[By Rhodri Jones]
Every experience that each of us has impacts us, either in a positive way or a negative way.
Negative experiences can leave us troubled and disillusioned, however positive experiences can greatly improve our optimism and daily motivation.
Daily motivation is the fuel that drives us to improve our lives, achieve our goals and become better people.
Here are some ways to increase your daily motivation so you achieve so much more in your life:
Setting Meaningful Goals
Having goals is vital. They are the key motivator that drives you to succeed. A life without goals is like a boat without a rudder... drifting aimlessly with no direction and no end destination.
Important, meaningful goals motivate you to take inspired action toward achieving what you desire. It also helps keep you focused and driven when you come across challenges and difficulties
When setting any goal, it is very important however, to take small progressive steps toward achieving it. Breaking a goal down into small, baby steps will prevent you from becoming overwhelmed and help maintain a positive attitude to keep you moving forward.
A Positive Attitude
As I've just mentioned above, a positive attitude will help keep you motivated to continually move forward toward your goal. If you believe that your goal is too difficult and that you won't achieve it, then I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you will be right.
A negative attitude will sabotage any chance of you achieving what you want. Your subconscious mind feeds on your inner chat, and if you constantly tell it that you can't and won't achieve a particular goal it will prove you right every single time.
Your mind is extremely powerful, and you'd be a fool to underestimate it. Feed it with positive thoughts and it will grant you whatever you want. GUARANTEED!!!!!!!
Religion
I accept that not everyone is religiously inclined, but for many (me included) religion helps greatly in improving their daily motivation. Religion, irrespective of what kind you follow can help harness a strong faith and internal motivation within an individual.
It can also ensure a mindfulness and inner peace, so you can better deal with and overcome the challenges that life regularly throws in front of you.
Desire To Live
We've all been given the greatest gift of all...and that's the gift of life! None of us will be on this planet forever, so is there a greater motivation than living life to the max and getting the very most out of every day? I think not!!!!!
Yes, life at times will be hard, but the thing to remember is that these hard times are temporary...they won't last forever. Good times are always just around the corner for you.
Having daily inspiration to live life to the full and achieve all we can is something none of us should pass up on. A desire and motivation to live life to the full is the least we can give in return.
If you want to accomplish more in life and become that person you've always wanted to be then you have to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Your dreams and goals will never be realized unless you acquire an incessant drive and daily motivation to take inspired action that keeps you moving forward.
Your ability to motivate yourself is crucial to you realizing your goals. Motivation is the force that keeps driving you forward toward achievement and success. Go and discover the daily motivation and success formula that will fast track you toward a life that's rich, abundant and happy.
Many experts who want more big-fee speeches start off with all the right tools: great topics, fabulous speaking style, and a book with a lot of buzz. Unfortunately, many don't get past the free-speech circuit. Their book and publicity get people to take their call, but their conversations cause them to lose the speaking engagement.
Any expert who wants big speaking fees has to be adept at handling three conversations in the sales process. What you say in those situations is the difference between initial interest and getting the gig.
Conversation #1: Talking to the False Positive Buyer
What happens: You get an incoming call from someone who needs a speaker. You give them your spiel, and they are over-the-top enthusiastic about your topic and expertise. You just know that you're going to speak to this group. You can just see all the spin-off business - and then reality hits. Either the prospect goes silent or after chasing them for several weeks, you learn another speaker was chosen.
What's going on: The person you talked to was assigned to find a speaker but wasn't told the budget. They were assigned by the real buyer, who found someone themselves and told the false positive folks to shut down the process. It happens all the time.
What you must do: Trust, but verify. Answer questions but also probe. My favorite tactic is to give a hypothetical situation. Something like, "Let's pretend that I'm the one and you know it. What's our next step? Do I send you the contract?" A false positive buyer will say something like, "Well, no. If I think you're the one, I have to go sell you to Mr. Big Cheese." Now you have your answer. Give them enough information to pass along but not too much that they can make a decision by themselves. And whatever you do, give a range of fees, not a specific fee.
