Inspirational quotes, motivational podcasts and seminars are great for short-term highs. Oh, what a positive feeling – that adrenalin rush for about 30 minutes or perhaps one hour or maybe even a few days – if you’re lucky.
Once that initial high diminishes it’s back to business as usual and your unproductive mannerisms take center stage. Desperation kicks in to get motivated and you search the Internet for more up-lifting propaganda…this pattern continues. Has it worked to date – does it keep you motivated all day and every day? The answer is no.
*** News flash: Inspiring content will NOT make permanent improvements in your life.
Why do you think the self-help industry makes billions of dollars every year? Let me be really blunt: They know damn well that this up-lifting propaganda is just a temporary high and you will need to keep coming back for more: attending more seminars, buying more books and purchasing more expensive organizers, etc.
Channeling negativity for positive results
This approach could work for you…
How do you instill ever-lasting motivation triggers? Try facing reality and telling yourself the truth by training your mind using negative phrases to make you angry and to permanently motivate you to change.
I have a 25-year-old client in Canada who spent hours upon hours who viewed inspirational videos on YouTube for temporary motivation. He was lazy, overweight and never accomplished his goals. Listening and viewing uplifting content had very little impact…
This went on for years until he contacted me. I told him to stop making excuses for his laziness and tackle them head-on. He was always concealing his faults until we brought them to the forefront.
Although he was always a positive individual, I convinced him to train his mind to combat his ineffectiveness by using negative phrases. Please do not read this in the wrong manner…he still remained a positive individual outwardly, however inwardly I taught him to be downright brutal with himself.
He created a few phrases that depicted and attacked his faults instead of sugar-coating them or lying to himself. He repeated those phrases several times each day. Phrases that will be construed as negative, but will instill a sense of urgency, phrases that made him jump to action and address his faults. Phrases that no longer brush aside reality and tell it like it is. For example:
- I look disgusting!
- I’m fat and obese and it’s downright unhealthy!
- I’m a lazy SOB; I’m pathetic. How long do I want to exist like this?
Sure, these phrases are negative, and we’ve always been taught to think positive, but thinking positive and facing the truth are different. Also, I’m not telling you to use these exact phrases, as diverse words/phrases impact everyone differently. Create your own phrases.
Once your mind has been trained in the appropriate manner it will give you that kick in the butt you deserve. Also, you won’t need to research new inspirational content. Your mind will keep you motivated and focused on your priorities, goals and milestones 24×7. It’s like being in boot camp and having your own personal drill sergeant attached to your hip. Good luck trying to be lazy – once your mind is trained – your personal drill sergeant will give you that kick in the butt every day to produce results.
Possessing a well-balanced viewpoint
Being truthful about your faults and training your mind with negativity to combat them doesn’t have to leave you with an undesirable viewpoint every day. We all have strengths and weaknesses (positives and negatives). Be happy with your positive attributes. Some examples could be (i.e., parenting, philanthropy, teaching, etc.). When you can recognize both the good and bad in your life, you can manage to be more honest with yourself, and having a well-balanced viewpoint is always a worthy thing!
