Five Ways to Stay Motivated During Your Diet

You have been on diets before. You probably have lost weight. But sometimes, it's tough to stay focused and on track. What's been missing from your efforts? It is possible to lose weight in a consistent way and keep the pounds off.

Perhaps in addition to a solid diet plan, there are some other aspects you have overlooked. It's important in any of your efforts to have motivation and drive to achieve your goals. Dieting is no different and with a few changes around your excitement for the task, you can get to your target weight.

1. Make it fun

Tired of the same foods on your regimen? Do the meals seem boring and repetitive? Try a new recipe that makes sense with your plan. Spices and herbs don't interfere with most diet plans and can add a lot of flavor to the same ingredients. If you are cooking just for yourself, don't settle. Make Tuesday a special occasion. You're going to be eating for the rest of your life. Make it enjoyable.

2. Have a goal

It's easy to get lost without a map. You can get easily sidetracked if you have vague weight loss goals. If you tell yourself, "I'm going to lose a few pounds before that event," you can fall off your plan as quick as a trip to the coffee shop bakery. Don't settle for losing 10 or 20 pounds if your target weight is 40 or 50 pounds away. If you lost the first few pounds, you can get to your goal by continuing what you've been doing.

3. Get help

You can also get lost if you refuse to stop and ask directions. Most tasks are easier if we recruit help. This can be family, friends, or coworkers. Help does not mean everyone in your life will eat the same as you. But asking for support on difficult days is important. Letting the people in your life know what you are doing will give you that extra push when you need it. Getting help can also take the form of enjoying people ask, "Have you lost weight?"

4. Ruin your wardrobe

Part of the excitement of losing weight is finding your clothes get loose-or, finding that last year's jeans actually fit now. One way to reinforce your efforts is to set aside some funds for every pound you lose. Put away $5, $10, or whatever amount feels right and when you hit that goal, go shopping and replace your ill fitting old clothes.

5. Enjoy the extra energy

As you lose weight, you'll feel better and likely have more energy. Do something you've been putting off. Or, take the energy and become more active as you had been in the past. The increased energy as you lose weight lets you do more and increasing your activity level only moves you closer to your weight loss goals.

Take what you know about your body and turn it into a plan that works for you. Sometimes, it takes a complete direction change to get to your goals. Other times, some fine tuning can turn a good plan into a success.

Anthony J. Burlay, M.D. is a Board Certified Psychiatrist and Author of The Foundation Diet: Your Body Was Designed to Eat, a plan he created after losing and keeping off 50 pounds. Learn more at [http://www.FoundationDiet.com]

 

Motivation the Key or the Curse?

"Life would be perfect if only I was thin." That one thought passes through the minds of millions everyday when they think of weight loss. The really sad part about it is that they truly believe that it is the truth. On television, in magazines, everywhere we look the message is clear that only thin people can have happy lives.

This is not to say that weight loss in general is a bad thing, that is not the point I am trying to make at all. It is the motivation behind the decision to lose weight that can be as important as the plan you decide to follow. The motivation for weight loss can be the determining factor as to whether or not you can successfully lose the weight and more importantly whether you can keep it off.

For example you have made a firm decision to lose weight and you have committed yourself to stick with the plan you have chosen. It takes a lot of hard work and determination but at last you have achieved your goal weight. So now all you have to do is sit back and wait for your fairy tale life to begin. The perfect mate, the perfect job, the social life...your dreams come true because now you are no longer overweight! It will all be worth the work...you just have to wait now. So you wait and you wait but the fairy tale never comes. Only the outside has changed, you are still you on the inside. This realization can have devastating results on may people. Not only is the incentive to keep the weight off gone but often people can end up surpassing their original weight. Depression usually sets in and sadly sometimes-even suicide.

Society needs to realize that weight loss is not about popularity. It is about eating well and exercising which in turn makes you feel better overall so of course you feel better about yourself. The extra energy gives a boost to your life and yes you may see an improvement in your social life but that is all because of how you feel not how you look. You are the one in control of whether or not you are happy and nothing outside of your mind and heart can interfere with that unless you chose to let it. Skinny people are unhappy too.

Weight loss should be all about health not fairy tales. Happiness comes in all shapes and sizes.

Cass Hope is a registered massage therapist who has studied and counseled in nutrition. Cass regularly contributes to online and offline publications dealing with weight loss and nutrition. She is currently sponsoring this site: [http://www.naturalsuccess.info]

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The First Day

The first day was fantastic!

The first day was absolutely the best!

I can remember just how I felt on the first day. I had a hopefulness about the future on the first day and I felt as if the possibilities were endless. I was totally in the moment, problems and negativity from the past seemed unimportant and distant.

On the first day the air smelled fresher and the huge smile on my face was never more genuine than it was right then. I knew that this is what they refer to as "Being in the Zone"!

