MAWMonday Motivators 07/03/2016

by: Dr. Michael A. Wright In Blog, Coaching Diary

Summer-HD-Backgrounds-Free-DownloadJuly 4 weekend–the weekend that symbolizes the Spirit of Summer. This weekend is an unofficial high point and potentially a reminder of what really matters. Between family reunions, vacations, and just unbothered down time, all of the hustle and hard work throughout the year is focused for many on this season of relaxation and fun. No other holiday symbolizes this spirit like July 4. What if you made this four-day weekend, holiday, Summer vacation, family-centered retreat in time a daily approach to life?

This week, let’s discuss what the mindset would look like. Twitter, as always, provides some help. It begins with a perspective on the power of the mind.

1. Mindset Force
It is not only the mind that is a terrible thing to waste. It is also the opportunity that the mind provides. Your mind and the mindset expressed in your attitude is power. This power is yours to command. It works because you set the foundation of all your experiences through the power of your mind. Your perceptions, your explanations, your interpretations, your expectations, and your reflections have the power to become reality. Indeed, they are reality to you.

2. Affirmative Self-Belief
People are different. Some are confident, and others are not. This tweet supports confidence as a positive trait, but it also hints at something more. Often, the challenge for you is not simply the lack of confidence. The challenge is how your lack of confidence manifests itself. Many reduce, diminish, limit, or otherwise stifle their aspirations to ensure that they can meet their goal. A better use of your energy is to set your targets based on your resources and a plan. Figure out what is actually, mathematically possible. Calculate the costs. Now, you have an objective reminder at each moment of production. Your goal is mathematically possible. That math is the foundation of your self belief.

3. Abundant Contentment
Contentment is the foundation of a life well lived. Most people are comfortable with an understanding that contentment is a requirement. The why is instructive. True contentment works because it is resourceful. It calls you to look respectfully at what you have available to you. Not just the intangible love, faith, and joy, but the tangible resources like time, money, people, and information are respected as well. Respect of these resources leads to the development of new resources.

4. Relentless Positivity
A positive outlook can be transformative. Add to that a refusal of discouragement, and you have relentless positivity. Relentless positivity works because you only look for solutions. Even when negative situations are present, this version of positivity sees opportunity even within negative situations. It’s not just looking for a future of positive outcomes. It is remembering the positive experience of the past and expecting positives in the future. It looks for seeds even in the grounding of the tree or its fruit. Train yourself to identify the seeds that will grow into your triumph even and especially when discouragement is the temptation.

5. Trained Inner Voice
Your inner voice began when you were a child. It comes from the messages you heard from your parents and other trusted adults. The most successful people have informed, developed, and trained this voice with inputs from many supportive sources and experience. Consider going beyond the typical self-encouragement that responds with equitable force in response to self-questioning. Set an inner voice that’s more like a training montage. Think of the training sequence from your favorite “underdog” or “local boy makes good” movie. The music builds as the strength is gained. The images go from trying to owning. And, you emerge ready, equipped with an affirming inner voice, music, and imagery of success. You’re the best around!

Dr. Michael A. Wright received his Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work degree from the University of South Carolina - Columbia. Since 1997, Wright has led MAWMedia Group, LLC, a firm helping individuals and organizations tell stories and translate ideas into capital.