The Small and Timeless Guide to Motivation

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
Mark Twain

Hi!

Motivation can be a huge help for you to achieve what you want in life. But how can you find all that motivation that you need?

Well, looking at timeless advice from time to time helps me. And in this newsletter I'll share a couple of my favorite timeless thoughts on this topic, thoughts that motivate and inspire me.

Make a conscious choice.

"Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice."
Wayne Dyer

"I was thinking one day and I realized that if I just had somebody behind me all the way to motivate me I could make a big difference. Nobody came along like that so I just became that person for myself."
Unknown

Help, accountability and motivation from others is always good. But in the end you have to be able to rely on yourself. And there is really no escaping it, because as Dyer says, it's always your choice what to do.

So you have to consciously choose to motivate yourself. You can do that by:

Doing what you really, really like to do. When you really like doing something then the motivation to do it comes automatically (most of the time). And when you really want something then it simply becomes easier to push through any inner resistance you feel. You are so motivated to achieve whatever it is you want that the risks you may encounter may be scary but smaller than your desire.
Making a list of upsides. Write down all the benefits you will get from achieving something, like for example getting into better shape or making more money. Save it and pull that list out of the drawer whenever your motivation is lacking and review it. Or put it somewhere where you will see it every day. This is a powerful way to reconnect with your motivation and reasons for taking action.
Comparing yourself with yourself. Comparing what you have and your results to what other people have and have accomplished can really kill your motivation. There are always people ahead of you. Most likely quite a bit of people. And a few of them are miles ahead.
So focus on you. On your results. And how you can and have improved your results. Reviewing your results is important so you see where you have gone wrong in the past to avoid similar missteps further on. But it's also important because it's a great motivator to see how much you have improved and how far you have come. Often you can be pleasantly surprised when you do such a review.

But the most important thing is to take responsibility for your own motivation and feelings and not wait around for someone else to do it. When you do that you will most often find a way to get yourself to start moving towards what you want.

Walk your talk.

"Walking your talk is a great way to motivate yourself. No one likes to live a lie. Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do."
Vince Poscente

This is great tip. Whenever you don't follow your own talk or your inner standards for how you want to behave you tend to feel bad. Your esteem of yourself sinks and your motivation to get going does too.

So you have to be honest with yourself when you feel like you are out of alignment. You have to get up and get started again. When your talk and inner standards you have set for yourself align with what you do then you your self-esteem goes up.

You feel great because you are living like you deep down want to. And you are getting all these important things done and can enjoy the results. And then you want more of that good stuff, you sometimes feel so motivated that you can't wait to get going.

This is not always easy. In the short run it's often easier and less uncomfortable and scary to lie to yourself a bit and hold yourself back. But the rewards for walking your talk are big. Both on the outside and the inside.

Don't get too hung up on being motivated to get started.

"The whole idea of motivation is a trap. Forget motivation. Just do it. Exercise, lose weight, test your blood sugar, or whatever. Do it without motivation. And then, guess what? After you start doing the thing, that's when the motivation comes and makes it easy for you to keep on doing it."
John C. Maxwell

Here's a more unusual view on motivation. Maybe you don't need it to get started? Maybe you can create it along the way?

Many times I have found it better to just do it and start working instead of trying to motivate myself to get going. At first what you do may suck quite a bit and it's hard going. But after a while inspiration and motivation seems to catch up with you. Things start to flow easier and your work is of a higher quality.

And after you have kept going for a while you become more and more motivated. Because you start to feel like you can actually do this and you can keep going to achieve what you want. And now you are also walking your talk which boosts your motivation.

On some days you may not seem to be able motivate yourself into action. Even if you review your reasons to achieve something.

That's OK. You can still make a conscious choice based on what you know deep down is right and just start moving your hands and feet anyway. No matter how you feel inside, no matter what negative thoughts may be circling around in your head.

Try both to get yourself motivated before you begin and to just do it and find the motivation along the way. Try both ways and see how these two ways work for you.

I truly hope this email will help you to motivate yourself and to achieve both small and big things,

Henrik
The Positivity Blog <henrik@positivityblog.com>
Source: http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2011/05/24/motivation/

Comentarios varios a Noticias breves

"La justicia europea permite a los estancos españoles importar tabaco. Declara ilegal la normativa española". Si es que somos el hazmereir de Europa, tenemos legislación ilegal y nos da igual...... y desde fuera nos lo tienen que decir!!!!

