Every day I hear from people asking me to help them out and “motivate” them.

I am a believer that the greatest motivation comes from inside YOU and all I or anyone else can do for you is to reveal to you your own inner desires and resources. The next time you feel stuck, instead of waiting for motivation, follow these 10 steps and start creating Momentum instead. The motivation is sure to follow.

Millions of people started the day today “hoping” for motivation to get them through the week. They woke up waiting for some external force to inspire and light a fire under them so they could make it through the day. Not an exciting way to begin the week, do you agree?

Does it make sense to await motivation from an outside source and “hope” it arrives or does it make more sense to learn a few key strategies for motivating yourself week after week consistently? After all, we are given 52 Mondays each year. What if you could turn them into the springboard for creating a great week guaranteed every time?

Creating a great week is not something that happens by accident; in fact, you have the power to create momentum anytime you desire. This lesson focuses on empowering ways to approach Mondays so you can create unstoppable momentum and create the best week of your life every week.

10 Steps to Creating Monday Momentum:

1. Decide in advance that you are going to have a great week. Start each day with an attitude of gratitude. Your attitude determines your altitude and it starts right here with the decision. Expect success, expect the best, and be prepared to invest the very best of yourself in everything you do.

2. Define Success more clearly. Envision exactly what it means to have a great week. Does success mean productivity? Fun? Speed? Quality? Progress? Completion?What elements do you need to create in order to realise your vision this week?

3. Map out your week on Sunday evening. At first this may seem challenging but after a few tries, you will be in awe of how easy it is to set yourself up for success. Here are some questions to get you started: What are your priorities for the week? What are the essentials you absolutely must accomplish and in what order of importance? What do you need to do this week to meet your Goals for the month, for the year?

4. Schedule your actions and priorities into your calendar so that you know when you will do them.

5. Create measures of accountability. Are you motivated by pain or pleasure? Does it give you a kick in the pants to know there is a fun reward at the finish line for doing what you promised or are you more motivated by the pain of having to pay for NOT doing it?

Determine your own personal rewards you will enjoy for following through on your commitments and what penalties can you impose on yourself if you don’t? Bring in a friend or peers for extra reinforcement. Having someone to hold you accountable will keep you honest and give you an extra edge. There is nothing like succeeding or failing in front of an audience. You can raise the bar on this as high as you need to.

6. Go to bed early Sunday evening. Stretch or meditate prior to bedtime. You will feel more rested when you wake up and you will have energy, vigour and enthusiasm to begin your day. There’s nothing as energising and momentum building as arising with clarity, getting a jump on the day and being ahead of schedule, rather than feeling like you’re behind schedule or playing catch up.

7. On Monday morning rise a little earlier, get in a quick workout, even if it’s just a 15 minute walk or ride on the exercise bike. I love to start the week with my early morning swim workout. It really blows the cobwebs out from the weekend. Wake up your brain and get those endorphins flowing. You will burn more fat, feel GREAT and get it out of the way so you’re free to move on to other things.

8. Eat a healthy breakfast. This will provide you with the fuel to tackle your top priorities. (Planning your week in advance means planning your meals in advance if you want to be super productive, energised and stay away from fast foods, which are a huge energy drain) What you put into your mouth has a direct effect on your productivity, efficiency and mental clarity.

9. Listen to one hour of an empowering audio program while you’re working out and eating breakfast. This will help you with the mental motivation and get you going with the right attitude. For Club members I highly recommend your download Shelley’s 69 favourite Taylor-Made Motivations or review one of any of the Go-for-Gold Blogs at the Think Like A Championclub which available to the general public.

10. At the end of each day and the end of each week, review what you did or didn’t do. Make adjustments where necessary and keep building on your strengths and celebrating your successes. Have fun and remember that small improvements add up over time. Imagine how much more clarity, motivation and achievement you will experience after growing and improving consistently for 52 weeks!

Momentum breeds momentum.

Unleashing these powerful strategies will condition you to seize the day every day. You will condition yourself to know where you are going, get moving and you will have all the motivation and Momentum you need to carry you through the week.

Now get out there…and get on with enjoying your Monday!

Go for Gold…it’s your birthright to succeed.
Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith

What gets in your way? Is it your stinking thinking?
Have you ever wondered why you are not achieving your goals?

There are many factors why you are not reaching your Champion potential, but if you are aware of them, you can overcome them. Often a lack of self confidence, gossip, fighting and selfish ego of others, your team spirit gone, team support system gone can make it difficult to build your career or small business, so for every obstacle, here is how to overcome it!

