A Darker Subject

My recent posts have been mainly centered around motivation and inspiration. As I stated before, I have been looking into the how and why of motivation, etc. Something that occurred to me while doing this is that it might be prudent to take a look at what keeps us from truly achieving or getting what we want from life. It made me think a little more about my own upbringing and made me realize what beliefs I had that were held over from childhood. What have we "learned" that makes us the way we are? And how do these lessons impact us?

What I have come to realize is that in my upbringing I was "taught" not to trust anyone. And that has caused me to not make connections with other people. I think this has been a contributing factor with some of the unhappiness in my life.

Part of this realization, however, came from visiting and reviewing other blogs. I noticed that what set mine apart was almost a total lack of personal depth. I mean--who am I, right? I know I wanted to be anonymous, but not so much as to alienate people from reading this blog or maybe connecting with me in some way. Or maybe that was my (unconscious) way of continuing to keep people at arm's length.

Suffice it to say that all of this talk about inspiration and motivation has (finally) caused me to dig a little deeper into something I had never fully realized before. I am still trying to find my voice here, so I hope everyone can forgive the see-saw back and forth. But I guess in order to find my voice, I will need to start from the beginning--my beginning.

I guess, in conclusion, what I have come to realize is that I have unveiled my first goal--to make myself more accessible to people. And I guess right here is a good place to start. In the spirit of my new-found self-realization I will be posting some background about, well, me.  It will be my first step into opening myself up and allowing others to know about me. My hope is that some of you will help guide me, show me the way and give me some pointers of where I can improve.

Let's Talk Motivation!

I am still fighting my cold and still not feeling so good. Even so, I have decided I really need to develop a brighter outlook on life. I don't think of myself as a necessarily negative person (although I readily admit I have my moments!!), but I also know that my frustration with certain elements of my life (ie: work) are taking its toll.

So during my recovery (read: laying on the sofa with the comfy blanket, cup of tea and my laptop) I have been researching tips on motivation and inspiration. There is so much information out there, too--from Anthony Robbins to "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. There is certainly no shortage of information out there, to say the least.

Ok, so I will admit that I have read "The Secret" (ok, to even further confess, I own a copy) and I have listened to Anthony Robbins. There is no doubt that either can leave one feeling inspired, motivated. My problem (and I suspect many other people experience this, too) is how do you stay motivated?

From what I have gleaned so far in my "research" here are a few tips that are supposed to help one to stay motivated:

• Be specific in your goal. "I want to lose ten pounds and have toned arms and thighs" is a lot better than "I want to lose weight" or " I want to get into shape"
• Know the answer to: Why? Why do you want to accomplish your goal? To fit into your "skinny" jeans again? To reduce your risk of heart disease? Being able to remember "Why" you are doing something will help you push the plate away or get through that extra set of sit-ups. Several authors  have suggested making a list of reasons to keep you going, which I think it a great idea!
• Celebrate! Reward yourself frequently for making progress, not just for the big milestones. Just make sure your rewards aren't counter-productive (indulging in a hot fudge sundae is not the best reward for the 45 minute work-out you just had). Studies suggest that if you make the process less miserable and more fun, the more likely you are to stick to it...and succeed.
• Make it fun! This sounds a little like the last suggestion, but I think it bears repeating. Very few people have the resolve to stick to something that is awful and sucks (and those people wouldn't need a list like this anyway!) Studies overwhelmingly suggest that the more fun you make something, the more likely you are to succeed. So make a list of ways exercise can be fun (work-out with a friend? Maybe hike in a gorgeous park instead of trudging along on the boring treadmill? Have a pot-luck at work featuring lo-cal recipes?)

I know that my suggestions have examples that are geared toward weight-loss or exercise, but really these principles can be applied to any goal one wishes to accomplish.

Anyway, I figured I would share some of my insight here. I am sure this is nothing new to most people, but I felt compelled to share it anyway. It is a good lead-in to my next poll anyway! :)

Speaking of Inspiration

So now I have to come clean about something, on this my second-ever posting. I have to admit what finally motivated me to start this blog.

Let me start by telling you that I have been planning since October of last year (2009) to start blogging in some form. I even bought a few books on the subject. In recent years I have developed an aspiration to be a writer. I became intrigued by the idea several years ago while taking a writing class at my community college (a requirement for a degree I was working on at the time). My instructor felt I had at least a modicum of talent for it and encourged me to switch my focus of study to journalism. I did not give the idea much thought at the time, but in more recent years the idea has resurfaced and has taken root in my heart.

The problem, however, was where to start? What was I going to write? A novel? Magazine or newspaper articles? I was clueless. So started the research, which led to the idea of blogging, which led to...well, you get the idea.

So why has it taken so long for me to finally do something with the idea? I guess it would be that age-old enemy of productivity and success: procrastination.

But I digress. I started this post with stating that I had something of a confession to make. What finally prompted me to start this blog? I watched "Julie & Julia"  last week.

Yes, I know that this movie has inspired so many others to do the same, so why am I any different or special, right? I don't think for a second that I am. No, I do not expect a movie to be made about me. Nor do I expect any book deals or interviews or anything spectacular to happen as a result of this blog.  All I expect is that I will finally get moving. In some direction. Which is better than not moving at all.

P.S. I would like to extend my apologies now if this post seems out of focus or choppy. It is 2am and my mind is not as clear as it should be!

Here is the Beginning

Ok, so here it is. The blog I told myself I would do...some day. Well, today is that day. Never mind that I have no plan for content. I do not have any specific ideas for what I am going to do with this. For now, I have decided, it is for the best. If I wait until I have a "plan" this blog (or any other for that matter) will never happen. So, I will let nature take its course, so to speak. For now, I will just take it one day at a time and see where inspiration leads me.

I will start this whole thing off by pointing out the obvious: I am doing this completely anonymously. My reasons for doing so is that I believe it allows me a certain freedom. I can write uninhibited and therefore without worry of what people I know may think of me or what I have to say. I think it could allow people to identify with me more, too. Maybe, just maybe.

Of course, that would mean people would actually have to be reading this....