PARADOJA: Argentina cierra las puertas a Repsol en su país, pero le abre el grifo del gas que produce en Bolivia al duplicar la importación desde allí. Debe ser como dar limosna.....

"Los expertos piden a Rajoy abaratar más el empleo para salir de la crisis". Lo que nos faltaba. Rajoy que en vez de expertos te han debido meter a subnormales. Te han dado gato por liebre.

"Bruselas propone aplicar el Erasmus al mercado de trabajo". Ahora los hijos irán a visitar a sus papis, qué guay!!! ya sabéis, papis id a trabajar donde vuelo Ryanair que nos sale más barato ir a veros....jajajaja. Vaya progreso de civilización!!!!!

"La agencia de calificación Standard & Poor's (S&P) rebajó hoy en dos escalones la nota que le otorga a la deuda soberana de España hasta situarla desde A a BBB+, con perspectiva negativa". Los de S&P son más negados que nadie, pero ahora hasta pueden tener razón..... sin crecimiento no hay ni recortes que valgan. Lo importate es crecer Rajoy, que estás empanado como todos los europeos!!!!

"El Consejo de Ministros tiene previsto aprobar este viernes un plan de lucha contra el empleo irregular y el fraude en las prestaciones por desempleo". Lo malo es que para sacar a la luz cuatro duros te vas a gastar tres. Piensa en grande y dispara sobre los que se llevan millones, que nos trae más a cuenta a todos. No os quedéis en las minudencias, como siempre.

Fernando García

Mi primer cuento en la iBook Store

Mi primer viaje al Sistema Solar, es el primer cuento que he publicado en la tienda de Apple, la iBook Store.

Es un viaje ilustrado a través del Sistema Solar para que los más peques de la casa vayan aprendiendo sobre los planetas más cercanos y les comience a intrigar el tema del espacio.

Os dejo el link para descargarse el cuento, que es gratis. Os agradezco los comentaroos y reseñas que creáis oportunos.

http://itunes.apple.com/es/artist/fernando-garcia-rodriguez/id519394145?mt=11


Un saludo,

Fernando García

Los 11 Principios para ser Creativo

1. Creerte que eres creativo: el primer paso para convertirnos en personas creativas e innovadoras es pensar que lo somos. Así, nos influenciamos a nosotros mismos y nos preparamos para recibir las aportaciones de nuestro subconsciente.

2. Ser inconformista: las personas creativas son inconformistas. Plantear preguntas sobre todo, en especial sobre los temas que nadie se plantea porque siempre se han hecho así. Intentar reinventar todos los procesos actuales. 

3. Salir de la zona de confort: para ser creativo, no hay que tener miedo a lo desconocido, a los cambios, a lo nuevo, sino estar cómodo con ellos.

4. Cambiar las rutinas, salir, viajar, pasear: la creatividad no se consigue sólo en la oficina, lo más normal es llegar a esas conclusiones e ideas innovadoras en lugares donde nuestra mente está más descansada, es más libre, y por tanto más creativa. Las rutinas “matan” la creatividad.

5. Ser optmista: las personas creativas son optimistas, ven siempre soluciones en lugar de problemas. Miran pensando que el futuro siempre será mejor que el pasado.

6. Hacer caso de la intuición: la creatividad no nace necesariamente de hechos contrastados, sino también de los hechos y las ideas que surgen espontáneamente en nuestra mente.

7. Dormir lo necesario y hacer deporte: nuestra mente forma parte de nuestro cuerpo. Uno sin el otro no pueden funcionar. Así que debemos tener el descanso necesario y el ejercicio que necesitamos. Ello equilibra nuestro cuerpo y nos sitúa en mejor posición para la creatividad.

8. Creación de prototipos: las ideas hay que probarlas rápidamente. Pasar de la idea a la acción, y no permanecer mucho tiempo en la teoría. Una buena idea no sirve de nada si no se trabaja para convertirla en realidad.

9. Colaborar con otras personas: el valor de una buena idea se multiplica si se añaden a ella las propuestas y mejoras de otras personas. La colaboración en cualquier paso del proceso creativo es necesaria.

10. Ver el fracaso como una nueva oportunidad: para las personas creativas, el fracaso es un aliciente para seguir adelante, nunca es una excusa.

