To some, this may be splitting hairs but it FEELS very different to me and therefore it is a big deal. Motivation and inspiration have two similar connotations, however, they are derived from very different places. According to Webster’s dictionary, to motivate means to urge or push on. Its root is ‘motive’ which means casing motion: able or tending to move. On the other hand inspiration is derived from in-spired, to draw (air) into the lungs, to imbue with ideas; infuse into the mind, to convey as divine influence, to excite by an emotion or idea, to produce. This and the following reasoning will distinguish how vastly dissimilar these two similar words truly are, especially on a feeling level.
I discovered some time ago while personal fitness training that people do not respond to pure motivation, at least not for long. Many people hire me however, to ‘motivate’ them into exercising and eating in a healthy manner and to urge them on throughout their workouts when otherwise they would give up. In my experience ‘motivation’ fell short and never quite did the job I was looking for it to do. It then dawned on me that what people were really soliciting from me was ‘inspiration.’ The question then became, “What is inspiration on an individual level and how can I provide THAT?” That which causes us to feel inspired is unique to each of us, but what is common to all is that it feels as though we are being ‘carried’ forward versus being ‘pulled.’ Herein lies the wonder of inspiration. It carries us and supports us and it feels like wind beneath our wings. When we find what inspires us, it is magical and wondrous and we know that nothing can stand in the way of achieving our goal. Motivation will never have these qualities.
As I work with clients I strive to find their inspiration. The following are some examples that have worked exceptionally well. For someone who wants to have more physical energy, a motivating reason could be that they can accomplish all the many tasks they have to do in a day’s time without feeling exhausted in the process. But an inspiring reason to create more physical energy, however, might be thinking how enjoyable it would be to experience working each day in complete comfort, then finding plenty of energy left to play with the children in the late afternoon and enjoy intimacy with a spouse before slumber. Now that’s inspiring! A motivation to lose weight could be that your doctor has informed you that you are pre-diabetic and reminds you that your family history shows a propensity for diabetes. An inspiration for losing weight is, “I know as I safely reduce my weight I will feel so much better about myself. I am becoming the friend to me that I have always wanted to be. I will be able to fit into clothes I haven’t worn in years, and I will have stopped breaking promises to myself; I will no longer end up at the bottom of the list of people I care for. I feel empowered and important, as well I should. I am excited to be taking loving responsibility for my body and well-being. ” Oh Yeah! A motivation for beginning to exercise is, “I know I should exercise, it is good for me.” YUCK!!! An inspiration: “I always feel so good when I have finished exercising. I have more energy than before I trained, I feel good about taking care of myself and it is satisfying to know that I followed through with my self-care...I feel proud.”
Inspired thought that translates into inspired action will always feel wonderful, uplifting and rewarding. It is like a slow, deep, full breath of fresh air in that it feels satisfying, pleasurable and life giving. I suggest taking a look at how you frame your self-talk regarding topics you struggle with and if what you are feeling is dread or a sense of pulling yourself to adhere, search for inspiration around that topic instead. When you find one, you will immediately have greater accountability and much more success. Happy Fitness.
Archives
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Many of us have expectations that are presently unfulfilled. A trap we often fall into is putting time frames on those expectations, adding even more pressure, as well as amplifying our disappointment when the date comes and goes with no apparent manifestation. I believe in perfect right timing, also it is not my job to figure out ‘how and when’ everything is to come into being. That is the work of the Universe, of Source or God. In my experience, when I get caught up in doing Source’s work I grow increasingly miserable. There is good reason for that...I have no power there, nor do I have any business there. Focusing on those things that I do have control over is the key to allowing perfect right timing and manifestation.
It is infinitely helpful to remind ourselves that as genius humans, our power and all we have control over lies in 1.) the present moment and 2.) our ability to focus our thoughts and feelings. That is really the crux of it, but we think we have to predict the future and know how everything is going to fall into place. We think we have to manipulate and manage it all. But we absolutely do not have to, and frankly, cannot. Attempting to do so will make us crazy. There are powerful energies at work in and around us. The energies that create Universes are real, and it is important to stay out of the way. I find myself ‘trying’ way too much and I believe this creates a tremendous block in the flow of Universal energy whose job is to orchestrate and bring our desires into manifest reality. There is a huge difference between inspired action and action driven by fear and desperation...huge! My conditioning and programming taught me that ‘I’ had to not only think up my dreams, but it was also my responsibility to push all the necessary pieces into place. I got into the habit and belief that EVERYTHING was up to me. I now practice lining up my vibration or energy before attempting to ‘do’ anything.