I spoke with people and responded to events with resourcefulness and good humor. Nothing could set me back or ruin my mood because it was the first day!

As I think about it, I'm wishing that I could bottle the feelings I had on the first day, keeping them close at hand. It would be like the most intense energy drink ever produced. If I was having a down day and it was showing on my face, a friend would say "Why don't you pop open one of those bottles of First Day you have over there? I'm sure it would pick you right up". "You're right" I'd say as I grabbed one and drank it all the way down. It would feel cool in my throat but by the time it hit my stomach there would be a pleasant burn.

Sure enough, all of those terrific, empowering and positive feelings would be alive in me once more. I'd stand taller, be more effective and inspired by the magic in that bottle of "First Day". I would be unstoppable.

Yes, the first day was all of this to me and much more. I've described how the first day made me feel and how I'd love to be able to store those feelings to use when I need a boost, but just what exactly was the first day? I'll tell you, and I'll explain why the feelings are so fresh in my memory.

You see, the first day was yesterday. The first day is also today. The first day will be tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that too. The first day isn't an event, and it's not a date you can write on any calendar either. The first day is an attitude. The first day is a gift.

You have the ability and I'd say the privilege to see every day as the first day. It's not a joke and it's not a lie, it's truly the reality of your life. But perception is reality, and that means it's totally your choice if you see today as your first day of success and greatness or your first day of decline. Whichever you decide upon, you're right, that's what it is.

As for me, I choose happiness and success. I actually invested in this product and I have a lifetime supply of "First Day" in the fridge. I enjoyed a cool, refreshing bottle just this morning, what a great way to start the day!

If you need some and aren't sure where to look, just ask, First Day is even better when you share.

Rob Scalfaro is responsible for this article! If you enjoyed reading it, please visit & subscribe to http://Scalfaro.me for additional resources, articles and more information on Rob Scalfaro

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How to Awake the Motivational Giant Within

If you have ever spoken to someone who is successful in the world of sales, then you already know that they simply carry themselves with a different attitude than those who are still struggling to find their place in the market. A confident salesperson is someone who thinks before they acts, but who does not hesitate to make the right move. If you have the right motivation, you can become someone with a similar level of confidence. By unlocking your own motivational potential, you may be able to move up to a level that you have always wanted to reach.

Fake It Until You Make It

Observing people who are successful at what you want to do, and then following some of their methods may help you to better understand how you can become successful yourself. Copying their every move is a mistake, however; you should realize that the sales methods that many people find to be the most successful are also some of the most personal to them. Their style of client contacting, for example, could be better suited for someone who is comfortable with several personal meetings. Find the parts of winning strategies that work for you, and learn to incorporate them appropriately.

Trust Your Instincts

Never second guess yourself. A motivated man will always know when he is on the right track. He may not always know where that track leads to, and he may not know where it could take his sales, but it will always be by a combination of intuition and experience that he will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities in front of him. Keep learning and progressing in your own sales, and you will come to learn that there are times to act, and then there are times to observe. Knowing the difference between the two is key to maintaining proper motivation.

Never Get Too Comfortable

Not everyone is born to be a very motivated person. In fact, most of us are born to want to rest on our laurels without moving on. Once you have found a comfortable "groove" in sales, you will always be tempted to settle into it and ride the wave until you are forced to stop. You should always be on the lookout for this sort of comfort, however, because it can creep up on you and really stall your progress as a salesperson.

Doug Dvorak is the CEO of DMG Inc., a worldwide organization that assists clients with productivity training, corporate humor and workshops, as well as other aspects of sales and marketing management. Mr. Dvorak's clients are characterized as Fortune 1000 companies, small to medium businesses, civic organizations and service businesses. Mr. Dvorak has earned an international reputation for his powerful educational methods and motivational techniques, as well as his experience in all levels of business, corporate education and success training. http://www.dougdvorak.com

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Motivation and Inspiration - The Driving Forces Behind Your Success

Motivation and inspiration play an integral role in the achievement of both personal and organizational goals. Motivation can be described as the factors both internal and external that work together to keep a person interested in carrying out a certain task or achieving a certain goal. Motivation basically boils down to three factors namely the intensity of the need to achieve the goal, the reward for achieving the goal and the expectations from the individual and his peers.

There has been a lot of research conducted on the impact of motivation and inspiration on an individual's progress and performance. The findings from most of the research that has been conducted is that both motivation and inspiration are part of the integral recipe for success. One of the recurrent themes in any motivational or inspirational talk is self-motivation.

Self-motivation is a sought of guide of how you are going to live your life in order to achieve the goals that you have set for yourself. Without these goals, you would just glide through life without fully realizing your full potential and achieving great things. The driving forces behind your self-motivation are your dreams, ideals and your beliefs.

Motivation and inspiration drive you to identifying credible goals and targets. You also develop ways in which to achieve these goals and a time plan is also designed in respect to the achievement of the goals. You now have a destination to reach and you will begin to notice some changes in your behavior and mindset as you adjust yourself to following the plan you have set for yourself.

