#MotivationMonday
Weather is such a great metaphor for the rainy, cold, warm, thunderstorm, sunny, mix that are the emotions. But, alas! No matter the weather, your productivity always boils down to choice. And, so does mine. You may call it motivation. Some lament it as procrastination. But, the truth is as simple as choice. It is a matter of activating your will to do something even when other parts of your being are not convinced. It is a choice to do it anyway. Rain or shine, snow or sleet, cool temperatures or heat waves.
This week, I thought it appropriate to remind you of the elements of your choices: decision making, optimism, expectancy, options, and control. My hope is that you take heart, activate your will, and create your own sunshine.
1. Decision Making
The hardest thing to do, especially in the light of 20/20 hindsight, is to refuse the regret of second-guessing yourself. Decision making is most sustainable when informed by complete and competing data. You make the choice, and you have to live with it. It may mean that you lost, but I’m still excited that you made your choice. You now have another choice. You get to decide what the lesson is from this experience. It will be different for some compared to others. But, never allow regret to rob you of the choice to learn.
Regrets are for the weak hearted. Don't regret what you once thought was the right decision at that time.
— Bella (@hottentotsgot) April 2, 2016
2. Optimism
This tweet takes me deep. Perhaps our every experience is similar to that of the house fly. It seems random and un-ordered, but specific mechanisms exist nonetheless. A search for light. A perception of wind and movement. A instantaneous reaction when threatened without even thinking. Yet, the question of purpose is simply a matter of perception. Are we attempting to get out, or are we drones looking for a source of sustenance? My hope for you is that you will do the perceiving. Determine your purpose, and fly toward the light.
An optimist is a fellow who believes a housefly is looking for a way to get out.
— Lavana Yoken (@LavanaYoken) April 2, 2016
3. Expectancy
Beyond optimism is a recognition of the cycles of life. Birth, regeneration, Spring will always follow their opposites. But, the revelation is to realize that they are not opposites, but the completion of a cycle. The Yin and the Yang that makes life complete. If you have never known sadness, you would not appreciate joy. If you never experienced disappointment, your experience of satisfaction would be less visceral. You don’t need one to know and experience the other, but you do need an awareness of the cycle in order to know the depth and levels of the other. No matter where you are in the cycle, understand that the cycle continues.
There was never a night or a problem that could defeat sunrise or hope.
— Mash (@mashafications) April 2, 2016
4. Options
Which is it? Indeed. I am often disappointed that someone would offer an explanation rather than an expression of their decision making process. I’m actually less interested in the influences on your decision. I am keen on the process–how you used the influences in the context of who you are as a person. That’s the real challenge for us as humans. We have the task of explaining ourselves in the context of some conception of the ideal outside ourselves. That’s what we have been led to believe. Truth is, the options extend from each individual. That’s the result of being unique. We each have the option to present a unique contribution to the world authentically. So, which is it Ideal or Authentic?
You're either going to have an excuse or you're going to have a reason. Which is it? #work #love #life pic.twitter.com/uG8x30CZEy
— Jessica Lauren Vine (@JessicaLVine) April 2, 2016
5. Control
Controlling. A dirty word to throw at someone. But, I’m in the business of reclamation. Controlling does not have to be wrong or right. This tweet talks about what you can control. You can always control the investment you make into the outcome. What happens after that is a function of many variables, and I’m convinced LUCK is chief among them. The lot is cast, and the outcome is made manifest. But, never despair. Be a careful steward of what you seed. With fertile soil, sunlight, rain, and apple seed, I expect that you will reap apples from your own apple tree sooner rather than later.
I can only control the effort, not the result. #10X
— Adam Webster (@adamweby) April 1, 2016
