Light The Fire

tip-o-the-morning

Tom Corley boats - crop

I could share all of the Rich Habits, success tips, wealth advice, health research, etc. with everyone in the world and still only a small percentage would take action.

Why?

Because change is hard and only a small percentage will make the effort to change what needs to be changed in order for the circumstances of their lives to improve.

Why are so few unwilling to do the work in order to change the circumstances of their lives?

There are a number of reasons, actually.

Reason #1 Rock Bottom

Some people need to hit rock bottom before they will do what needs to be done. When you hit rock bottom, that usually means one of two things have happened:

  1. Those who love and care about you have given you an ultimatum. Ignore it and they will abandon you, leaving you all alone.
  2. Those who love and care about you have abandoned you. You’re on your own.

Reason #2 Need External Motivation

Some people need external motivation. This external source could be a person, a book, a movie, a seminar, a blog post or even a podcast. Tony Robbins butters his bread thanks to this group of people.

Reason #3 Need a Mentor

Some people need to be pushed into action by someone they highly respect and admire. This could be a parent, spouse, child, boss, grandparent, friend, etc.

If you choose to wait to hit rock bottom, or for some external influence to motivate you or for that influential someone to come along, you could be waiting a long time. If that internal or external motivation to change never manifests itself, change is impossible.

So, what can you do?

You need to become the CEO of your life. You need to take control over your life. Here are some tools/ideas to help you do that.

Dream-Setting

Dream-Setting is a four-step process that will light your imagination on fire and get you motivated to change your life. Here’s the process:

  1. Create a Script of Your Ideal Future Life – Pretend it is ten years into the future and you are writing in your journal. Describe in detail every amazing thing about this ideal, future life of yours. Also, describe your journey over the past ten years – Exactly what happened over the past ten years? Shoot for 500-1,000 words.
  2. Identify Each Dream – Define each specific dream that is a component of your ideal, future life.
  3. Create Goals Around Each Dream – Build individual goals around each dream. In order to realize a given dream, it may require that you accomplish numerous goals. Once you accomplish those goals, your dream will be realized. Think of each dream as a rung on a ladder. Every time you realize a dream, you climb that ladder, dream by dream, until you reach the top. At that top sits your ideal, future life.
  4. Create Habits Around Your Goals – The final step requires that you forge daily habits (goal habits) that, when accomplished each day, brings you closer to achieving each individual goal.

Experiment With New Activities

When you feel stuck and lack motivation, oftentimes it is because you don’t know how to unstuck yourself. Experimentation is the solution.

When you experiment with new activities, you will eventually stumble upon an activity you really enjoy; an activity that puts you in a State of Flow. The State of Flow is triggered when you are doing something you love. It is also triggered when any new activity comes easier to you than it does for others.

When you love doing something, the brain notifies you by releasing dopamine. That dopamine explosion is the brain’s neon sign that you may have found an innate talent.

When you are in a State of Flow, you are able to focus for many hours on something without taking a break. And when you do have to break from the activity, your find yourself constantly thinking about that activity. That State of Flow is another neon sign that you may have unearthed an innate talent.

We all have innate talents that are unique to each one of us. Your innate talents were hardwired into your DNA the moment you were conceived. Those who discover their innate talent, never have to work another day in their lives because they enjoy their “work” so much.

Find a Mentor

Mentors are individuals who actively steer you in the right direction. Mentors teach you what to do and what not to do. They are sounding boards for the decision you have to make. Mentor keep you motivated because they care about you. And because they care, they are the best accountability partners you can have.

Finding a mentor is not easy. For most, the only shot at having a mentor is a parent. When parents fail in the mentoring department, it’s up to you to find a mentor.

And mentors are everywhere. They are at work. They are on boards of local, community non-profits. They can be found in books, on podcasts, watching TEDx or YouTube videos.

Don’t wait for motivation to change.

Make the pursuit of change a daily habit.

My mission is to share my unique research in order to help others realize their dreams and achieve their goals. If you find value in these articles, please share them with your inner circle and encourage them to Subscribe. Thank You!

Be Sociable, Share!
Thomas C. Corley About Thomas C. Corley

Tom Corley is a bestselling author, speaker, and media contributor for Business Insider, CNBC and a few other national media outlets.

His Rich Habits research has been read, viewed or heard by over 50 million people in 25 countries around the world.

Besides being an author, Tom is also a CPA, CFP, holds a master’s degree in taxation and is President of Cerefice and Company, a CPA firm in New Jersey.
 
Phone Number: 732-382-3800 Ext. 103.
Email Tom
| Download Media Kit

Comments

  1. I just loved the statement, “that dopamine explosion is the beain’s neon sign that you may have found an innate talent”. Very well said.

Leave a Reply to Nicholas Harper Cancel reply

*