Parents, especially successful parents are baffled as to why their child can’t seem to find the motivation to get a job or even get out of bed, while other parents believe their child has been dealt a bad hand because of the economy or their ex-husband or their child’s depression, anxiety or lack friends. I’d be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t believe that same lie at times. Maybe it’s time to think differently. What happens when we turn that kind of negative thinking on it’s head? When we begin to think differently about our situation? Are you ready to change your mindset?
Watch the video below and then ask yourself whether you believe your life is controlled by fate or by choice… I dare you.
Get Motivated… not tomorrow, but right now!
Pep talk warning! (Yes..we do that from time to time) Yes, I’m sure that video is hard to swallow, especially if you once thought like me, believing the world was against you and there was no way out. It’s been said that we create our own reality; if that’s true, whose to blame? We always hear about how important it is to be motivated, and the crucial role that motivation plays in our ability to be confident, accomplish goals and succeed. In fact, most of the individuals we talk to that have sons experiencing failure to launch stress how truly unmotivated their sons are. So what do we do when we are not feeling motivated? How can we get back on track? Be more optimistic? Forte Strong has a list of 10 easy things he can do to unlock his potential and get back into the game of life. These tips may help if you find yourself in a bit of a rut. The weird thing is that some of these tips may be so basic that we sometimes forget how important they really are in creating change.
So first, we need to make sure we’re doing the simple things. Take sleep for example. How are you going to feel if you do not get adequate rest? Miserable of course. Studies prove that not getting enough rest can make you feel depressed, lethargic, unproductive, weak and even make you more prone to developing illnesses! So make sure you’re taking care of the basic and simple things so you can find the motivation and accomplish your goals!
The biggest piece of motivational advice I give to parents is this, the most important thing you can do to better your life is to simply “show up”. You’ve heard the term “fake it ’till you make it”? For the most part it’s true. We’ve found in our coaching that it does actually works. Even if we don’t feel like going to school, work, the gym etc…, if we can just “show up”, chances are we will begin to slowly gather the motivation we need to become productive, especially when it becomes habitual. The smartest most successful people in the world have a routine they follow each day, just like your son or daughter has their routine they follow every day. I bet if you compared those routines side by side you would see a big difference. My guess is that your son or daughter doesn’t always show up, whether that’s for work, school or at home. Showing up is literally 50% of the equation because if we are there, then we are more likely to make things happen. So remember, attendance counts (even if at first nothing gets accomplished).
The last recommendation is to plan. There are too many slogans out there to list that deal with the importance of planning. Ie.. fail to plan and you plan to fail, proper planning prevents poor performance, and the list goes on. The core motive behind planning is that if a task is important enough to plan, it is important enough to accomplish. And if we are accomplishing tasks on a regular basis, our follow-through improves.
So, to recap:
1. Do the simple things.
2. “Show up”
3. Plan
These three easy things are not a cure-all, but they will get you started and your chances of success increases dramatically! Check back soon for more great info on how you can help your son build the motivation he needs to unlock his potential, move out of the house and achieve independence!
About The Author
Brook Price dedicated himself to helping others early in his life. He grew up in Sunny Orange County California, then joined the Marine Corps at the age of 21 serving five and half years as a helicopter crew chief and then as chief accountant. His journey with this type of work began when he volunteered as a Young Marines Instructor during his time in the Marines, helping kids get off the street, improve their lives and develop as a leader. After his tour Brook left the Marines to pursue a career in experiential therapy by attending Southern Utah University where he majored in outdoor recreation with a minor in psychology.
Brook has seventeen years experience working for a variety of different therapeutic and transitional programs across the nation. His thirst for knowledge drove him to learn and study successful therapeutic models and programs across the country, most notably Outward Bound. Brook has experience working with therapeutic, residential, military, wilderness and transitional programs for adults and adolescents.