Conversation #2: Talking to the Real Buyer
What happens: You get a referral from one of your high-end clients who recommends you to their high-end colleague. After weeks of telephone tag (at least they're returning your calls) you finally connect and discuss your speaking. The buyer talks in more broad terms, such as what's going on with the audience and the role the meeting plays in an overall initiative. They begin the conversation with, "We are not looking for a speaker. We are looking for someone who can..." What you say next will seal the deal or toss you out of the running.
What's going on: These buyers have an idea of what they want but not a specific title or topic in mind. They probe for: 1) your ideas to see if they agree with you, and 2) to see if you can deliver. They are less concerned about how many times you've spoken in the past. They want to know if your content will help them do what they need. They are bold and decisive. If you hit a home run here, the close will be very casual. If not, they will decide you are not a good "fit." Once they decide, there's no going back. You have to get this right the first time.
What you must do: Talk about your approach to their situation and showcase your point of view. Then, prove what you know. Use the buyer as an example of what you would do. You have to show these skeptics they are getting a fresh and relevant perspective. And finally, have a killer title - something clear, concise, and compelling. This will focus their thinking and help them clarify what they will get from you. You want the buyer to think, "Hey, this stuff isn't out there already."
Conversation #3: Dealing with Last-Minute Negotiations
What happens: One of two scenarios is in play here. First, you're dealing with the buyer and they hand off your contract to the purchasing department or the department (such as meeting planning) whose budget is being used. They see your fee, and their brain explodes. Second, you send the contract to the executive you've talked with several times and don't get it back. You follow up several times and don't get an answer. Finally, they say something like, "Hey, this event budget just got cut in half. We need you to sharpen your pencil here."
What's going on: In the first scenario, the lower-level folks don't like your fee because they are not used to paying that amount. They think they can get another speaker for less. So, instead of going to the real buyer and raising Cain, they go to you and just say "no." This happens a lot for speeches under $15,000. Second, you're dealing with a buyer who needs to know that they got "a deal." They want to know that either so they can brag to colleagues or so they don't have to hassle with moving money around. They think that if you want to speak so bad, you'll reduce your fee.
What you must do: In the first scenario, explain that Mr. Big Cheese approved that amount. If they still say no, go back to your buyer. If they waffle, give them something extra, such as another session or more books for the audience. Say something like, "Hey, I didn't talk to XXX about this, but if you need it, I'm happy to help out."
In the second scenario, you have a delicate balance. If you play hardball, the buyer will tell others that "you weren't available after all," and no one will notice you're gone. Instead, offer to cut something out that they really want. When they balk, then come back with more stuff (again, an extra session or more books). If you give them a deal to brag about, most of the time they will relent.
The Higher the Fee, the Higher the Competition
Where there is money, there are more than two people trying to get it. And when it comes to speaking for big fees, a lot of folks are going after that invitation. Your compelling branding and marketing tools are great first steps. But your conversations seal the deal. Be ready for these interactions and you'll get your fair share of big-speaking engagements.
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Vickie K. Sullivan, President of Sullivan Speaker Services, Inc., is internationally recognized as the top market strategist for experts who want strong brands with high-fee buyers. Since 1987, she has worked with thousands of experts in a wide variety of industries to launch their big-fee speaking, professional service, and book/product empires in highly lucrative markets. Vickie speaks and consults with clients throughout the world about selection trends in high-fee segments and strategies that position experts for those opportunities. Vickie's perspective has been published in USAToday magazine, Fortune.com, The New York Times, and Investor's Business Daily. Her market intelligence updates are distributed throughout the US as well as 17 other countries. Sign up to receive Vickie's market intelligence by visiting http://www.sullivanspeaker.com or contact Vickie by emailing info@sullivanspeaker.com.
'Of those who say nothing, few are silent.'
Thomas Neiel
Her Father's Daughter
Alice Pung
As she digs further into her father's story, Alice embarks on a journey of painful discovery: of memories lost and found, of her own fears for the future, of history and how it echoes down the years. Set in Melbourne, China and Cambodia, Her Father's Daughter captures a father-daughter relationship in a moving and astonishingly powerful way. => http://bit.ly/y9pXnq
"You don't get to choose how you're going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you're going to live. Now."
