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HOW TO KEEP YOURSELF MOTIVATED 02 September 2004

Buhle Dlamini

“The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you. The ‘you’ who wants to stop, give up, or take it easy and the ‘you’ who chooses to beat back that which would stand in the way of your success - complacency.” Chris Widener

From time to time we just get tired of trying, going for our goals and working towards our destiny. Sometimes things just don’t go our way, circumstances are not always favourable to what we want to do. I am currently trying to buy a house, a great and exciting venture for someone my age, but I am facing opposition from the banks and so on. Last month I lost my mother who was my only remaining parent and as a result a lot of changes have and are taking place in my life. How do you keep yourself motivated when situations and circumstances don’t go your way? What do you do when you just don’t feel like doing things you want and sometimes need to do? If you are going to be a success it is in these crucial moments where you have to make a decision on what you are going to do and what thoughts will dominate your actions.

So to keep motivated, you have to do a couple of things that I will share with you. Firstly, you need to keep your dream and your vision for your life before you. Martin Luther King Jnr was one person that constantly needed motivation in order to motivate others. What kept him motivated was his dream for a better and a different USA . In his speech that he presented in front of over 1 million strong listeners in Washington he shared that dreams with the nation and the world. This one speech became a motivating factor for many people in the same struggle around the world. You have to keep reminding yourself of where you are going and what you living for and when you are running low you can use that to recharge. Secondly, get a daily dose of motivation by reading and listening to materials and people that motivate you. If you stop reading stuff that builds you up, your mind quickly becomes like your environment and soon you act the same. Thirdly, take time to relax and have fun. Don’t be so focused that there is not room for relaxation, this is often a downfall for many a successful individual. Sometimes you just need a break, so then schedule times when you can really enjoy something that is not work or study or anything serious (most of us will struggle here!). This gives you something to look forward to at the end of a task, a day or week. And lastly, don’t stop believing in your dreams and don’t give up. We get de-motivated when we start to doubt ourselves, our dreams and our beliefs. Whatever happens remain determined on reaching and achieving your dreams and goals, look at how far you have come and allow that to put things in perspective. "Determination is that extra little push that sets you apart from the crowd. With enough determination, goals never before thought possible can be achieved." You can overcome the little bumps and the big bumps that will stand in your way from time to time; you just have to make a choice that’s what it all boils down to.

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Choosing Success While Young 26 August 04

By Buhle Dlamini

“OUR POWER IS IN OUR ABILITY TO DECIDE.” Buck Minster

For the longest time we have been led to believe that life and the quality of life is a result of fate, in other words you and I have no say in what happens to us or in how we end up in life. This belief has led to many people young and old becoming passive about their futures, instead of working towards a future that they desire, they wait for it to fall into place. This is totally against how we were created, how we’re wired. As human beings one of the things that set us apart from other creatures is our ability to choose. We have the ability to decide what is good and what is bad, what we will do and what we won’t. Here in this ability to decide lies the biggest secrete: the ability to choose success!

The bible speaks a lot about choice too. Look at this:

“See I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. …I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…” Deuteronomy 30:15 & 19

There is an emphasis here on your right, your ability and your need to choose because frankly your ability to choose gives back to you the responsibility for your life. By not choosing life by default you choose death, by not choosing success by default you choose failure. You see failure is much easier to achieve than success.

The Mental Question is: Do you believe that you can achieve a life of abundance and success? The frank truth is that many people simply do not believe that they can achieve what lies in their heart. Success is for someone else, a better person, or a smarter person. This is not true and is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face on the journey to our destiny. If we are to achieve the abundance in life we must first believe we can, or face our own continual self-sabotage or simply described as “stinkin-thinking.”

In the end it all boils down to choice. One day I chose I was going to use my abilities to help other young people and I founded Young & Able Youth Advisory Services. One day I decided I was going to write a book that will help young Christians to grow in their faith and I wrote ‘Godly Generation’. I chose and then worked towards a clear destination and I reached it. It’s as simple as that.

The question is: What are you sitting with that could benefit others and you still have not chosen to act on it yet? If you can answer that question and start making the right choices, you’ll get closer to your destiny. You decide! Your successful future awaits you!

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