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Tag Archive for: books – motivation
Self-motivation...what does it mean? There's a simple definition for a complex subject: "Self-motivation is an inner drive that compels behaviour." What makes it complex, however, is that little word "inner," because what works for me may not work for you, and vice-versa.
Charging the Human Battery is one of my all-time favourite projects because it's a little book from which everyone can benefit. Who do you know that doesn't need a little help staying positive; or a little "shot of inspiration" from time to time? I know I do!
This book has 50 short chapters about ways to motivate yourself. Today, I'd like to share the chapter on dealing with stress...an important topic for our times!
Enjoy!
Stress, and how we deal with it, is a big factor in staying motivated. I read a great article recently in Men's Health magazine titled: Break the Stress Cycle... Separate the Stressors from the Energizers. It offers some simple, great advice on dealing with stress.
Some stress is unavoidable. Some is not. "The trick is learning to distinguish between the two," says Paul Rosch, M.D., president of the American Institute of Stress. He can't identify your sources of stress for you, because one man's stress is another man's joy. So you'll have to do that part yourself. Divide your stresses into two lists: "accept" and "change."
As you draw up your lists, you'll naturally pay attention to what your brain knows about your sources of stress, but make sure you listen to your body's complaints as well. When are you experiencing those headaches? Or back pain? Is there a pattern to your heartburn, or a particular stretch of your commute that provokes road rage? "Learn how your body responds so you can detect early warning signs of stress," says Dr. Rosch.
In evaluating your stressors, do sweat the small stuff. It's the petty problems that cause serious stress in the long run, says Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, Ph.D. Having to listen to your girlfriend's Jimmy Buffet CDs night after night really could push you over the edge. (But not into Margaritaville.)
Your activities during these first 7 days are not merely a prelude. Simply sitting down to identify all the things that stress you out, and deciding to do something about them, is powerful stress buster in itself. It's been known since the 1950s that stress is exacerbated if a person has no sense of control and no hope that things will get better.
Having goals, and reaching those goals, is the healthy opposite of that. "Too often, we are adrift on the sea of life," says Dr. Rosch.
Drop anchor.
To learn more, or to see inside Charging the Human Battery and read a few chapters, just click here.
In a book that challenges authoritarian thinking about motivation, a distinguished social psychologist offers an alternative to current reward/punishment theory, which, far from anarchy, espouses our ordered, internalized sense of freedom, responsibility, and commitment.
If you reward your children for doing their homework, they will usually respond by getting it done.
But is this the most effective method of motivation?
No, says psychologist Edward L. Deci, who challenges traditional thinking and shows that this method actually works against performance.
The best way to motivate people--at school, at work, or at home--is to support their sense of autonomy.
Explaining the reasons why a task is important and then allowing as much personal freedom as possible in carrying out the task will stimulate interest and commitment, and is a much more effective approach than the standard system of reward and punishment.
We are all inherently interested in the world, argues Deci, so why not nurture that interest in each other? Instead of asking, "How can I motivate people?" we should be asking, "How can I create the conditions within which people will motivate themselves?"
”An insightful and provocative meditation on how people can become more genuinely engaged and succesful in pursuing their goals." —Publisher's Weekly
About Edward Deci
Edward L. Deci, Ph.D., professor of pyschology at the University of Rochester, is director of its human motivation program. Richard Flaste, former Science and Health Editor of The New York Times, led the team that won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 1987.
If you want to buy the book, best price for Australians is from The Book Depository. You can also buy from Amazon
What is it that excites you, makes you smile and fuels your dreams? This is the question author Kevin Carroll urges children to contemplate in his new inspirational workbook, What's Your Red Rubber Ball?!: Discover Your Inspiration and Chase It for a Lifetime, co-published by Disney Press and ESPN Books. The book, which contains fold-outs, journal pages and self-discovery activities and features red rubber texturing on its cover, lands this month with a 100,000-copy first printing.
The genesis of the title is an actual ball that Carroll played with as a boy, which helped him discover his athletic ability and a passion for sports. That ball fueled Carroll's personal and professional dreams and, he insists, "it saved my life." Born in a Philadelphia suburb in 1958, he, along with his two brothers, moved in with their grandparents after their parents abandoned them. The local playground became what he calls "my sanctuary—a magical environment where my worries, shame and low self-esteem disappeared."
During 10 years of active duty in the Air Force, Carroll spent a good deal of time playing soccer. He went on to study sports medicine and worked as an athletic trainer for high school and college athletic teams, eventually becoming the head trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers. He then went to work for Nike, where he was responsible for inspiring employees. "It was my job to push their creativity and potential to the limit," he says.