tallis to Motorhead (Vale Lemmy)
• A clean house
• A good nights sleep
• A nice glass of wine at the end of the working day
• A long walk
• Saying thank you for the blessings I have received, knowing that the more gratitude I can find to say thank you for, means I will have more things to say thank you for tomorrow

I know my list may seem a little strange, but these are the things that motivate me. I also know that what motivates me today, may not work for me tomorrow so I will perhaps need to find something else. I also know that what motivates me, may not motivate you or your kids, or my kids come to think of it.

But having something to look forward to is important, then each day I try and do something that will help me reach those goals.

Does that help motivate you?

I love Tony Robbins and TED Talks. In this video Tony explains his ideas on why we do what we do.

OK that is just the way that Robin explains the 5 Consistencies of Game Changers

If we take one of the 5 suggestions Robin says we can make massive changes - and I must agree 

Don't live in the cult of average - game changers are those who do the one thing that I have always said 

How can I make today the best day ever?

With love and light

One of my favourite books of all time is The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. If you haven't read it yet, I would recommend buying, reading, re-reading, studying, buying more copies and giving them to people you care about.

Bob has just launched a podcast, the first one http://www.thegogiver.com/2016/03/ep-001-create-value/ is how you create value, and how you move from being a go-taker to become a go-giver and a go-getter.