With these problems, take the initiative to create an environment of open communication. Create a team that encourages each other, have the attitude, YOU CAN AND YOU WILL!

With isolation, fears, insecurity and sabotage, recognise the symptoms, discuss with your support team and staff, and most importantly listen to the natural born Champion within as you stand up and shine!

The thing about bad news is that it travels outwards to your customers as well as within your team members, but with good news, it seems to not travel within or outwardly. Lets open up the lines of communication with good news, and with the bad news, lets work together to solve the problem instead of stagnating on the problem.

 Got a fear of change? Of the unknown? Stuck in your comfort zone, because your old life is known entity.

 Do you have stinking thinking like: “Will people still like me if I succeed?” It sounds silly but its a very real problem for some people.

 Do you have a fear of disappointment or failure? If I dream, I may get my hopes up or do you have a fear of commitment?

Focus on abundance, not scarcity; focus on freedom, not fear. Make a choice and decide to act! Get rid of the excuses and show up!

1. Are you lacking a clear direction? Have you lost focus? Consider coaching, go back to your goals that you set for yourself for 2009 and review your whys!

2. GOT NO TIME? Consider a family contract agreement, use the chess game principle, or the 80/20 rule.

PEOPLE FIND TIME & PEOPLE FIND MONEY FOR WHATS IMPORTANT TO THEM!
1. Are your TEAM MEMBERS, STATE MANAGERS or STAFF stuck? Don’t focus on the outcome, guide and encourage them, let go of control issues, when you ask them questions listen for their obstacles and consider a coaching session.

2. Are YOU stuck? Take an honest assessment of your activities and review weekly and monthly tasks, your 12 month analysis or daily method of operation. Take an honest assessment of YOU, the leader sets the pace.

3. Are you a leader that others will follow? Are you the best member on your team? Or are you just a BOSS to them? Your team is watching what you DO!

THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW
********************************************

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE PERFECT!
To get in the driver’s seat of your life
To become a doer
To overcome your fears
To follow through on what you say
To complete what you start
To make a huge difference in world
To touch future generations
Or be a perfect health specimen!
Or be a doctor or nurse to
Help people with their health
Knowing you made a difference
Touch future generations

Because:
You can’t say the right thing to the wrong person; Or the wrong thing to the right person.
The people/customers/clients who need your services will be there;
The words that need to be said will be said
It’s not all about you or me get your EGO out of the way!
As a matter of fact, there aren’t any perfect people!
And nobody would particularly like a perfect person if there was one!

Get over you! Because there are a lot of people out there who need your help!

and remember: YOU ARE THE CHAMPION RESOURCE FOR YOUR TEAM!
**************************************************************

Need help daring to succeed in 2009…. then join the Champion Get Tough 3month coaching program; guaranteeing you will dare to dream and succeed. Call Shelley now on 1300 78 41 70.

If you’ve been thinking about coaching, or about changing your business or career and your life, then why not try a coach who offers you guaranteed results? Design your own Goal Planning that will guarantee you stay on track achieving the results you both need and deserve!

Cheers to your continued success
Shelley Taylor-Smith

About Shelley Taylor-Smith
Shelley Taylor-Smith is Australia’s No.1 Mental Toughness Coach: by looking at how they spend their time and energy – and where they focus their attention – Shelley helps people transform their Champion potential into performance. An energetic and inspirational speaker, international bestselling author and corporate educator, Shelley demonstrates how harnessing the power of your mind and boosting your self belief can help you achieve your goals. With her passionate commitment to being relatable, Shelley delivers a powerful lesson in mental toughness. Find out more subscribe to Shelley’s fortnightly Champion Motivations newsletters go to:

Attitude of Gratitude
How’s your Work-Attitude Motivation?

When people feel that the work they put in doesn’t make a difference to anyone - they stop trying to give their best and do just enough to get through.

You probably know people who clock in and simply ‘do their job’ and then clock out.

When a person feels that no-one really cares about what they do or who they are, they begin to not care either. Perceived indifference is not just a reason why customers change where they shop, but also why people don’t try as hard or change jobs.

The reality is that the energy you feel is the energy you give out. If your energy is flat, then that’s the energy you work with and what people perceive you to be. Ultimately, you decide what your energy will be - not anyone else.

