motivation

Motivation 101: What No One Tells You About Success

Really quick, do the following steps out loud:

  1. Spell the word “SPOT”, and

  2. What do you do at a green light?

Did you say “STOP” or “GO”?

Okay.

Now, try this next one:

  1. Spell the word “SILK”, and

  2. What do cows drink?

Did you say “MILK” or “WATER”?

You just experienced what psychologists call priming.

It means a stimulus (in this case a question) can force you to answer a certain way (like saying “STOP” or “MILK”).

Just think, if a question can prime your answer, then are there things that can cause you to succeed?

Or worse cause you to fail?

You should begin to wonder, are you priming yourself for success or failure?

The answer is yes.

“You can prime your success and you can prime your failure.”
— The Motivator

Let me share one example.

Before School Your Brain, Ramon didn't know he was priming himself for failure.

He used to have a whole bunch of unhealthy snacks in his home, even though his goal was to lose weight.

And even though he was motivated to accomplish his weight loss goal, his will power wasn't enough to keep him from eating all those yummy treats.

But once Ramon schooled his brain with School Your Brain, he learned how to prime himself for success.

What did he learn?

He learned that your environment can cause you to make bad decisions.

Remember earlier, when you answered “STOP” or “MILK”?

Well, those were “bad decisions” that were out of your control.

So to make “good decisions”, Ramon created a home environment that encourages healthier eating habits.

How'd he do it?

It's simple, and it'll make you wonder, “Why didn't I think of that?”

The solution:

He stopped buying snacks for his home because he knew his will power wasn't strong enough to stop him from eating them.

He used to walk into the kitchen and grab a cookie.

Now, since he eliminated that possibility, it's not a choice anymore.

Remember what I said about priming?

In this case, seeing a cookie causes you to eat.

Just imagine what you will be primed to do if there are only healthy snacks at home.

Keep in mind, Ramon loves eating cookies, just like anybody else.

So his new rule is to only buy a cookie when he is out of the house.

This way he can’t binge eat on cookies.

The rule also implies that Ramon does not buy any junk food for the house.

Because, of course, that will result in binge eating cookies.

You see, Ramon does not have any secret powers to keep his weight under control.

He just plans ahead.

And planning ahead is the difference between someone who is successful and someone who is not.

Keep in mind, Ramon's idea for eliminating unhealthy foods in the home is only one of many regarding priming your success.

There are lots more to come.

“Did you know that School Your Brain can help you prime your success?”

If you want more, don't forget to Like. Share. Comment & Subscribe.

P.S.

I'd like to hear how you prime your success. Share your strategy below, in the comments section.

Motivation 101: The Secret to On-Demand Motivation

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Ramon felt really hopeless because he couldn’t get out of bed.

He wanted to exercise and get in shape because he gained some weight and couldn’t fit his clothes anymore.

He was really self conscious.

He tried everything to get motivated:

  • reading inspiring quotes

  • watching motivational videos and

  • taking advice from anyone he could

But Ramon was stressed and overwhelmed because the motivational videos and quotes proved to be unreliable.

Ramon didn't like that he wasn't able to get motivated when he needed it most.

But then one day everything changed.

Ramon discovered a way to force himself out of bed, even though he wasn't motivated.

He called it The Pain and Gain Technique.

That means Ramon does not have to spend any more days looking for motivational videos or inspirational quotes.

He has the power to produce his own motivation at the snap of his fingers.

And guess what? Now you can too!

The Pain and Gain Technique

There are four steps to The Technique, and here is how it goes:

Step 1: Identify your goal.

  • You must figure out the goal you want to reach.

Step 2: Consider the Pains.

  • You must identify the bad things that can happen if you do not reach your goal. 

Step 3: Consider the Gains.

  • You must identify the benefits of accomplishing your goal.

Step 4: Get started!

  • Follow Nike’s slogan: Just do it!

The Pain and Gain Technique (Example)

Step 1: Identify your goal.

  • I want to lose weight.

Step 2: Consider the Pains.

  • I will not be able to play games with my daughter.

  • I will be ashamed of my body.

