How to Motivate Yourself in Difficult Times | 7 Simple Ways of Self Motivation

Life compels us to go through tough times, the days when we doubt ourselves and we want to give up! However, we must continue our journey courageously and confidently. Moments of anguish should not distract us from our goals and desires. We must be willing to get up and get going.

Motivation is the fire that ignites our spirit. I am going to give you some easy steps to refuel your mind during difficult times by motivating yourself.

The 7 Simple ways of motivating yourself are:

1. HAVE A MORNING RITUAL - The easiest way to stay motivated even in hard times is by having a daily morning ritual. If you do one or a few inspiring things every morning it becomes your habit.

So, whether it's a normal day or a tough one you can set the tone of the day in a positive manner by following a morning routine.

Your morning ritual can include one or more of these:

# Reading a few pages from a personal-development book
# Going for a walk/ Spending time in nature
# Meditation
# Any form of physical exercise
# Reading inspirational quotes
# Listening to a podcast
# Watching a motivational video
# Reviewing your list of goals
# Affirmations
# Visualization

2. BELIEVE IN THE BEST - If you develop your mindset such that you are always hoping and believing in the best, guess what, most of the time great things will happen to you!

So even if you are in a rough patch now or feeling miserable for something that had happened, quickly return to your optimistic self. The more you think positively and expect good things to happen to you, the more such things will appear in your life!

3. POSITIVE SELF TALK - Make a habit of talking positively to yourself. In reality, we are always talking to ourselves but most of these self-communications are detrimental for us.

So when you are feeling frustrated and motivated talk to yourself in an encouraging tone. Become a mentor to yourself and give a morale boost! You can look into your eye in front of a mirror and speak aloud or just close your eyes and do the talk in your mind.

4. AFFIRM TO YOURSELF - Whenever you feel discouraged, affirm positive statements repeatedly.

A few effective motivating affirmations are:

 • I am confident.
 • I have what it takes to do it!
 • I believe in myself.
 • I love and approve of myself.
 • I am a success.
 • I am always in the right place at the right time.
 • I am the best and I deserve the best!


5. COMMUNICATE WITH POSITIVE PEOPLE - There must be some people in your life who are motivating and supportive! Talk about your worries with such people.

You would definitely get an instant shift in your mood. In case you don't have any such people in your life, you can still get in touch with inspiring persons through their books, videos, podcasts, blogs etc. For instance, you can follow this blog, " Better Life Ideas" as I have created this blog to communicate with you and provide you with motivation and positivity!

6. TAKE ACTION - The more you sit idle and think about your problems, the longer you would feel helpless and miserable.

So get up and work on your goals. Take a small step towards your big goals! It would not only help you to reach your goal but in taking action you would move from being lethargic to supercharged.

7. GET SOME SLEEP - If you are feeling extremely low, get some sleep to break the current pace of things.

As you take a nap your body and mind rejuvenate, eliminating your worries. Sleep helps to reduce your anxiety and you can take a fresh start after that!

Know that you are not alone facing challenges in life. Each person has to go through tough times in their life. Sometimes it's a short phase but it could also be a long span where life might seem like a dark tunnel. You might want to give up your hopes and become heartbroken. Nevertheless, you have to be strong and get going. Following the above-mentioned steps, you can easily cope with any challenges that life might throw on your way. Remember failure or suffering can never dampen the spirit of those who do not accept defeat!

~Article written by Ishita Ganguly, M.Sc, B.Ed, MBA

How To Stay Positive Everyday // 10 Tips to Achieve a Positive Mindset

"The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude." - Oprah Winfrey 

The way we think and feel is the way we create our world. Positivity is a mindset. If you train your mind to stay positive it would gradually adapt to remain in that manner. The more you stay positive, the more you attract positive experiences in your life! You must have a positive mindset to create an amazing life.

