Adopt a model. One strategy for succeeding at any task is
to hang around the masters. Find someone you consider successful and spend time
with her. Observe this person and use her as a model for your own behaviour. You
can “try on” this person’s actions and attitudes. Look for tools that feel
right for you. This person can become a mentor for you.
Compare the payoffs to the costs. Behaviours such as cramming for exams or neglecting exercise have payoffs. Cramming might give us more time that’s free of commitments. Neglecting exercise can give us more time to sleep.
One way to let go of such unwanted
behaviours is first to celebrate them – even embrace them. We can openly
acknowledge the payoffs.
Celebration can be especially powerful
when we follow it up with the next step – determining the costs. For example,
skipping a reading assignment can give you time to go to the movies. However, you
might be unprepared for class and have twice as much to read the following
week.
Maybe there is another way to get the
payoff (going to the movies) without paying the cost (skipping the reading
assignment). With some thoughtful weekly planning, you might choose to give up
a few hours of television and end up with enough time to read the assignment
and go to the movies.
Comparing the costs and benefits of any behaviour can fuel our motivation. We can choose new behaviours because they align with what we want most.
I couldn't have said it any better myself, particularly the first part. As a novice internet marketer, I was going nowhere until I befriended a successful marketer through an online IM community. He took me under his wing and the rest is history. I have basically modeled my work ethic, attitude, and business model after him. The results have been tremendous. Nobody should ever undersell the value of a great mentor as it's often the difference between success and failure.
ReplyDeleteYou have provided very insightful ideas for motivation. I definitely agree in comparing the payoffs to the cost. That way, one would realize what will be the outcome if you one thing for the other. Planning is important. Schedule what has to be done first.
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