Improving Human Motivation:
Getting Out From Under The Covers

In this human motivation leadership article I share 8 specific actions I take to help me -'Get out from under the covers.'

“I want to go back to bed, pull the covers over my head and have somebody wake me up when my 401(k) bounces back. I don't know about you, but I'm finding myself so jittery about, well everything, that it's all I can do to surf the net. Kind of ironic, isn't it? I should be working more, but I'm so anxious… that I'm actually working less”

That's something friend, author and humorist Lisa McLeod’s said in her blog.

As I read it I found myself nodding along with her sentiments. I've felt some of what she’s talking about, on and off, for a few weeks. My normal and natural human motivation levels have been wavering, lately.

However, this month’s been much better – I’ve been more productive, more hopeful and more focused.

The result: new business ideas, new potential alliance partners, more energy, more fun and more waking-up-ready-to-go-days, more often. I've found greater levels of human motivation - and not much has changed in the world - but the biggest change has been...

…within me.

I’ve gotten back to being more choose-y and selective about where I place my focus and my time.

I’ve decided that staying glued to the financial and news channels, following every up and every down, only drags me down and negatively impacts my own levels of human motivation. Especially if I’m deciding whether things are working out or not working out based on the latest peak or valley.

The only thing that’s different from last month to this month is my focus.

I can’t control outside circumstances, I can’t control the world or even one other person. This month I re-remembered that It’s not my job to try to change the world. The only control I have is where I decide to focus my energy and time.

This month, I’m being more deliberate about where I focus. This takes daily practice for it to become a habit and for it to more permanently impact your levels of human motivation.

Here are some simple things that have helped me shift and lift my levels of natural human motivation:

1. Writing lists of appreciation - I write until I run out of things to write or until I feel a sense of relief - I do this every day, sometimes, several times a day! (I have notebooks everywhere – in my car, in my office, all over my house)


2. Spending more time and energy with people (and on projects) that are interesting and challenging to me


3. Planning my days, the night before, by picking 3-6 high leverage actions that I WILL complete the next day (no more 50 item to-do lists to overwhelm me as I start the day)


4. Turning off news and t.v. shows that are depressing and negative and make me lose any sense of natural human motivation.


5. Discontinuing the delivery of the local news paper (I'm surprised I don't miss it at all. To keep in touch about business I'm reading Wall Street Journal instead.)
6. Making deliberate effort to focus on what IS working, not adding to or chiming in, when others are complaining


7. Taking time to appreciate clients and friends by sending out Thanksgiving cards, with hand-written notes of appreciation in every card. (I make writing lists of appreciation a daily habit.)


8. When I first wake up, saying and meaning: “Today, no matter where I go, no matter what I do, I choose to focus on what I want to see.”

It’s a different month.

My levels of natural energy and human motivation have improved. Outside circumstances and events are pretty much the same. But I’m different. I’m more rested, more available, more active and more on target with my personal and business intentions.

I know that this more positive orientation is one that takes practice and focus.

When I stopped focusing my efforts I was influenced by others who are mostly well-meaning, but who are only documenting, exaggerating and talking about what’s wrong.

There’s a place for looking at what you don’t want, but if we pitch a tent and stay there, we get stuck, feel anxious and want to crawl under the covers and hide - essentially losing our natural human motivation and energy.

I will look what’s wrong for a moment, I certainly don’t want to be ignorant. But once I see it, I'm determined to then turn my focus toward the desired improvement I want to see.

I'm so pleased to re-remember that I'm in charge of where I focus and that I can choose. With this type of focus I can live the wake up eager lifestyle I believe is available to everyone, which is a life that is strong, purposeful, joy-filled and authentic. Natural human motivation and energy, is well, natural - we just have to tune-in to it.

"You intended to discover a way to feel good, no matter what, because you have the facility; you have the power; you have the ability to focus. You have the ability to choose where you focus, therefore, you have the ability to offer vibration deliberately; therefore, you have the ability to choose the way you feel. But it takes some practice."

Check out this powerful online team building and coaching program, My Inspiration4Life.

To read my review of this program, read my article on workplace motivation.

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