11. Ser feliz: para ser creativo y tener éxito es necesario vivir a gusto, hacer lo que a uno le gusta y trabajar en aquello que te motiva. Si no, se hace muy complicado.


Fernando García

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche: adiós a un genio del diseño automovilístico

El presidente honorario de la compañía y creador del Porsche 911 murió el pasado 5 de abril a los 76 años de edad.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche nació en Stuttgart el 11 de diciembre de 1935. Ya desde su infancia tuvo contacto con los automóviles pasando mucho tiempo en compañía de su abuelo Ferdinand Porsche, fundador de la marca alemana de automóviles, en las oficinas de la Porsche.

Después de los estudios realizados en Escuela de Diseño de Ulm, en 1958 entró en la compañía demostrando su gran talento para el diseño. En 1962 fue nombrado responsable del departamento de diseño de Porsche, y un año más tarde diseñaría el famoso Porsche 901 (ó 911, después de un problema de patentes de denominación con Peugeot), que causaría furor en el mundo entero. Con el Porsche 911, Ferdinand creó, no un coche, si no un icono entre los coches deportivos. Un vehículo que sobrevive a generaciones con un diseño y una líneas que desafían el paso del tiempo. Hoy día sigue siendo admirado y su espíritu moderno continúa a través de la que es hoy, la séptima generación de este automóvil.

F.A. Porsche también se centró en el diseño de automóviles de competición durante los años 60. Entre sus diseños más conocidos se encuentran el Fórmula 1 Type 804 ó el Porsche 904 Carrera GTS, considerado ahora uno de los más bellos coches de carreras de todos los tiempos (en la imagen)


A partir de 1970, Ferdinand fue el responsable de la diversificación de la marca, creando un marketing asociado a ella a través de relojes, gafas y diverso equipamiento.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche mantuvo durante toda su vida una estrecha relación con Porsche AG como socio y miembro del Consejo de Supervisión. Incluso después de haberse retirado de la primera línea del negocio, contribuyó al diseño de los deportivos de la marca durante varias décadas y dirigió siempre la compañía en la dirección correcta.

En definitiva hoy nos deja uno de los talentos de la industria del automóvil, el padre de uno de los diseños con mayor personalidad, un artista.

Fernando García

Para más información

Increasing Your Productivity: The Big Picture AND the Little Picture

Everyone wants to boost their productivity, whether it’s at your day job or your personal development goals. Why does it seem so difficult?

One of the reasons many people fail to see results when attempting to increase productivity is because they don’t realize there are two very different levels to which attention must be paid. Focusing on one to the exclusion of the other will usually result in only short-lived gains if not outright failure.
As the title of this article suggests there is big-picture productivity and little-picture productivity. This article will explain both and give you plenty of tips for boosting each of them.

Big-Picture Productivity
Big-picture productivity involves stepping back and taking a look at yourself from a bird’s eye view. These are larger basic traits and characteristics about yourself that you need to keep an eye on or develop. The following are 4 dimensions of big-picture productivity that fit firmly into the realm of personal development. Keeping an eye on how you’re doing with these will keep you heading in a solid, forward-moving and very productive direction:

• Taking initiative
  If you have developed a pattern of merely reacting to situations, circumstances and other people, you need to start looking for opportunities to take initiative. You can’t just wait for things to get better, you need to actively start making it happen. As Gandhi famously said, be the change you seek. Just keep taking initiative until it becomes a habit.


• Envisioning your future
  You need to have a destination in mind or the journey doesn’t make much sense, however enjoyable aimless wandering may be. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish in your life? When you answer those questions, then you can map out goals and objectives and an action plan for getting there.


• Saying no
  Another critical thing to develop is the power to say no to those things that aren’t helping you move forward. Maybe that means cutting out television if it’s sucking up too much time and not adding value to your life. Maybe that means spending less time with negative people that bring you down rather than build you up. Maybe that means stopping unhealthy eating habits or not getting enough sleep. When you say no to the things that hold you down, you’re automatically saying yes to a whole new world of possibilities.


• Seeking common ground
  It’s easy to be combative and confrontational, but where does it get you in the end? Nowhere. To keep yourself moving in a positive and productive forward direction, you need to cooperate with others in the areas upon which you can agree. By emphasizing what you have in common with others, the differences and disagreements that remain won’t hold both parties hostage.