However, when people are acknowledged for their significance and contribution to success, they fully apply themselves, take initiative, and build a positive attitude into their work culture.

Think about it, if you were regularly acknowledged for the efforts you put in and acknowledged for the impact that you create, do you think that would accelerate how driven and committed you become to your work goals, projects and deadlines?

Absolutely! Although the practice of gratitude is used in many personal development circles, its impact is seen in business, client relationships and professional alliances. People like to do business with people who genuinely care about us and who make us feel good.

There are endless studies that point out the self confidence one receives from positive reinforcement and genuine display of gratitude.

3 ways to spread the attitude of gratitude in your workplace:

PS: they work fabulously at home too!

a. Direct Gratitude
Communicate directly with the person. Don’t use email, text or voice-mail for this one. Pick up the phone and call them. Let them hear the genuine tone in your voice. Better still, go and see them face to face to acknowledge their contribution. Make eye contact. Don’t write what you can say. Take clients out for lunch for no other reason (and for no other agenda) except to say thank you for your business.

b. Regular Gratitude
Each week (or day) find something positive to tell your team, colleagues, clients, partner and kids. Make a habit of seeing the good in people reinforces that they have been noticed and their efforts are adding to the success of the company goals.

c. Random Gratitude
Don’t wait for a reason, the right moment or the right person. Practice random acts of acknowledging people just for doing what they do. The energy you give out is the energy you work with - so infect as many people as you can. Send random thank you cards to your clients, colleagues and staff.

Learn how to create your Goal Planning System (GPS) that will guarantee you get to the finish line in 2009. Get the detailed information on 1on1 coaching click here now

Have a great attitude day!

Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith

About Shelley Taylor-Smith 7-time World Marathon Swimming Champion, Self-Motivation Teacher & Mental Toughness Coach. Need inspiration? Subscribe to the fortnightly Champion Motivations e-Newsletter for tips on motivation to inspire and energise you for success!

Attitude Follows Perspective: Shifting The Mood

We all have days when we are faced with chores, errands, or responsibilities that we don’t want to do. At times like these, it’s easy to get into a bad mood and stay in one as we tackle these tasks or even avoid them altogether and then spend the day beating ourselves up over it.

However, given the fact that our bad mood will not change the fact that we have to do these things, and will most likely make things worse, we could also try to shift our attitude. Many wise people have pointed out that it is not so much what we do as it is how we do it that makes the difference in our lives.

I say it is not what happens to you that maketh the Champion; it is how you handle/respond to the circumstances, event and/or outcomes that IS the Champion!

It’s important when we’re facing something that’s really hard for us, whether it’s doing taxes, paying bills, or making follow up calls, that we lovingly support ourselves through the process.

The more supported we feel, the easier it is to open our minds to the idea that we could change our way of looking at the situation. In truth, most of the activities we don’t like doing are intimately intertwined with our blessings. When we remember this, we feel gratitude, which makes it hard to stay in a dark mood.

Last week when I was feeling a bit overwhelmed dealing with last minute preparations for six (6) upcoming Rotary presentations in Western Australia presenting on the wonderful work of Bluearth Foundation and the FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome in July; I felt myself avoiding getting to bed early; so I had a 1on1 with my natural born Champion within and got it off my chest.

The return message from within; (she does respond in the quickest of return messages) recommended that I shift my attitude and act as if I was having fun writing all the articles. So I thought to myself, “OK, I can try this.” Before I started my final drafts, I said to myself; I love writing articles and offering people hope. This is really fun and I have all the time I need; through the Champion Motivations weekly newsletter and magazine articles; to connect with people and make a difference in their lives. And I have to tell you, it really worked.

Following up with calls, even some of the no’s I received with “too many words Shelley” or “cut the article by another 200 words” were actually enjoyable conversations and I was able to leave a little positive DNA with each person before hanging up.

Call to Action: We all have the opportunity to shift our attitude by considering how much we love servicing our customers and clients with our products and services. As you make calls to your customers and clients; remember your solutions are gifts and how blessed we are to be able to provide that service. Any task can be transformed from a burden to a necessary aspect of caring for something we love. All we have to do is shift our perspective, and our attitude follows shortly behind.

For more information about control your attitude, mood shifting and harnessing control of this great force…check out the Goal Planning System Success Coaching Program.

Get a Champion Attitude …right now!

Cheers Shelley Taylor-Smith
Mental Toughness Coach
Champion Mindset® Consulting