Motivation | 8 hot tips for a less lazy you!

If motivation is waning in 2014 here is a guest post on from Shayna Smith on how to beat laziness from your door and make motivation your new buzzword for the coming year!

Dreaming of the possibilities

In June 2012 I made the following entry in my OneNote app:

“I’d love to banish laziness from my life. The possibilities would be endless! I’d have a bikini body and I’d be a millionaire!!”

But I am not a millionaire – yet

It’s heartbreaking that it’s been more than a year since this entry and I’m no closer to buying that bikini or investing in a million dollar home. But this doesn’t mean I haven’t made any progress! Actually, I’m at least twice as productive as I was a year ago. I have lost a few kilos and put some money away for a rainy day. For someone who is partial to being lazy, these improvements are a major life-changing step for me.

So now I am pondering how to beat lazy and improve motivation

Is it possible to banish laziness from my life forever for the slothful beast it is?

Laziness holds many people back from achieving their full potential and helps people to throw their ambitions to the wind. People all over the world are slobbing it up in front of TV sets instead of spending time working on their dreams or on self-development projects.

Actions speak louder than words

It’s easy to talk about being better, but talk really is cheap. One of my 2014 resolutions is to be a do-er, not a talker – and if you want to kick laziness from your door, you may wish to set a similar goal!

Here are eight hot tips for a less lazy you in 2014

1. Rewire your mindset and give your subconscious clear orders

Rewiring your mindset is easy, despite the fact that laziness is a deeply wired bad habit. Though results won’t happen overnight, they do happen faster than you might expect and they usually result in lifelong  change. Be clear about what you want to accomplish, write your goals down and then repeat affirmations to yourself in your sleeping and waking hours to set these orders firmly in your mind. 

2. Imagine a motivated life is reality

Now imagine that you are already free from laziness. What would your daily life look like? Make a list consisiting of what life would look like if you were super motivated.

What would you do with your new motivated self?

• Would you sign up for salsa classes?
• Would you start Yoga classes and become leaner and more flexible?
• Would you write more blog posts and become a better writer?
• Would you learn how to cook like a Masterchef?
• Would you travel the world and become more cultured?

3. Be honest with yourself and get real

Be honest with yourself. Don’t write down wishy-washy answers. True power comes from being real and honest with yourself.  The clearer you are about what you’d like to accomplish, the better you will understand how apathy is holding you back.  This understanding will give you greater power to kick the lazy you from your life – and for good!

4. Replace bad habits with better habits

You can’t banish laziness from your life without replacing old habits with new ones. For example, if you lie on the couch night after night, you could replace this with doing housework or laundry at night for the purpose of staying ahead of tasks the next day.

5. Create a solid plan for success

Create a solid plan and document exactly what you will do with your renewed time, energy and goals. The plan could include a weekly timetable of actions and dates recording what you would like to achieve and by when.

6. Eat well for optimal performance

It’s true. We are what we eat! A spirulina smoothie in the morning will make you feel more energetic and ready to start that the day than a big plate of toast and greasy bacon and eggs. Eat well and find super foods, which will give you energy to become more motivated. Eat these high-energy foods three times a day. Fresh juices are a great first step to take. Replace a meal with a fresh juice or smoothie and experience improved vitality immediately.

7. Start meditating

It is well known that meditation has many health benefits including increasing energy levels and helping a person feel more focused.

More specifically, meditation will help:

• Promote a healthier cardiovascular system
• Strengthens the immune system
• Reduces pain such as migraines
• Improves self esteem
• Promotes a more positive outlook on life
• Reduces fear and phobias
• Increases creativity, focus and memory
• Makes people more compassionate
• Helps a person to live in the moment

There are a large array of mobile apps that can help you meditate and even an app that can help you chant if that is your preference. There are also plenty of videos related to meditation to show you the how to meditate correctly.  Make meditation a regular morning practice to start your day for improved focus, energy and the benefits mentioned above.

8. Turn negatives into positives

Start taking note of the events in your day, which may be sucking your energy levels. You may be bored or feeling unmotivated during work hours.

Here are a few scenarios:

1. What time of day do you feel the least energetic?
2. Did talking to a negative person today trigger a depressed emotion?
3. Is stress at work making your work day harder?

After determining what is having a negative impact on your day, take steps to counter them.

Here’s an example of how to counter the above scenarios:

1. Set an alarm at your most tired time of the day to watch a motivation video on YouTube.
2. Start avoiding negative people and surround yourself with positive and uplifting people.
3. Determine the exact cause of your work stress and attack the problem head on.

Remember: Laziness is the wrong mindset combined with a lack of energy

The above tips show that laziness is really just a lack of energy coupled with the wrong mindset. Remember that the best way to counter laziness is to take practical steps for the better:

1. Rewire your mindset by giving yourself clear orders
2. Imagine a highly-motivated you is already a reality
3. Be honest with yourself and get real
4. Replace bad habits with better habits
5. Create a solid plan for success
6. Eat well for optimal performance
7. Meditate
8. Turn negatives into positives

If you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to a more enlightened, energic and super-motivated you!

Good luck with your self-development endeavours and with banishing laziness from your life!

Author Bio 

Shayna Smith has been working as a freelance writer for a long time. She has a diverse background in shopping, relationships and savings. She loves sharing her opinions on the latest issues affecting women and is also an expert on Latest StrawberryNet Coupons.