Little-Picture Productivity
Now that you know what to pay attention to in the big picture, there are also all kinds of things you can do to be more productive when you actually start working on any given task or project. Things to try at this level include the following:

• Work on the tough stuff first
  It can really help to start tackling the thorniest problems when you’re at your freshest. Once your energy starts to drain, take a break or switch to another task that’s less difficult. Note that this doesn’t necessarily mean first thing in the morning, it means figuring out your most productive times of day.


• Eliminate distractions
  This can be tough in the digital age when various social media, websites and email keep demanding your attention. Turn them off and get to work. This also means making sure you’re working in a physical environment that helps you be productive. If music helps you, play it. If sitting in a coffee shop with your laptop helps, go there. A change of location once in a while may need to be explored if you get stuck.


• Get the tools you need
  A cook that doesn’t have any pots, pans, utensils or raw ingredients is going to have a tough time preparing a meal. If you don’t have what you need for a task or project, re-schedule it until you do, otherwise you’re wasting valuable time.

Just remember that in order to boost and maintain higher levels of productivity, you need to pay attention to both the big-picture dimensions and the little-picture tools and tricks. When you learn how to balance your productivity efforts between these two different but essential levels, you’ll be well on your way to a highly productive life.

Written on 4/6/2012 by Vic Lawrence. Vic is a US Army Veteran that blogs about Self Improvement and Personal Development. Vic wants to inspire motivation and passion into individuals that live a life of unhappiness. Vic offers practical advice for becoming your best self at Hang In There. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Cultivating Charisma: How Personal Magnetism Can Help (Or Hurt) You At Work

Olivia Fox Cabane, author of The Charisma Myth, talks with Fast Company about why charisma is so critical to business and how special Jedi mind tricks can help get you there. 

As a socially inept teenager, Olivia Fox Cabane realized that she had two choices. “Either confine myself to a desert island, or learn how to make this human thing work,” she says. Cabane opted for the latter. Good thing. By age 24, the French-born author of The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism, published on March 29, had addressed the United Nations. The following year she was lecturing at Harvard and MIT, a precursor to her career as an executive coach and keynote speaker. A self-professed science nerd, Cabane came up with the idea for a book on charisma after realizing there was no single resource to help individuals cultivate it. We spoke with Cabane about why charisma is so critical to business and how Jedi mind tricks (not the hip-hop group) can help get you there.

FAST COMPANY: So what is the myth of charisma and where did it come from? 

OLIVIA FOX CABANE: It came from the Greeks, who coined the word as “gift of grace.” They believed it was a divine gift. The myth is that charisma is not innate. What scientists have actually discovered--like many other myths they busted this one--is it’s actually a social skill, which like many others is learned. But this happens so early in life that by the time these charismatics get to adulthood, it all seems to be natural. And yet if, for example, you analyze the progression of Steve Jobs from 1984 to 2011 you’ll see he painstakingly learned it step by step.

So where did we get the idea that one needs to be outgoing and gregarious to be charismatic?
A few things. First, people don’t realize that charisma is not monolithic. There’s no one form of charisma that is good or bad per se. There’s only the right form of charisma for the particular situation. Our Western culture glamorizes extroversion, and so the 50% of the population who are introverts feel defective and uncool. But you know what? Introversion is actually an asset for several forms of charisma.

For example? 
For “focus charisma,” which creates a cocoon around people and gets them to share everything, introversion is actually a key, critical component because you need to completely focus your attention on a person and listen attentively.

What about the three other styles of charisma?
There’s “authority charisma,” which is the most powerful form of charisma. It’s the one that will get people to listen and obey. However, authority charisma has several downsides, as do the others. With this one, though, it inhibits critical feedback and is a killer for brainstorming. It’s not one I’d recommend bringing into a company or to a team if you want them to be creative.

And Steve Jobs? His charisma was what you term the “visionary.”
Exactly. This form of charisma is one that can make people feel inspired and want to follow you. It’s also great for invigorating brainstorming. But remember, there was a very different Steve Jobs in private. His public persona was very carefully crafted.

The other type of charisma is “kindness,” which is what the Dalai Lama has. This encourages people to reveal their hearts and souls, which is wonderful and flattering. People start bending rules for you or pretending they don’t even exist, but it can also backfire because people start falling in love with you, not romantically. But they can get very hurt when they find that you don’t reciprocate.