Meditation has become one of my most valuable tools. As I meditate each morning, I call on Source, all my guides, ancestors and wisdom teachers, and then I sit in silence allowing ‘inspired’ action to come forth; this serves me 1000 times more. In the past I would expend great amounts of energy doing busywork, running in circles and trying to guess what I needed to be doing in order to make my dreams come into fruition. Never did I accomplish then as much as I do now, not even close. In fact, much of what I did prevented or delayed my manifestations. Trust is the real key here. I have had to learn to trust that the Universe has my needs under control and as I am needed to do my part, I am informed and I feel the impulse.
Law of Attraction is an incredible Universal Manager and available to us all constantly. As we line up our energies and choose to vibrate in alignment with Source, with our hearts’ desires, with love and appreciation, all unfolds miraculously. I started with small desires like green lights or parking spaces when in a hurry. As I gained confidence in Law to be my Universal Manager, I began to work on larger manifestations. It is equally important to bear in mind the relevance of ‘perfect timing’. I tend to want things NOW, but that is not always the best timing. Relax into the flow of life and begin to trust that everything is happening for your highest good, and will take place at the perfect right time as well. This makes for a joyous life, one steeped in peace and ease versus stress and worry. Life is supposed to be a fun-filled adventure, not a chore to constantly fret over. You will find your enjoyment factor rising as your stress factor diminishes, and what a relief that is. Disappointments are usually of our own making and can be avoided by moving into trust in your Source, as well as a belief that all happens at exactly the right time. Blessings on your path.
It is infinitely helpful to remind ourselves that as genius humans, our power and all we have control over lies in 1.) the present moment and 2.) our ability to focus our thoughts and feelings. That is really the crux of it, but we think we have to predict the future and know how everything is going to fall into place. We think we have to manipulate and manage it all. But we absolutely do not have to, and frankly, cannot. Attempting to do so will make us crazy. There are powerful energies at work in and around us. The energies that create Universes are real, and it is important to stay out of the way. I find myself ‘trying’ way too much and I believe this creates a tremendous block in the flow of Universal energy whose job is to orchestrate and bring our desires into manifest reality. There is a huge difference between inspired action and action driven by fear and desperation...huge! My conditioning and programming taught me that ‘I’ had to not only think up my dreams, but it was also my responsibility to push all the necessary pieces into place. I got into the habit and belief that EVERYTHING was up to me. I now practice lining up my vibration or energy before attempting to ‘do’ anything.
Meditation has become one of my most valuable tools. As I meditate each morning, I call on Source, all my guides, ancestors and wisdom teachers, and then I sit in silence allowing ‘inspired’ action to come forth; this serves me 1000 times more. In the past I would expend great amounts of energy doing busywork, running in circles and trying to guess what I needed to be doing in order to make my dreams come into fruition. Never did I accomplish then as much as I do now, not even close. In fact, much of what I did prevented or delayed my manifestations. Trust is the real key here. I have had to learn to trust that the Universe has my needs under control and as I am needed to do my part, I am informed and I feel the impulse.
Law of Attraction is an incredible Universal Manager and available to us all constantly. As we line up our energies and choose to vibrate in alignment with Source, with our hearts’ desires, with love and appreciation, all unfolds miraculously. I started with small desires like green lights or parking spaces when in a hurry. As I gained confidence in Law to be my Universal Manager, I began to work on larger manifestations. It is equally important to bear in mind the relevance of ‘perfect timing’. I tend to want things NOW, but that is not always the best timing. Relax into the flow of life and begin to trust that everything is happening for your highest good, and will take place at the perfect right time as well. This makes for a joyous life, one steeped in peace and ease versus stress and worry. Life is supposed to be a fun-filled adventure, not a chore to constantly fret over. You will find your enjoyment factor rising as your stress factor diminishes, and what a relief that is. Disappointments are usually of our own making and can be avoided by moving into trust in your Source, as well as a belief that all happens at exactly the right time. Blessings on your path.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
It is so exciting and comforting to hear that our medical industry is implementing exercise more and more as a prescribed form of treatment. In the January 2010 “Prevention” magazine they featured some breakthroughs that the medical professionals are now beginning to use. It comes as no surprise to me that physical activity is now one of the more significant protocols being suggested for cancer patients. "Oncologists who once thought cancer patients should take it easy are beginning to prescribe exercise as a form of medicine", says exercise physiologist Richard Cotton, ACSM’s (American College of Sports Medicine) national director of certification. The recurrence rate was drastically lowered and survival rates greatly increased in women with cancer who exercised regularly. Activity such as brisk walking 3 hours a week reduced breast and colon cancer deaths by 50%. At last, physical activity is taking a front seat as a viable weapon in fighting disease before and after diagnoses.
