Be Unstoppable!

by Karen D. Swim

It was one of those days. My cell phone began ringing during my yoga workout interrupting my desperate attempt at achieving balance and peace. Each call brought news that tightened my body into knots of tension - car problems, client problems, lost invoices - and so on and so on. At this rate, I would need a boxing workout with a sparring partner to get back on track!

I managed to regain a sense of calm but the entire day unfolded like a conspiracy to drive me insane. At 7:30 pm I threw in the towel and half collapsed on the couch. I was exhausted, my neck hurt, and my hair looked funny but I was calling it a day. I mindlessly flipped through a magazine, my eyes too tired to even focus on the text. I flipped a page and saw bold black letters set against a gray background that read UNSTOPPABLE. I sat up and simply stared believing the message was meant just for me. Today, I felt far from unstoppable. I looked and felt like a train wreck but somehow the words had penetrated and got me thinking.

There are days when I do feel unstoppable. At times it begins with an external event, such as a great run or workout, a client project that went well, a trip to the hair salon or those shoes that make you feel like a million bucks that triggers internal feelings of absolute fierceness.

As I read the word, it ignited my desire to be unstoppable every day. I want to be a force for change in my own life. Hand me that cape because I am going to conquer the world!

Challenges, distractions and annoyances should not change the course of your day or focus. Rather those things should come up against the impenetrable force field of your positive power and disintegrate at your feet. Bad hair days, broken cars, checks that really are not in the mail are no match for the unstoppable man or woman. We are fierce, and we are unstoppable!

What are your tips for being unstoppable? Speak your mind in the comments.

Finding the Strength to Lace Em Up Everyday

by Karen D. Swim

© Svetlana Shapiro | Dreamstime.com

“People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily.” -- Zig Ziglar

No matter how passionate you are about your goals or how good your intentions are, you must fan the flames of motivation daily. Robyn McMaster offered this insight in response to yesterday's post: "Goals are extremely important to me because they help me keep my eyes on what I want to accomplish. When I put a picture of that near my computer or I write it out as a one line poem and put it there, it helps me sift past those things that would take me off the tracks."

Robyn knows a thing or two about goal setting and motivation as she is the Senior VP of MITA Brain Based Center.

Sometimes we fail to accomplish a goal and we blame it on a lack of discipline. In fact, it may have simply been a failure to renew motivation. Have you ever started a fire in a fireplace? The flames burn brightly and the heat engulfs the room but eventually the flames will flicker and die and the room will once again grow cold. To keep the fire going you have to add more wood.

I am highly visual so use visual cues to motivate you everyday. For example, when I embarked on my weight loss journey, I used a big wall calendar to mark my progress. I covered the walls of my work out room with pictures and posters of my favorite athletes. I taped motivational quotes to the dashboard in my car. On my runs, I carried 26 laminated scriptures in a wrist band carrier. I would pull one out every mile to encourage me to keep going.

If you are more of an auditory learner, try listening to motivational tapes or music. Load your IPOD (I really must get one of these!) or burn a CD of things that inspire you.

Read, watch, listen and talk to those that inspire. Head over to Brain Based Biz , Joyful Jubilant Learning or 6 Weeks for a bit of inspiration. The key is to do something everyday that will stoke the flames of motivation.

You may believe you are not disciplined or have an inability to focus. I am here to tell you that is not true. ERASE those negative thoughts from your mind. You simply may have been playing the game with the wrong equipment. You have accomplished things in life. As you think back on your accomplishments, what worked for you? What made that time different? I believe your answer may be that you cared enough about your pursuit and equipped yourself daily to achieve it.

My goal is to meet more people like those who read this blog. I am not pursuing X amount of readers so that I can feed my ego. I like getting to know you, hearing your thoughts, rants, and witticisms. I learn from you and am challenged by you. Why wouldn't I want to multiply that by reaching out to even more people just like you?

If your goal happens to involve a life changing decision, Robert Hruzek's two part post on the subject is a must read.

How do you stay motivated? What are your tips and tricks? Please share so that we can learn from one another.