| |
| |
|
Motivation Information |
|
|
|
Assessing Your Self-Help Needs
Self Help is itself a broad category from which to choose resources for your personal benefit. It is wise to assess yourself first, in terms of "needs" and/or "problems" to be solved. Because as you work through this process you will find that more than one Online Resource may fit the bill. Then you are in the unsavory position of having to test a number of things to see what works best. Now this isn't a bad thing all by itself. Life after all is a sequence of trial and error, followed by trial and success and so on. You're going to hit the jackpot sooner or later, so eventually you'll get what you need. Ideally of course, you want to get your needs met sooner, rather than later. This brings us to our first important distinction in this assessment process. To keep things simple we are going to identify two broad categories in the pursuit of self-help. These we will call: 1) Categories of Distress; and 2) Categories of Achievement. Under categories of distress we may find symptom problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, negative thinking and so on. These are the types of symptoms or problems that consistently have an adverse effect on your sense of well-being. We can sum these up as "Negatives we want to get away from or eliminate. Under "categories of achievement" we may find personal growth, self-improvement, positive thinking, goal setting, success conditioning and so on. All of these "targets" or "goals" tend to have a positive effect on our sense of well-being. We can sum these up as "Positives that we want to embrace. So our two broad categories are: "Distress," which we want to move away from and: "Achievement, which we want to move toward. This is our beginning point. Your problem area or achievement goal will fall under one of these two. Now, is it likely that you will have more than one problem area to deal with, or more than one achievement goal to pursue? The answer, of course, is quite likely. But before you begin feeling overwhelmed, consider the following. As an example, under Categories of Distress, you may be experiencing anxiety and low self-esteem. Which do you tackle first? Or, do you tackle both of them at the same time? The answer is: you tackle the one that troubles you the most, because the other one will quite likely be beneficially affected as well. Think about this for a minute. If you learn to effectively reduce your anxiety you will likely also experience a positive increase in self-esteem. Conversely, if low self-esteem is the dominant issue, then improving your self-esteem will likely reduce your anxiety. In either case, the lesser problem will be positively affected. That doesn' t mean it will not need focussed attention of its own. But as the dominant problem recedes, the next one needing most of your attention, will step up to the plate. This may sound like simplified psychology, but it is what 25 years as a therapist has shown me. Let's move over to "Categories of Achievement" and see if this may be true here also. Suppose our goals are to increase "Positive Thinking" and apply some "Success Conditioning" to our work attitude. Well, we can still make the same choice. Which of these goals do we most desire at this particular time, given our current stage of development? You can be assured that whichever goal you choose, the other will be positively affected as well. After which, that secondary goal may now press for attention, or some other as yet unseen goal could materialize. You can't see what's around the corner, until - you actually turn the corner! Now for some of you, all of this may seem rather straightforward; others of you may be feeling overhwelmed again. So it's time to make another important distinction. Just as we've identified two broad categories of Self-Help requirements, I must now distinguish between two broad categories of "Persons seeking Self-Help." Category 1, will be those persons who have done some work on themselves and have a sense of what "problems" or "goals" they want to deal with NEXT. Category 2 belongs to your basic "Newbie" who has little or no experience in seeking self-help and/or doesn't trust their ability to make good choices for themselves. We can readily see that these 2 groups are radically different, but only on the experience scale. Their goals, and/or problems to be solved, are part of their desire to "improve" their lives and their sense of "effectiveness." On these points, they are the same as category 1 individuals, who also want to improve their lives. So the fundamental question for both groups at this point is essentially the same: "Where do I start?" And the answer for both groups is also the same: "Start from where you are right now!" Let me explain. If you are a newbie, then look for resources and programs that have "newbie" written all over them and address your current "main" problem or goal. For example, if that's anxiety, phobias, or low self-esteem then pick a program, book(s) or audio course that addresses the dominant concern. On the other hand, if you've been at this personal development thing for a while, then trust that your instincts will take you where you need to go next. The most pressing need or desire, for persons in either of these groups, will make its way to the front of the line. That's just the way we are built! Maurice Turmel has a PHD in Counseling Psychology and was a practicing therapist for nearly 25 years. Self-Help issues are dealt with regularly in his monthly Ezine "The Self-Help Advisor." Dr. Turmel likes to use parable stories to illustrate important points. He has authored 3 books and is also a performing songwriter. He can be reached through his Website at: http://www.mauriceturmel.