A healing technique created by Gary Craig, the founder of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) recently came to my attention. As I am just beginning to research this amazing protocol, I am not yet able to provide you with all the facts however, what I have found thus far is nothing short of miraculous. I encourage you to visit a web site with the address, www.tryitoneverything.com and look into it for yourself. I was given a DVD, which you can download free from this web site. As I watched this technique I was overwhelmed with hope and encouragement. I have always believed that we are much more powerful beings than we previously thought. EFT puts the technique and protocol for self-healing, literally, into your hands. Some have called this "Tapping" because that is exactly what you are instructed to do, on specific areas of the body. Tapping creates an electromagnetic charge that then flows through the body via energetic pathways that lie within us all. As this charge travels throughout the body it breaks up blockages that prevent our natural energetic flow and that limit our health in small and large ways. In Eastern medicine they have utilized these pathways for healing for thousands of years by using acupuncture and acupressure. EFT works in a similar way. The second equally important piece to be used in conjunction with the tapping is to verbalize one’s feelings, either positive or negative followed by, "and I accept myself completely." As simplistic as this may sound, the results achieved by thousands of people using EFT speak for themselves. Ailments such as fibromyalgia, insomnia, post-traumatic stress syndrome, severe arthritis and much more have seen tremendous improvement. Not only has this been effective for reducing the symptoms, it has, in many cases, completely left these people’s bodies disease-free.
As we head toward a new year we are quickly moving into a new era of medicine and technology. We are finding more holistic approaches and avenues by which to heal ourselves. Something that is clearly a main factor is paramount: our personal involvement and the decision to take responsibility for our health. Our medical professionals are certainly a blessing and we will always need them, but so much is within our own power to improve and heal through pursuing healthy lifestyles and a willingness to feel our way into wellness. The era of the victim is coming to an end and we are moving into becoming the empowered beings we truly are. Begin 2010 with a newfound resolve to exercise regularly, make healthy food choices and choose to think as positively as you can. Self empowered, positive-thinking people live longer and that is a fact. Happy fitness.
A healing technique created by Gary Craig, the founder of EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) recently came to my attention. As I am just beginning to research this amazing protocol, I am not yet able to provide you with all the facts however, what I have found thus far is nothing short of miraculous. I encourage you to visit a web site with the address, www.tryitoneverything.com and look into it for yourself. I was given a DVD, which you can download free from this web site. As I watched this technique I was overwhelmed with hope and encouragement. I have always believed that we are much more powerful beings than we previously thought. EFT puts the technique and protocol for self-healing, literally, into your hands. Some have called this "Tapping" because that is exactly what you are instructed to do, on specific areas of the body. Tapping creates an electromagnetic charge that then flows through the body via energetic pathways that lie within us all. As this charge travels throughout the body it breaks up blockages that prevent our natural energetic flow and that limit our health in small and large ways. In Eastern medicine they have utilized these pathways for healing for thousands of years by using acupuncture and acupressure. EFT works in a similar way. The second equally important piece to be used in conjunction with the tapping is to verbalize one’s feelings, either positive or negative followed by, "and I accept myself completely." As simplistic as this may sound, the results achieved by thousands of people using EFT speak for themselves. Ailments such as fibromyalgia, insomnia, post-traumatic stress syndrome, severe arthritis and much more have seen tremendous improvement. Not only has this been effective for reducing the symptoms, it has, in many cases, completely left these people’s bodies disease-free.
As we head toward a new year we are quickly moving into a new era of medicine and technology. We are finding more holistic approaches and avenues by which to heal ourselves. Something that is clearly a main factor is paramount: our personal involvement and the decision to take responsibility for our health. Our medical professionals are certainly a blessing and we will always need them, but so much is within our own power to improve and heal through pursuing healthy lifestyles and a willingness to feel our way into wellness. The era of the victim is coming to an end and we are moving into becoming the empowered beings we truly are. Begin 2010 with a newfound resolve to exercise regularly, make healthy food choices and choose to think as positively as you can. Self empowered, positive-thinking people live longer and that is a fact. Happy fitness.
