Self-motivation: Alphabetically

Action, looks, words, steps, form the alphabet

by which you may spell character.

~ Johann Kaspar Lavater

Pain is often the main reason that most people choose to change. Getting poor grades makes us realize that we need to study. Deabt reminds us of our inability to maintain a budget. Being humiliated gives us a nudge to speak up and fight for ourselves to save face from future embarrassments. It may be a bitter experience, a friend’s tragic story, a great movie or an inspiring book that will help you get up and get just that right amount of motivation you need in order to improve yourself.

With the countless negatives the world brings about, how do you stay motivated?

Here’s a quick list to combat negativity:

A. Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” I know, that’s two ways….

B. Believe in yourself and in what you can do.

C. Change the way you think. Consider things from every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you must be able to use more than one perspective.

D. Don’t give up and don’t you dare give in. Thomas Edison failed many times before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Keep motivation as your steering wheel.

E. Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you’ve never cried. Learn as if you’ll live forever. That’s part of an Irish saying. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F. Family and friends first. These are life’s greatest gifts and treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.

G. Give more and give more than you get. Motivation and self improvement take place everywhere, when you exert extra effort in doing things especially for others.

H. Hold fast to your dreams. Hang in there. They may dangle just out of reach for a moment, but these little stars will be an important part of your driving force.

I. Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people get the best of you. Stay away from toxic people. Distance yourself from the kinds of friends who hate to hear about your success.

J. Just be yourself. Be you! The key to success is to be yourself. The key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K. Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When you remain motivated, eventually you will see the hard things in life begin to clear out, paving the way to self improvement.

L. Learn to love yourself.

M. Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N. Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O. Open your eyes, mind and heart. Be available to learning. If you don’t like the way something is going, change it or change your attitude.

P. Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets you learn by repetition and correction. We learn; we can recover from our mistakes.

Q. Quitters never win. And winners never quit. Trite, I know. Choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter or a winner?

R. Ready yourself. Motivation is about preparation. You must hear the little voice within you, telling you to get started. Learn, prepare, and get ready for where you want to be. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.

S. Stop procrastinating!

T. Take control of your life. Discipline or self control works with your motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U. Understand others. Being able to speak well is great, but you must also learn how to listen well. Seek to understand first and to be understood second.

V. Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on dry land, you aren’t going anywhere. See what you want vividly. Then go after it.

W. Want it (whatever it is for you) more than anything else. Dreaming means believing. And belief in yourself will drive you to self improvement.

X. X-Factor is what will make you different from the others. It keeps you, you! When you are motivated, you tend to find time for the “extras” in your life. Extras like, extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends and so on, believe it!

Y. You are unique. No one in this world looks, thinks, speaks or acts exactly like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re just going to spend it once. Choose wisely and spend it well.

Z. Zero in on your dreams like a laser beam and go for it!!! Life is about choices. Everything we do, every choice we make propels us forward. Be certain it’s where you want to go.

This list is by no means exhaustive. What would you add to this list?

Better yet, make your own list and share it with us.

2. 6 Ways to Combat the Negativity of Others

3. 5 Ways to change your perspective

4. 10 Steps to recovering when things go bad

5. Self-Discipline: Building yours up

6. Why Self-Improvement Is Important

7. Just Look

8. Improve Your Visualization Skills

9. Boost your belief in yourself in 7 steps

10. Clean and Clear your Mind

11. How to “Improve” Your Intuition