Motivation and inspiration are also important because they add excitement as well as enthusiasm to your daily activities. Once you are motivated and inspired to achieve a certain goal, activities involved in meeting your targets are no longer going to be mundane. This is because you are pumped up to do them in order to achieve your desired objective. Somehow through inspiration and motivation life becomes more interesting and in a sense more rewarding each time you achieve a goal.

Motivation and inspiration will also come in handy when you are faced by great obstacles along your way. If you are motivated enough and inspired enough you can be able to withstand any force that is trying to drag you down and deter you from realizing your goals. Your willpower to survive through whatever setbacks come along your way is heightened when you are motivated and inspired. Whatever life throws your way you are more than willing to face it and overcome it.

Another core consequence of being both motivated and inspired is the fact that you broaden your horizon when it comes to methods and techniques you shall use in achieving your goals. You see challenges as opportunities to better yourself and in the process you end up coming up with new ways of solving problems. You also seek out more adventures in your path to fulfilling your dreams. Inspiration and motivation will be the driving forces for you to successfully utilise these new opportunities.

If you are in need of motivational art posters, might as well check out Images And Prints today!

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Staff Motivation: A 5 Step System To Ensure Success

Summary

Staff motivation: is there anything left to be said? Has any employee management issue been analyzed so much? All the analysis and examination is misleading. Only 5 steps are involved.

1. Sort Out Your Marketing

There are two absolute essentials for good marketing: a clear, specific business focus and a narrow specific target market. These two factors must be in place. They are the foundations that support the whole business, including employee performance.

Both you and your employees must know exactly what your business exists to achieve and who your ideal customer is. You cannot expect staff to give you what you want if you are not clear on exactly what it is you're in business to do and who with.

2. Exact Performance Expectations

Your staff need to know exactly what you expect of them in clear, unambiguous, measurable performance terms.

Don't bother with generalities about "attitude", "application" and "co-operation". If you want 13 widgets a day at the cost of 9.4 cents a widget you must tell the employees. If you don't know and say exactly what you want, you won't get. Be careful that you don't assume employees know what you expect merely because you do.

3. Exact Method Of Measurement

Tell employees precisely the performance you expect. Then tell them exactly how you'll measure that performance. How will the widgets be counted? How will the production costs be assessed? Must each operator produce 13 widgets or will be the total number be acceptable? Employees must know this.

4. Put Effective Performance Systems In Place

It's an old saying but true: "If your systems are poor, your people will fail." Another is "Put systems in place that make it impossible for employees to fail." I myself have said and written this hundreds of times. Finally, keep in mind that "a poor system will beat a good performance almost every time".

You can have the keenest, most enthusiastic, most skilled and hardest working employees on the planet. Poor systems will stop them dead in their tracks faster than anything else.

5. Establish Measurable Performance Standards

You've probably always been told that performance goals are very important. They are. But performance standards are more important than goals. Performance standards tell you precisely whether the goals have been achieved. And they measure progress towards goals too. No performance standards; no goal achievement. And you can't measure staff performance effectively without clear performance standards.

No "Motivation"

Notice that this 5 step method for staff motivation doesn't mention "motivation". That's because motivation is a consequence. When you make this 5 step System work for you, the consequence will be highly motivated employees. That's why much of the literature about "motivation" is misplaced and misleading.

Two Crucial Realities

The basic human unit in the workplace is the team not the individual. We recruit individuals it's true. But we expect them to be successful and effective in teams. We construct the workplace with teams. That's the first reality. Here's the second.

Employees do not need to "get on well" in order to work effectively together. Don't spend time trying to improve interpersonal relations. Good interpersonal relations are a "consequence of" successful team performance not a "prerequisite for" them.

"Pep" Talks, Counselling And All That

These activities may have some short term value. But they're no substitute for performance standards and performance systems. Put your time into designing success and achievement for employees to aspire to.

Remember The Business

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that employees are part of the resource you use to run a successful business. The manager's job is to use all resources as well as possible. As famous performance expert Geary Rummler says, "An organization is only as effective as its processes". Concentrate on getting the processes right. Let me repeat: if your systems are poor, your people will fail.

Conclusion

Keeping staff enthusiastic and committed isn't child's play. But it's not rocket science either. Some gurus would like you to think that it is. You're not responsible for the total emotional wellbeing of employees. Ricardo Semler, CEO of Semco sums it up this way: "My job is to motivate them so that they go home each day proud of their work". Notice that he accepts that responsibility

Leon Noone helps managers in small-medium business to improve on-job staff performance without training courses. His ideas are quite unconventional. Read his free Special Report "49 Practical Tips for Removing Employee Apathy, Aggravation And Resistance In Your Business". Simply visit http://staffperformancesecrets.com/ and download your free copy now.

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