The author is an Evangeliser of Human Spirit, a Performance Enhancement Coach and a Reputation Consultant. He can be reached at avis@ imagequity.in You have to make a beginning by choosing to motivate yourself. You will then find the universe conspiring to keep you inspired

I am often asked this question. Most people find motivation easy to come by but difficult to sustain. The pressures of daily life coupled with acts of unkindness or treachery leave all of us drained. To achieve and sustain that state of perpetual motivation leading to efficiency, performance and success, I share 31 nuggets of wisdom gleaned by me from experiences in my life. When I was a teenager, I used to write one such learning in my personal journal on a daily basis. You may keep them as your screen saver or just cut and paste one for each day of the month on your desktop calendar. At the end of one month, you are sure to find more such nuggets that you want to internalise. These 31 listed here do not pertain only to your work sphere. They are also in no particular order.
Motivation is an inside job. Nobody really can motivate you. You can only get inspired by another person.

Realise yourself and the purpose of your creation. Life then will become a meaningful journey .

Between what appears to be right and what IS right, choose the latter. Always. When disagreeing with your boss/superior/management, question logic. Never authority . And if you don’t have the courage to question logic, just shut up. Stop cribbing.

You are extra-ordinary with unique talents: This is true, whether you believe it or not.

Working hard is not an option. It is a necessity.

Integrity is non-negotiable. Non-discussable. When you have integrity of purpose, all else will follow. Be sure.

ow you think impacts your behavior; how you behave mpacts your reputation. Work on your thinking. Think straight.

How you want to be remembered is a question that you must ask yourself before you decide what you want to become.

You are just a speck in the larger cosmic design.

Stay humble.

Each day , before you sleep, thank in your mind all the people that have made the day memorable for you.

People who did good things to you and people who possibly let you down. Just thank them all uncondi tionally.

If you are not learning a new skill each week, stop working. Goal clarity is more important that role clarity . Don’t ever ask your boss/superior/department for a raise. Work in a manner in which you are given one. If you don’t get one, it only means you have still not done enough. Believe me, this is true in ALL contexts. Quality is not a department. It is a way of life. To be qualitative in your work, just STOP DOING lessthan-excellent stuff from this moment. Whenever you must voice your opinion, voice it. Don’t pretend to be dumb. The worst-case scenario, in almost all cases, never happens. Did you help anyone, just about anyone today? If not, you did not live today. You just existed like so many inanimate objects around you. If you pursue joy, money will follow you. When you pursue money, joy WILL NOT follow you. If you get fired, lose in business, break up in a relationship, thank your stars. It is the best thing to have happened to you. It is then an opportunity to restart and do better in the next innings. If what you wish for happens, it is always a great thing.

When what you wish for does not happen, it is a greater thing. Rejoice. The Master(’s) Plan for you has NO flaws. Whenever you see a problem, choose to be part of the solution. The best way to influence people around you is to speak the truth. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL on your career if you are not enjoying it. Reboot. Be audacious with your personal vision, your goals and with your performance. An opportunity of a lifetime must be utilised within the lifetime of the opportunity . Never procrastinate. Every single day, thank your parents and your teachers and/or your mentor/guru, for making you who you are today .

What I have outlined here is a simple process that works. You can create/invent your own. Remember: YOU have to make a beginning by choosing to motivate yourself. You will then find the Universe conspiring to keep you inspired. That’s always how ordinary people, like you and me, go out to do extra-ordinary work.