Page 134 - 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself

create. Without this vision, there is no way to create. Without this vision, you are

only problem-eliminating, which is a double negative. It’s impossible to feel
positive about a life based on a double negative.

So the way to alter your thinking is to notice when you’re drifting into,
“What do I want to get rid of?” and mentally replace that thinking with, “What
do I want to bring into being?”

When Fritz says that we have been “raised in a tradition” of problem
solving, he is almost understating it. We are programmed and wired to think that
way every day. Notice the thinking of people as they approach a challenge, even
a challenge as small as an upcoming meeting with other people:

“Here’s what I hope doesn’t happen…” one will say. “Well, here’s how you
can avoid that…” someone else will helpfully say. “The only problem we have is
this…” a third person will say, attempting to make the meeting seem less
frightening.

Notice that nowhere was there the question, “What would we like to bring
into being as a result of this meeting?” Whether the situation is as small as a
meeting or as large as your whole life, the most useful question you can ask
yourself is, “What do I want to bring into being?” It’s a beautiful question,
because it makes no reference to problems or obstacles. It implies pure
creativity. It puts you back on the positive side of life.

My friend Steve Hardison made an observation about self-motivation that I
have always remembered and agreed with. “It’s just one thought,” he said.
“Motivational teachers repeat it many different ways, but it’s just one thought:
It’s a binary system. Are you on or are you off?”

Are you positive or are you negative? Are you creating or are you reacting?
Are you on or are you off? Are you life or are you death? Are you day or are you
night? Are you in or are you out? And there’s nothing more motivational to flip
your binary switch to “on” than a clear vision of what it is that you really want.
What do you want to bring into being? It doesn’t matter what that vision is or
how often it changes. It only matters what that vision does.

If your vision isn’t getting you up in the morning, then make up another one.
Keep at it until you develop a vision that’s so colorful and clear that it puts you
in action just to think about it.