  • I will constantly say negative things about myself, such as “I am fat” or “I am ugly.”

  • I will eat unhealthy foods, i’ll be out of shape, and I will not live as long.

  • I can develop diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Step 3: Consider the Gains.

  • I can participate in physically demanding activities like kayaking and hiking.

  • I will fit my clothes better, and look better in them.

  • I will feel more confident if I am in shape.

  • I will have a healthy heart and live longer.

  • I will be able to play with my daughter whenever she demands it.

Step 4: Get started!

  • I will make an appointment with a nutritionist, so I can get a personalized meal plan that will help me reach my weight loss goal.

Don’t have time to read?

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I hope to see you on the other side.

The Motivator @ School Your Brain

Did you get a chance to try out The Pain and Gain Technique?

Let me know how it went. I love feedback!

Don't forget to Like. Share. Comment. & Subscribe.

How To Overcome Your Struggles And Achieve Your Goals

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I have one question for you: How does a baby go from crawling to walking?

The answer is through change.

If there is one thing that I want you to remember, it’s that change is a process.

Do me a favor and put one finger in your ear.

Really. Put one finger in your ear.

Now say out loud, “CHANGE IS A PROCESS!”

Note: I had you do that because I didn’t want that to go into one ear and out the other.

Now, back to the baby. For a baby to go from crawling to walking, they must go through change, which—don’t forget—is a process. Change takes time. It takes energy. It takes practice. Oh, and don’t forget the mistakes; there are a lot of those too. 

Imagine you have a baby that wants to learn to walk. How long would you give it? One day? One week? One month?

You are probably saying to yourself, “Umm... are you crazy! I’ll give them as long as it takes!”

Isn’t it funny that you would give a baby all the time in the world to learn to walk? Yet, when it comes to you and your goals, you suddenly have a timer in your hands.

For instance, say you want to lose weight. You are all excited and inspired after watching a motivational video and you say, “Damn it, this time I am going to lose weight! Just watch and see!” But 3 days later, your motivation is gone, you're tired, and you end up quitting. You feel absolutely hopeless. You say to yourself, “I’m a loser. I failed again.”

Even though you don’t want to give up, you do. What happened?

You see, there is a part of your brain that houses your thoughts. These thoughts get in the way of your goals.

You know, the little voice in your head that says, “Really. You think you can lose weight. C’mon, we’ve done this before. It’s not going to happen."

Babies don’t let their thoughts get in the way. They don’t care how long it takes to go from crawling to walking. Babies are focused on learning to walk. If you were a fly on the wall in the babies brain (I know that sounds weird, but humor me) you’d only see a picture of a baby walking.

That’s right. The baby has one thing on its mind: walking.

As for you, rather than focusing on how to lose weight, you focus on other things like, “Why you're not losing weight,” or “Why you keep eating pizza?”

That’s the problem. You're too skeptical!

It’s not about getting motivated and inspired. You can go to YouTube, watch an inspirational video, and feel like you could lift a million pounds. But that means nothing if you don’t have a game plan for yourself.

You need to learn how to master your thoughts. You need to master your mind.

Guess what? You need a strategy. You need a roadmap. YOU NEED A GAME PLAN.

Otherwise, your mind will develop its own plan. You know, the why-are-you-so-fat voice in your head that causes you to quit.

Do me a favor and put a finger in your ear again: YOU NEED A GAME PLAN.

You need to learn how to get over the change-is-a-process hurdle so that you can go from crawling to walking. You need to learn how to discipline yourself to take action; how to handle mistakes; how to embrace failure; and most importantly: HOW TO GET RESULTS!

Why? Because those are the things you will need when you're in between the stages of crawling and walking.

So, the next time you start to struggle, remember: change is a process. 

I hope I gave you enough to think about. 

I’m the Educator at School Your Brain and I would love it if you like this post, leave a comment, and email me at educator@schoolyourbrain.com with any questions or comments you may have. 

P.S.

Let me know what happens to you during the change process that stops you from achieving your goals. What are some things you say to yourself when you start to struggle? Also, what is one thing you wish you had to help you succeed?