Seems doing these audio journals has worked nicely. I know I wouldn’t read something 6000 words long by almost anyone online, including myself xD, just from sheer impatience, but listening is kinda fun :).

And you’re very welcome! Thanks for the encouraging comments!

Thanks again for the great podcasts!
And good luck on your new life!

and haha you’re welcome! XD

The easiest way to narrow things down I think is by trying different things (without wasting too much time, like, years), try to get better and better at them, and take in feedback on your progress. With that you’ll know if you like it enough to stick with it for years and years, and the feedback on your progress will tell you whether you have a fighting chance to succeed with whatever it is you’re trying.

Glad you liked the journal, always good to hear when someone doesn’t think I’m on some huge tangent xD.

Sorry to kind of ramble on here, but that’s what I have on my mind right now, aside from college and other life obstacles. Feel free to comment on this either here or on my MSN, haha.

And yeah, I’m not out to make a buck here with my opinions, so I hope I’m a bit more trustworthy for that xD.

Yeah, I absolutely agree. There’s no worth in those books at all, and if I came across as comparing you to them – sorry! In all seriousness, your opinion is worth ten of theirs because you’ve been through it and you’ve actually been so successful and you have such big dreams, and yeah, I guess I do really think you’re pretty inspirational. :) Which is basically what I wanted to add earlier, though it sounds kind of lame now that I’ve written it, haha. So yeah, thanks again, and also there’s nothing wrong with losing your marbles? xD

And yes, yes we are. :D With that said, I will shut up and leave you alone now!

Woot, podcast listeners are the best!

Just wanted to say, this is awesome! I was literally sitting there all stressy like, “gahh so much to do” with my own big whiteboard. THEN I listened to this! It’s like… it’s like one of those “how to motivate yourself” books that are everywhere, but it actually works, and it’s actually interesting to listen to and yeah. Now I’ve written “window of opportunity:” at the top of my board in permanent marker and am jotting out my wants and stuff all over it.

Soo thanks man.

Really glad for all these replies, I’m being reminded of lots of points I’ve forgotten, and have gotten a lot of insight I hadn’t even thought of before. Thanks everyone, should make for a good journal next, I’m looking forward to writing it!

2. There are lots of other ways I lose my concentration and motivation other than the “bad” parts of goals. There are times where I might wake up and just not have the desire to start the day, even if I’m currently working on something that I really enjoy. Being in a creative field, if I feel the creative block, all motivation is gone for me. Having someone crucify my work can be troublesome, but over time, that has become less and less an issue by growing thick skin and teaching myself not to take it personally. However, it hasn’t always been that way. I would say the biggest way I lose motivation is if I’m working on something that has no foreseeable end, or that it’s so far down the road that it feels that it will never end.

3. I believe anyone is capable of something great, and I don’t mean that as an empty platitude. A good friend of mine says, “Success is where preparation meats luck” which really sums it up no matter what industry you work in. However, the uphill climb I think is what gets a lot of people, and I can SAFELY say that I am guilty of this. The fear of being rejected or hearing “no” can paralyze me into inaction and pushing through it can be difficult!

4. This question is very similar to to question 2. There are physical issues at times like little sleep, no food, etc, but by and large, my motivation issues stem from psyching myself out.

5. Yes, there have definitely been times when I’ve given into the temptation to be lazy from a lack of motivation, but I try and resist it as much as possible. I understand that everyone needs downtime to gain motivation back, and being lazy can be a healthy thing. However, I make absolutely sure that my need for downtime does NOT effect a deadline that I have. Because of that, I do hold others to that same guideline.

6. Short answer is both, however there is more to it than that. I always enjoy working on something that I’m doing myself and I draw great motivation in seeing what it is that I accomplish. I also really enjoy working with others to a collective goal, but with certain criteria. If what we are working on uses my talents and is moving in a direction that will benefit all of us, then count me in. However, if I’m being asked to work on something that doesn’t utilize my abilities and/or is working towards something in which I’m not going to really be apart of, then I lose all motivation or desire to work on those projects (minus volunteer work, which is a different mindset). In my experience, those types of situations usually come around when I’m working with someone who openly takes advantage of others, whether consciously or sub-consciously. Learning to weed them out has been difficult for me and is still an ongoing learning process.