Can you talk about the big advantages that make charisma so critical in business?
Charisma makes people want to want to trust and follow you. Imagine if you knew that the moment you entered the room people would want to know what you have to say. It causes people to have a personal sense of sacrifice and go above and beyond the call of duty to advance the leader’s mission. Employees of charismatic leaders also experience greater work satisfaction, greater personal commitment, and exhibit higher productivity. The companies with charismatic CEOs enjoy higher stock prices, and a charismatic CEO has a particularly strong effect during financial turmoil in raising funds for his or her company.

But charisma is not just for those in leadership roles.
It’s charisma that helps determine which ideas get adopted and how effectively your projects are implemented. For example, charisma is critical anytime you’re applying for a job. No matter what their position, charismatic people also receive higher performance ratings. They tend to enjoy higher salaries and get more promotions. And they’re viewed as more attractive by their superiors.

And this can all be backed up by science?
Indeed. For example, in controlled lab experiments it was discovered that people could lower and raise their level of charisma, like turning a dial. More specifically, the MIT media lab looked at how critical your body language is to your effectiveness. They were able to predict the outcomes of sales calls, negotiations, and business plan pitches with 87% accuracy not by listening to a single word of content, but by analyzing voice fluctuations and the facial expressions of the person pitching.

Charisma is what enables one sales person to outsell the other five in his district combined.

Can you talk a little more about the science of body language and its impact on charisma?
There are two critical things you need to know about body language. First, we can’t fake charismatic body language. Even when we control the main expression on our face, if what’s deeper inside is anti-charismatic, that will come out. That’s because, no matter how well we think we’re controlling our facial expression, micro-facial expressions will still appear. And even if they’re as short as 17-32 milliseconds, people will be able to detect them.

Secondly, you don’t control your body language consciously. Finally, you control your subconscious mind, which is why so much of this book is actually Jedi mind tricks, like doing visualizations. For example, one way to both feel and broadcast confidence is by imagining yourself puffing up like a big gorilla. Because of the way visuals hit our limbic brain faster than our cortex, it’s one technique that can get your body language instantly to a charismatic state. The secret is to get you into the right charismatic mind to teach you to get a charismatic brain so you then exhibit the right charismatic body language so that then you are charismatic.

You said we can’t fake charismatic body language, but can we fake charisma? Are there people who seem to be charismatic but really aren’t?
No. Either they’re charismatic or not. It’s that simple. And if they are charismatic, it’s because internally they’re doing the right Jedi mind tricks. Now they may be insincere at a deeper level, but in the moment, like all good megalomaniacs, they believe what it is they’re doing. Now I’m not saying charisma isn’t potentially dangerous. It is. Which is why the last section of my book is called “Use It Responsibly.” This stuff is powerful and could have terribly disastrous effects.

For example?
You can get people to do whatever you want them to do. Think about that.

How is charisma useful in difficult business situations?
So charisma is perfect when you have to deal with a particularly difficult person and you have to win their trust and rebuild the relationship. You could turn on either focus or warmth charisma, which will enable you to establish an emotional bond with pretty much anyone.

You talk a lot about Bill Clinton. Why is he such a great example?
Because Clinton is one of the few figures who leads with warmth. Most other people lead with power or focus or they’re not charismatic at all. He has all three elements. He’s got presence. He’s fully focused on making you feel like you’re the only person in the room. He’s got power obviously; he’s a high-status individual. And he’s got warmth because that is what he broadcasts. That’s what makes him superstar charismatic.

And our current President?
He leads more with focus. He leads with intelligence. He doesn’t lead as much with warmth, which is one of the reasons he’s struggling a bit. People are less forgiving of him. Someone who leads with warmth will be forgiven for anything.

You offer many science-backed techniques, but won’t they appear contrived if a newbie tries to follow them?
That’s why first, we’re doing Jedi mind tricks. We’re going straight to the mind, so that you actually are sincere. I also always recommend practicing new things that might make you uncomfortable in low-stakes situations like the checkout counter of a grocery store. Don’t try something big or new in a high-stakes environment.

Do you find yourself constantly assessing others’ level of charisma, even when you’re off the clock, so to speak?
Not really. Because I like being off duty.

BY Arnie Cooper
Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/1826514/cultivating-charisma-how-personal-magnetism-can-help-or-hurt-you-at-work