October 14, 2012 - Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement: Make the best of what you have

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Make the best of what you have.

Tell yourself you may not have the best there is, but you’re going to make the best of what you DO have. We often need far less than we think we do to achieve what we want.

We think we need the best gadgets, top-of-the-line thingamabobs, etc. before we get started. We often hold ourselves back waiting for just the right time for something — the perfect moment when everything is right.

But the fact is, we’d often get further faster if we started today and made the most of what we had. There will always be things we don’t have — waiting until we get all of them is often at the expense of making real progress towards where we want to be.

When we make the best of what we have, it allows us to make progress towards our goals, instead of waiting for that perfect moment that often doesn’t arrive. Progress is good. And that’s encouraging.

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Offsite: Things turn out best for people who…

Ways to find encouragement: Take it easy on yourself

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Take it easy on yourself.

Many of us are our own worst critics. We beat ourselves up when things don’t play out as we imagined.

It may be disappointing to make mistakes or not perform as well as we expected, but it’s important to remember that no experience is wasted if we learn from it.

Life is hard enough as it is — we shouldn’t make it even harder on ourselves by focusing on our failures, lacks, or shortcomings. Yes, having an idea of our weaknesses is advantageous in order to find ways to compensate for them, but to beat ourselves up over not being able to do everything we attempt every single time we try is a waste of energy.

When we give ourselves a break, it makes our efforts easier and strengthens our resolve to keep heading towards our dreams. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Believe it to achieve it

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Believe it to achieve it.

While I think being “realistic” is a relative term — and I don’t want to tell anyone to be realistic, I will say that your dreams, whatever they are, have to be believable to YOU.

You have to believe they are achievable. But if you take a close look at what it is you want, and you don’t feel what you want is achievable, that doesn’t mean it’s GAME OVER!

Simply analyze what it is you want and figure out which part(s) you don’t feel are truly attainable — can you still succeed on some level without them? And is that something you truly want? You can always tweak your dreams in a way that make them believable and achievable.

When you are truly believe in your ability to achieve your goals and dreams, it instills you with the confidence that can help you overcome obstacles. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Don’t be afraid of mistakes

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Don’t be afraid of mistakes.

No one gets through life without making mistakes. Only some people make a bigger deal/show out of them than others. Some of the most successful people in the world fail all the time, but they don’t sit around announcing it to everyone. Instead, they simply learn from it and move on.

When you treat your mistakes like learning experiences, you turn what some people consider to be a negative thing into a positive one. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Focus on the present

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Focus on the present.

Every day is a new beginning. You are not your failures. The past is gone. You can’t change it. Get over it. Today, right now, is the only thing that truly makes a difference in your life.

It’s always NOW. Now is the only time you can do anything that will have a bearing on your future. Like I said, remember to ask yourself “What can I do right now that is the most valuable use of my time?” and then DO THAT.

When you let go of what you can’t control and direct yourself to controlling the things you can, you become more of an architect of your life. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Focus on solutions

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Focus on solutions.

If you have a problem, don’t focus on the problem. Focus on SOLUTIONS.

Feeling discouraged? Think about things you can DO to not feel discouraged. As mentioned in this motivation series, “train your brain“.

And when working on something, always focus on how far you’ve come instead of how far you have to go.

When you focus on solutions, you are much more likely to overcome any obstacles in your path. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Lighten your load

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Lighten your load.

Learn to let go. By learning to let go of the non-essential things that contribute very little value to your life, you make room for things of higher value.

Do you have an assortment of “stuff” you don’t use that simply takes up space? Consider getting rid of it.

Do you have ongoing obligations to things that add little to no value to your life that you wouldn’t agree to do if you were asked to commit to them today? If the answer is “yes”, it’s time to make an exit strategy.

Dramatic life changes can occur when you make a conscious effort to only surround yourself with those higher value things that you truly desire in your life.

When you reduce the number of low value things in your life that you are responsible for, it creates more space for higher value things. And that’s encouraging.

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Ways to find encouragement: Manage your time better

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Manage your time better.

One effective way to manage your time better is to figure out what it is that you do best and where you are most valuable and productive, and do more of those things.

Specifically, things that truly make a difference and lead you in a direction you want to be going.

It sounds simple, but we always have things in our lives that take up time, but are of very little value in the long run.

This can include watching hours and hours of TV — or browsing the Internet without purpose — when we could be doing something of higher value: perhaps reading a book in the field of our interest, writing down and keeping track of our goals, visualizing where we want to be in 5 years — or really anything that helps us get closer to our goal.

If you’re ever wondering what to do at any given moment, simply ask yourself :

“What can I do right now that is the most valuable use of my time?” and when you have an answer, DO THAT.

The more things you do that are of high value to you in your life in those moments, the quicker you will get to your goals.

“An Unfailing Success Plan: At each day’s end write down the six most important things to do tomorrow; number them in order of importance, and then do them.” — Anonymous

When you effectively manage your time, you feel positive and productive. And that’s encouraging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhaOFCj-tvQ

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Stop wishing for more time

If it’s important to you, you’ll find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse.

Ways to find encouragement: Write down your goals

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Write down your goals.

Write down what you want to achieve. Yes, physically write it down. DO IT.

Just putting a goal on PAPER increases the odds of it happening. Thinking on paper also helps you organize and focus your thoughts so they are not a scattered mess in your head.

Most people think they have a “SYSTEM” and everything all worked out in their head — but I guarantee what most people think in their heads looks a lot different when it’s written down on paper. Writing things down makes them more “real” — and you see things you didn’t see before.

Remember again, whatever you focus on only grows stronger. If you’re writing down your goals, you’re thinking about your goals.

When you write down your goals, you automatically increase the odds of that they will be completed. And that’s encouraging.

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Offsite: Write down your goals

Ways to find encouragement: Goal setting

October 14, 2012 by Zero Dean

Ways to find encouragement series:

Goal setting.

Have a clearly defined target. And make a plan for how you want to reach your target. Break that plan down into small achievable goals. And remember, if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it — so be sure you put things on your list where progress is measurable.

Make sure you have an answer to these questions:

What is it I’m trying to do?
How am I trying to do it?

Start on your goals now, but think long-term and be patient. Realize that small steps build up over time. They may not seem like much day-in and day-out, but they DO get you to where you want to go.

Always focus on making progress — not excuses. And even if you misstep, you learn something.

When one has clearly defined, measurable goals, it is easier to visualize them happening. And that’s encouraging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xqsagr7WGE

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