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Motivation - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Hello! It Is Opportunity Calling! If I knock at your door hold your hand take you towards the road to fortune would you come? If I tell you that I can guide you and point to you where the wealth lies, would you go?In theory each one of us would answer why not! Of course!But in reality things seem to be different.It has been seen that even while on road to wealth people are resistant to walk. I Give Up! How to NOT Say Those Words! Boy, I tell you.. Hey Me, Get Out Of My Way Hey Me! Get Out Of My Way By David Stoddard How often it is we give up wanting to do something even before we give ourselves an honest chance of succeeding. Perhaps, we begin writing our autobiography. Lego Laws for Life Just about everybody owns or has owned a bucket of Legos in their time. There's no denying the fun they provide for a child or even for an adult, which is why, many Lego collections are passed down from one generation to the next. The Undeniable Power of a Mastermind Group A Mastermind is a group of individuals who are joined in purpose. All bringing their collective talents and experiences to the achievement of a common goal. The Art Of Using Effectively A Motivational Quote --Choose a motivational quote related to your goal. Don't have one? Visit http://motivationalcentral. Achieving Your Dreams Have you achieved your dreams? Dreams are an important part of our lives and should not be ignored. Our dreams inspire us to achieve unbelievable deeds, create stunning works of art, bring to life the impossible and give us hope and strength to look toward tomorrow with optimism and determination. Why You Should Write Your Obituary Today Writing your own obituary sounds and feels a little strange, I know. If the idea doesn't appeal to you, try pretending that you have just won an award and the newspaper is doing a feature story on your accomplishments. How to Get rid of the "Overwhelm" Monster If you wear many hats, manage a family and/or a business, it is easy to feel overwhelmed on a regular basis. Too much to do, not enough time, money, or help to do it. Breaking Even: When is Enough, Enough? I had the most interesting discussion today with a friend of mine. He and I were chatting about the economy, his job, families, and life in general. No Excuses Don't you just hate it when people make excuses for their failures? So do I. But do you know what I hate even more? Finding myself making excuses for my failures! I have a policy that I try to live by: No excuses. Motivation and Success: Improved Techniques Changing our internal programming that limits us has never been simpler or easier; we just expect it to be more complex! When we associate images or objects that provide a state of relaxation and joy we create a receptive environment for the unconscious mind to accept powerful motivation and successful results.Founding Father of Autosuggestion:In the late 19th and early 20th century Emile Coue (a chemist who became a hypnotist) experimented with autosuggestion techniques with great results. What Makes You Special? Many people are too busy today trying to fit themselves into the image of other people. This ranges from physical appearance to dressing mannerism right to extreme character imitations. Self-Motivation for Trainers THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SELF-MOTIVATION FOR TRAINERS: Lack of self-motivation is an unfortunate side effect of our accelerated times. Many people today are cynical and disillusioned or feel that to appear sophisticated, they must become so. Prime That Pump! Part 2 In Part 1 of this article, we talked about reaching our goals as largely a matter of following through on desire, vision and action. The difficulty for most of us lies in continuing to believe that our efforts will ever bear fruit when these fruits have not yet begun to materialize. No Regrets MY FOUR-MINUTE DANCING CAREERA few years ago, I decided to pursue my dream of being a dancer. I was 37 years old and being a dancer was on my list of things to do before I die, so I thought I'd better get cracking before osteoporosis or some other age-related malady took hold of my body. Habit Change--Six Steps to Success As every New Year approaches, many of us are doing the usual?thinking, "This year will be different. I'm going to change?(fill in the blanks)?my work habits, my attitudes. Hurry Up And Procrastinate I've been meaning to write this column, but I keep putting it off. There always seems to be something better or more important or easier to write about. Productivity Engineering Review: Productivity Engineering- A hypnosis program to help you improve your performance at work."Buy a hypnosis CD program? Will that really help me get more work done? Can it improve my work performance?"I know, this is a little off the beaten path when compared to the usual courses and services I review. Miracles are Your Responsibility Miracles are your responsibility! What does that mean? Simple..
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