Here I am giving you 10 tips to achieve a positive mindset:

1. PRACTICE SELF LOVE - Loving and accepting yourself is the first step to achieving a positive mindset.

You have to understand that all humans are flawed and you are no exception! Accept your faults and be compassionate to yourself. Criticism is fine as long as you seek a solution to improve yourself. Being overly critical is not only harsh but it's detrimental for your personal growth. Updating yourself is good but continuously finding faults on your appearance or actions will make you a negative person. So start practising self-love to stay positive every moment.

2. BE GRATEFUL - You must have an attitude for gratitude. Express heartfelt gratitude for the things and people in your life.

Humbly utter the words "Thank You" as many times as possible throughout the day. If you observe carefully you will surely find several reasons in life to be grateful for. The more you stay thankful, life would provide you with more reasons to be gratified. Practice gratitude every day to improve your mindset.

3. CHANGE YOUR MINDSET - What are your dominant thoughts? Do you feel this world is a safe place? Do you feel most people are trustworthy or you feel nobody could be trusted?

 Our thoughts determine our actions and our actions shape our lives. Your mind is like a magnet. If you think and feel in a positive manner several positive people and experiences would be drawn to you. The opposite is also true. Focus on positive ideas. Think positive to stay positive.

4. STOP CRITICISING OTHERS - The problem with criticism is that it never changes the person and they never admit their faults!

So stop draining energy in criticising others. Criticising and complaining are negative actions that will keep on filling the mind with grudge and resentment. Accept people as they are. If you don't like someone avoid or ignore them. But don't become a critic. You would waste your time and become negative minded.

5. FOCUS ON THE PRESENT MOMENT - Most of the time our mind stays in past memories or future worries. How often are you focused on the present moment? Do you eat while watching Netflix? Do you plan your upcoming meeting while taking a shower? Did you observe the flowers on your way to the office today? Did you smell the morning coffee? This present moment is all you have.

The past however good or bad is gone! The future how much you plan is beyond your control. But this precise moment is all yours! You can decide to do whatever you want right now. You can make that important phone call, meet your family, join that class, start your dream project, forgive those people right now! You can also waste your time in watching TV shows, argue with people, complain about your boss, feel unhappy in this hour. This moment you can choose to enjoy life or waste it. The more you focus on the "now" the more you appreciate life. You become calm and optimistic.

6. LET GO OF THINGS YOU CANNOT CONTROL - In life you will face certain situations which are beyond your control.

An accident, sudden demise of a loved one, betrayal from a friend, abuse or an insult, your partner cheating on you, losing your job are some of the many situations where you have absolutely no control. It's normal to feel sad and heartbroken but learn to accept reality and move on. If there's a lesson, learn it but get up and move forward.

7. LEARN TO FORGIVE - If you want to keep your peace of mind start practising forgiveness. It's often a tough thing to do but if you really want a positive and happy life there's no other way!

Holding grudges and resentments are like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The longer you hold your disapproval the longer you stay bitter and unhappy. You must be willing to forgive your wrongdoers as well as yourself. Years of resentment will not fade away in a couple of days or weeks. Practice forgiveness every night before going to sleep.

8. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH POSITIVITY - Our environment has a huge impact on us. We absorb the ideas and attitude of people with whom we spend the most time with.

The shows you watch, the magazines you read, the events you attend influences your life. If you want to stay positive and happy, surround yourself with such people. Instead of watching TV read books, rather than playing games listen to podcasts. Create a positive environment for yourself.

9. SET GOALS - Positive minded people know what they want in life.

They continuously set goals and work on them. Your life is your chance to shine brightly. Make time to set goals and chase them. As your mind becomes goal-oriented, it would stop wandering around aimlessly. Our brain is a goal-seeking organ, stay focused to stay positive.

10. CELEBRATE LIFE - Life is beautiful but it's too short. Enjoy every moment, celebrate life till it lasts!

Congratulate yourself for even the tiniest bit of achievement, smile a lot and stay pleased. Appreciate yourself and everyone around you. Chase your wildest dreams. Do good to yourself and others. Do things that you love. Spread happiness everywhere you go! As you start celebrating every moment your life would change for the better.

~Article written by Ishita Ganguly, M.Sc, B.Ed, MBA