7. Very organized. I have a to-do calendar. I never have more than 5-10 emails in my inbox because all the others have been filed away in the proper place. Filing system for all documents and paper statements. Computer screen desktop is almost always need and tidy. The phrase I’m looking for is anal-retentive.

8. Sure, although the name I’ve given is an alias.

2. If someone were to convince me that I would never be able to do what I was attempting, it would keep me from being motivated, because I would feel like no one expects me to succeed, so why am I even trying. Alot of random life things in general keep me from being motivated sometimes. A rather humorous example is it is currently 3:30 AM while I am writing this, the enticing thought of going to bed slightly hinders my motivation to continue answering these questions, but as stated in my answer to question number 1, the mental knowledge that what I am doing will likely have the desired effect, keeps me motivated and determined to finish.

3. You know, I’m sure most people were told by their parents when they were young that they could do anything if they just set their mind to it, and were 100% determined and committed to making it happen. I think definitely have the potential to do great things, just finding the motivation to pick myself up and do them is the hard part. I do not think my level of motivation shows what my potential is, as motivation, for me, is very much fluctuating, but if I truly have the potential, its always going to be there, regardless of whether I feel motivated at the time.

4. I sort of already answered this in question in 2. But I will shorten it, lack of faith or interest in what I am doing from other people, and the desire to do other things besides what I am trying to be motivated about.

5. If I feel like being lazy, I usually just straight up will say I am too lazy to do something, but yes, I have in the past used lack of motivation to be lazy. What do I think of others doing it? I think it’s common amongst most people to do it at some point or another, though I don’t think its really a good thing.

6. Allow me to the the first one to give an honest answer to this question(lol). Mostly when it comes down to my own benefit, as I feel like I am putting in all the work and getting what I deserve for doing so. However, this does not mean that I do not enjoy doing things for other people, and I even love it sometimes, but it comes down to who the people are, for me. But then this question begs another question, are many things people do subconsciously selfish? You know the saying “If you’re happy, I’m happy” When you really analyze that, it looks as though the only reason the one person cares if the other is happy, is because supposedly without the second person’s happiness, the first cannot be happy. Meaning that the reason the first wants the other to be happy is because it makes THEM(person one) happy. There is something for the author to ponder ;).

7. I laugh in the face of being organized, plus I can never seem to manage it. I feel as though life becomes far too rigid and structured with way too many schedules/lists.

8. Feel free to say my name.

2. The prospect that I could be doing something more “fun” sometimes keeps me from being motivated (playing videogames or hanging out with friends). Of course those are more relative to short term goals. Looking at the long term, a lack of support and confidence from others sometimes keep me from being motivated.

3. Everyone has the potential to do great things but most lack the motivation, myself included. We see people do it all around us, although it starts with the smaller things early on in life, from the guy who decided not to study to the girl who avoided the ball in gym class; small but if the habit is left unchecked it can grow to be much worse. I think that if more people had more will power/motivation we would have more great leaders, inventors, and people in general because our will power/motivation is the cap to the potential we all have.

4. Lack of sleep and or progress.

5. Not often, but I do it. Knowing full well that it shouldn’t be done, I still do it once in a while and that prevents me from judging others for doing it, unless it’s done excessively; then I get frustrated. But overall I understand that it isn’t the healthiest thing to do, however neither is smoking and drinking but people still do it(Not that I do). I don’t promote it but I don’t let it get to me unless it’s done too much or affects me directly, for the sake of my sanity.

6. I’m more motivated when other people benefit because there is twice the amount of effort put in and sense of accomplishment when completed. There are no negatives so everyone is happy.

7. I’d say that I’m quite organized. I don’t use things like calendars or planners, I prefer just keeping it my head or the occasional note on my hand it’s easier and faster for me. I do plan quite a bit however, I prefer knowing the path that I’m about to walk.

8. Feel free to say my name!