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STRATEGIES FOR SELF-MOTIVATION

1) Renew through relationships
Never sacrifice friendships and family relationships to be a positive influencer. It
should alarm you if you are able to maintain business and social relationships, but fail at
staying close to the people who really matter at home.

It isn’t enough to enjoy healthy relationships with friends and family. When you
have the choice of whom to associate with, choose those who inspire and challenge you,
not just those you are comfortable being around.

2) Take time to reflect
At the end of each day, ask yourself what you’ve learned. What you have done that
day is important, but you can increase the value of each activity and happening by
extracting the meaning from it through reflection.
Remember that you can learn from reflecting on what others are doing as well.

You can learn from bad leaders as well as good leaders if you analyze their behavior and
reflect on the lesson you can take away.
3) Dream
Don’t let incessant activity push out dream time. While there are those who only

dream and never do—the daydreamers—there are also those leaders who are so pre-
occupied with day-to-day tasks that they lose the fuel of dreaming. They don’t aspire high
enough, either for themselves or their organizations.
4) Schedule growth-producing activities
The only way to grow your impact is by growing yourself. Growth is always

accomplished outside of one’s comfort zone. If you only do what you’ve always done,
you’ll never master new skills.
Growth can also come not just through reading and reflection, but through
journaling. An inexpensive journal is a good way to capture growth-producing insights.

Listen to an audiotape, watch a DVD or take a course. Just make sure that you
have an infusion of new ideas and chances to develop new skills.
5) Take a nap
Weariness defined as the exhaustion of pleasure. An important clue that you need
to get caught up on your rest is when the things that formerly gave you pleasure no longer

do.
You can substitute caffeine and energy drinks for legitimate sleep only so long
before you begin to lose the fuel of true energy: sleep and health.

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