Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Motivation.
Introspect
Why can't I just learn the easy way? I always seem to gravitate towards the hard way of learning. Sometimes, I find myself in the same situation over and over, like a goldfish continuously hitting its head against the reflective tank wall... when will I learn? Will I ever learn, or am I doomed to a similar fate to our poor, clueless, little goldfish? You see, the difference between me and the goldfish is that I actually have a sharply functioning memory. I am typically, to some extent, aware of the consequences of my choices, and even more so for the choices I've made in the past that resulted in a negative outcome. Yet, I still choose to turn a blind eye to the negative outcome reaped from poor past choices, and put the pleasure gained from such choices up on a pedestal. I then develop tunnel vision, and run with full force straight into a very dangerous and/or painful situation. I tend to justify my poor choice with thoughts such as 'I will handle this situation in such a way where I will not get hurt this time' or 'Maybe something has changed and I will have a whole new experience.' I seem to be my own worst enemy in this aspect of self. It really all comes down to choice, and choosing to be consciously aware of the small, momentary and almost subconscious choices made. Choices like the fleet of tiny choices made in forming one's perception, how one views people, places, situations, and things. It seems to me that to take control of one's thoughts and perception would take awareness, commitment, determination, and patience. It seems to me that training oneself to do such a thing would be absolutely life transforming. I find the phrase, "It's all in your head" to be an accurate expressional phrase for something we all know to be life itself. Because everything you see, hear, feel, create, destroy, sense, find, win, lose, gain, trust, hate, fear, and basically experience, is all in your head. Perception is a beautiful and complex phenomenon, and one can never be too aware of the little flight of thoughts that form one's perception. Awareness is indeed half of a tumultuous journey to one's higher self. The other half is action. Self-examination, reading, writing, meditation, affirmations, soul seeking, searching, positive intention, and of course the determination to kick one's own ass into choosing to take the necessary action. It is far too easy to go on about such things for a few moments, but when the time comes to get down to business, Netflix and friends and drama OH MY! Distractions and money and bills oh no! To summarize, it's easier said than done. It's easy to be lazy. Even with a full-time job, and a million things going on, everyone has downtime. It is up to oneself to make time for self-improvement. Take ten minutes a day if that is all one has, and meditate. Set the intention for the day. One must ensure awareness of what one wants and values in life, and what must be done to get there. Meditation is important, as it is far too easy to get caught up in the fast flowing river of thoughts, or lost in the "Tulgey Woods" of the mind (watch the original cartoon version of Alice In Wonderland to understand this reference) and to just sit in complete mental silence can be so very beneficial for one's personal growth! To conclude, this self-help seeking piece of my mind: I know what I must do. I'm aware, and now I must take the necessary action to become the very best version of myself. I 100 percent know I am fully capable of doing this.
By Naomi Grace8 years ago in Motivation
Happiness
I have been thinking a lot lately about happiness and what it takes to be happy. I have always believed that happiness is a choice, that no matter your circumstances, we all have the ability to find happiness. I recognize that a lot of people either disagree with this, or choose to ignore it. I have absolutely gone through some hard times in my life, but in no way is what I have gone through any easier or any harder than other trials that other people have faced, and this is definitely not a paper about comparing trials.
By Hannah Bird8 years ago in Motivation
3 Reasons Why the Critics in Our Lives Never Succeed
There once was a boy who had a great difficulty in speaking and reading. He was dyslexic, and due to his mental illness, his teachers became some of his biggest critics. One even went so far as to tell the kid’s own father that, “No matter what he does, he will never amount to anything.”
By Eric Burdon8 years ago in Motivation
Pursuit of Happiness
Pursuit of happiness What does happiness mean to you? I think that is the question people are always trying to answer. Happiness to you could mean something different to someone else. People go their whole lives searching for what truly makes them happy. People are always chasing happiness and the gold at the end of the rainbow. Life isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but what if it was? Happiness is the state of being happy. Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or safe, or in love, they feel happiness. The “pursuit of happiness” is something this country is based on, and people tend to feel happiness in different ways and for different reasons. Happiness, true happiness, is an inner quality. It is a state of mind. If your mind is at peace, you are happy. Then you need to figure out what brings your mind peace to achieve happiness. Doing what you love or enjoy, traveling places you have always wanted to go, or being around people that make you happy all contribute to your happiness.
By Christina Garcia8 years ago in Motivation
G.R.O.W.T.H
I want to start this off by saying that I am by no means perfect, nor am I super successful. I am, however, very optimistic. Now yes, I've had my moments of doubt like everyone has, and I have dealt with depression that did leave me crippled mentally, but somehow I managed to bounce back numerous times in ways I thought impossible. In my opinion, the universe is a funny place. I'm no expert when it comes to galactic beams of energy that somehow manipulate our decisions—not to say that the existence of such energy is questionable—but let us pretend for the time being that it does exist. If it is true, then what we give out to the universe will be paid back to us in one form or another, correct? Sort of like how we view good and bad karma. Well, personally, GOOD karma would be great for me right now because I need a Christmas miracle haha. BUT, in all seriousness, I'm in a slump, maybe even like many of you are. My money is stretched thin, my bills aren't paid, eviction notices every month, and yet I make just under 60k yearly in income, which isn't even considered middle class anymore in my opinion. I'm 27 years old, a high school drop out with a criminal record. In all fairness I did all these things to myself. Fortunately, with the help of self reflection, we can be taught many things about how we totally F'd up and should have made better choices. Although it's too late to change those particular things now, it is, in fact, beneficial to try to unlearn past behaviours in order to succeed further in life, or like right now. Do it. Haha.
By Les Gervais8 years ago in Motivation
How Would You Live?
A friend of mine sent me a video earlier this week because he felt I needed to hear its message. The subject of the video was one I had never before heard, and I thought it a very clever way to address a universal issue that seems to plague many of us.
By Julia Thornton8 years ago in Motivation
The Small Things in Life
People say, learn to appreciate the small things in life. Seeing the beauty in the world around you, taking your time with preparing dinner, being friendly when greeting the bus driver or the mailman. Taking a moment to slow down and appreciate the minuscule comforts of life and luxuries, you didn't, for example, need to walk hours for a drink of water.
By Russel Bridges8 years ago in Motivation
Learning How To Be Positive
Back in grade school, I was bullied a lot, from how my teeth are big to how my hair doesn't look right. It was so hard to stay positive when being around so many people who kept pointing out my flaws and making fun of them. It was hard to love myself when everyone was telling me that nobody will ever love somebody like me. It was hard to keep friends when everyone was abandoning me because some stupid, childish rumor was being spread.
By Ren Ray8 years ago in Motivation