Joan Baez
"If each of us sweeps in front of our own steps, the whole world would be clean."
-- Goethe
The Exceptional Presenter: A Proven Formula to Open Up and Own the Room
by Timothy J. Koegel
It's often reported that the number one fear among American adults is public speaking. But in today's competitive business world, effective communication is a crucial skill, and the cost of being less than effective is quite high. From the White House to boardrooms worldwide, Tim Koegel has strengthened presentations, media relations and communications skills of CEOs and world leaders alike with his renowned coaching abilities. His new book, The Exceptional Presenter, lays out his techniques in a format perfectly suited to today's busy world.
This little hardback is incredibly easy to read. Extremely well organized, it's written in clear, jargon-free language. Each of its many lessons covers just a few pages, and is composed of short, straight-to-the-point paragraphs. Sized to fit easily in the side pocket of a laptop case, it's an ideal way to kill time at an airport gate, on a flight, or even during those dead half-hours that often pop up between convention sessions.
Better still, this book really delivers on its promise. => http://bit.ly/wpKj8H
We all like to blame something when life isn't going the way we want it to; our friends, the weather, our boss, our family, the economy... there are a million things we like to blame. But what tends to hold us back in life is ourselves. We are our own worst enemy. When we conquer ourselves everything that we want in life all of a sudden becomes much more attainable.
Regret
Everyone looks back at one point or another at their life and wishes that they had done something differently, "I wish I had asked that girl out," "I should have started my own business," "If only I went to college," "I wish I spent more time with my kids." We believe that if we did these things, our life could have turned out differently and for the better.
I'm not going to tell you that your life would have turned out exactly the same way whether you did these things or not. But what I am going to tell you is that the longer you think about the past, the longer it will take for you to forget and move on.
The past has happened so there is no use thinking about it. We can't change it however much we would like to. What we can do is however is decide to move on. As soon as let go of our regrets we can focus on the future and shape it in the way we want.
Fear
Fear tops the list when it comes to what is holding us back in life. Everything we have not done and will never do is because of fear. Fear is only natural, everyone encounters it but unfortunately most people let fear stop them in their tracks.
Successful people though don't fall into this category. They are not different from anyone else and they are certainly not immune from fear. They encounter fear on a daily basis. What separates them from the majority of people though is that they don't let fear stop them from doing what they want to do. They understand that fear is natural and is something that is to be acknowledged, experienced and pushed through. If you never push through the fear then you will never know what could have been:
"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky |
The only way to conquer fear is to Feel the fear & Do it anyway.
Fear won't just disappear overnight; it might not ever completely disappear. But by facing our fears we can no longer play the "What If" game.
Look at fear as a good thing. It makes life interesting. A life without fear would be very boring indeed.
Self Pity
At one time or another in our life we have all allowed self pity to creep in. We start to feel sorry for ourselves when it looks as if nothing ever goes our way. Sometimes whatever happened wasn't our fault and was completely out of our control. It doesn't matter if it was our fault or not; we must stop playing the blame game.
We have two choices:
Allow ourselves to wallow in self pity or to reflect on what went wrong, why, and then learn from it.
Laziness
We all know that feeling of wanting to do nothing else but lie on the couch and watch TV all day. It is only natural to want to relax but a relaxing life is not a worthwhile life. Everything that is worth attaining will take hard work. You could ask every single successful person who has ever lived and they would say the key to their success was hard work.
Laziness is not difficult to solve if handled in the right way. Unfortunately, most people think the solution is to tell a lazy person to "stop being lazy". That simply does not work (that's like telling an obese person to stop eating).
The solution is to take small steps to improve your productivity. Most of the time we feel so overwhelmed by the work we have to do that we don't even bother to take the first step. This is why it is crucial to break things up into small easy to do tasks.
Most people aren't prepared to work hard and as a result will never change their circumstances. Don't allow yourself to be this person!
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