Before every reality, there has to be a dream. To stay with the vision of your dream is not possible unless you have learned to remain motivated for it.
To remain motivated and daily steer away from interruptions, distractions, worries and fears, you must have self-discipline.
Therefore, you first need to learn how to discipline yourself. A soldier will promptly obey any lawful command given to him, even though the action required may cost him his life. Why? Because he is trained in the discipline of obeying commands from his superior.
If you develop a strong discipline like a soldier to achieve your goal, then the motivation and its fruitful result will come easily to you. Thomas Edison, an American inventor of electricity, said that "a genius is 10 per cent inspiration and 90 per cent perspiration". That is the creative power of motivation and discipline.
The main hurdle to discipline is that the human mind wants immediate satisfaction. The problem is that after achieving immediate satisfaction, it will often turn into dissatisfaction. For example, this spring, I needed to find a new gardener. To obtain immediate satisfaction, I recruited the first gardener who visited my house to give a quote. After he completed work, I inspected each flower bed. The work was of very poor quality, and I have to find another gardener. To avoid such an outcome, it would have been better if I had approached at least three gardeners, asked how long each has been in the trade, and asked for references. This takes more time but would give a satisfactory outcome.
Discipline is a big asset, but if coupled with negative thinking, you will kill your project before you start. Some start with negative thoughts, such as " I can't do this. If you think negatively about your health, career or business, you will end up with a failed outcome. We must counter negative thoughts by developing our confidence. How? Firstly, get rid of excuses like I do not have the right education, I am not lucky, or my background is wrong. This is all nonsense. If a Chaiwallah can become a revered Prime Minister and a respected International Leader, you can become whatever you want to, whatever may be your background. So, never fear failure. "What we think is what we achieve".
First, give a thought to the likely risk in your project. Keep a plan ready in case the risk arises. Then put the plan aside and focus on the success of your venture.
Take the following steps to motivate yourself. Success is built into each step. [1] Remove negative thinking, get rid of excuses, [2] Picture yourself as the person you want to be [3] Recall your past successes. This doubles your confidence. [4] Dress smartly. Looking smart creates confidence. [5] Be pragmatic but not over-cautious. Deal with pragmatism with positive thinking. Do not bring negativity by being over-cautious. The keyword is confidence. Have self-confidence. By all means, seek feedback to improve yourself further, but do not be dependent on praise from others. In fact, it is worth noting that the better we become, the less praise we receive.
But first, you need to decide what you want to achieve. What is your dream? What is your goal, and within what time do you want to achieve it? For example, you may want to obtain a university degree. The realistic time frame is three years, and at the end of each year, we have to have the college’s internal exams to measure our progress towards the final University exam. So, you must identify your goal and give the goal a realistic time frame. You must write down what it is that you want to achieve. Fully define your goal. For example, your goal is to obtain a promotion in your career. Write down what position you want to be promoted to, what are the responsibilities the promotion will bring you, and what training or qualification you should obtain to perform well in your new position. You must also record reminders for each step you need to take.
Now that you have developed the plan, use the plan to monitor progress. Each stage should have a date when its achievement is measured. As you work towards your goal, first complete the boring tasks daily, so you have an enjoyable task to follow. This will motivate you to complete the earlier tasks. But there is one exception. You have to prioritise your tasks according to their importance and urgency. This is where you must use your self-discipline.
If there are negative thinkers around you, avoid them. Your developed discipline and motivation will produce awesome results. Your dream will be a reality!
