Motivation Monday

Motivation is simply the reason for an action. It is the why behind what we do.

Three months ago, on February 2nd, 2009, I started this series on motivation. My thoughts stemmed from the definition above. During the past twelve posts, we looked at how important it was to have a strong why behind what we do. In order to maintain a high level of motivation, we need to consciously make a strong connection between what we want and the reasons why. The reasons why need to be compelling in order for them to be powerful.

Therefore, on February 9th my post encouraged you to really think about what you want and why. I also asked you to think about how badly you want what you say you want. The following week, Feb. 16th, it was time to examine why we don't take action - to really look at what is in it for us if we don't do the things we need to do, in order to have the life we say we want. On February 23rd the focus was on what we gain when we say yes to your dreams and passions.

March started off having you look for inspiration. The idea was to identify who has or is living the life you desire and to look for traits they possess that you could develop. March 9th was all about celebrating our greatest asset - a positive attitude. March 16th's post shared my thoughts on how we handle waiting for our big break. On March 23rd, I asked whether or not you would hire yourself. I asked you to think about how you could start being your own best employee. My advice March 30th was to become a passionate pursuer of knowledge, to embrace learning. Successful, happy people are willing to grow and learn new things.

How we can achieve balance in our busy lives was discussed in the April 6th post while the April 13th post looked at how you could get motivated to do all of those necessary non-art tasks. Finally last week, April 20th, I encouraged you to pursue your dreams NOW!

This Motivation Monday series is finished for the time being. Now would be a good opportunity to read any posts you missed or to reread some of your favourites. All of these posts are conveniently located in one spot - just click on the Motivation Monday button in the Featured Writings section of this blog, in the right hand side bar.

Motivation Monday posts will reappear from time to time. Just look for the colourful letter M. I sincerely hope this series has been encouraging and helpful. I appreciate the feedback I have received and the comments that readers have shared. I have ideas for another series in the coming months so stay tuned and most importantly, stay motivated!