Basic Motivation Training

The Need for Motivation Training

In this continuously developing world, it is quite easy to find ourselves devoid of motivation and hopelessly thrown in the clutter. Plans and goals get crushed on a daily basis. Most of us get the experience of losing so much time, friends, families, opportunities faster than you can snap a finger. Indeed, this same emotion can be found to be echoed by the late Gabriel Marcel. As he continues to state in nearly all his writings, letting go of hope in the advent of this noticeably functionalized society is fairly natural today. And I believe that it's a chilling fact to think about. Sadly, a great many of us (at different points of our lives) feel constricted by that same feeling. We're too obsessed with the possibility of failure to actually get ourselves back on track. When you really begin pondering it though, don't you just get that strange lack of motivation, that innate fear, bothering you?

If you find yourself in that situation, then I believe that this post is right for you! I will be listing some of the things you can do to get yourself inspired to take on your own basic motivation training programs and start (or restart) doing something with your lives.This is not to say you shouldn't check out other resources online. (I still believe you should.)

1. Immerse yourself on books regarding these motivation programs


"I'm so not motivated"

It's a line we say nearly every single time when we get the slumps. Luckily, there are millions of resources on motivation which one can search for in your neighborhood library, bookstores, or even online. If on the flipside you find yourself lacking cash and don't feel the noticeable inclination to head on to the library, then take a few seconds to check out the different free Ebooks scattered around the net. I swear, there are just about tons of them. However, if you do have money to spare, then you could also buy some of the more detailed books online.

2. Try out a sport
It's a time-tested fact that sports and exercise can really raise an individual's sense of well-being. It is a very relaxing and renewing experience which could relieve your mind of the stress and other extra distractions to your job. Read up online for a sport that catches your fancy, and go test it out if you don't already have one to begin with! Write down realistic goals that you could target, and set out to own them! This is very relevant because beating your short term goals is a very effective way of beating the slumps, and motivating yourself to do better progressively.


3. Participate in Conversations

Talking with friends and family members is an exquisite way to achieve that extra motivation to beat the slumps. Not only does one get the opportunity to destress by spilling your guts out, you also get that well-deserved pat on the back, or shoulder to cry on. Don't be scared to dive out of your shell and open up to these people. They really will want to make you feel better.

4. Break out

Another excellent yet basic training method for finding motivation is by learning and trying out new things. I mean, right off the bat you should know this to be a fact. The time you spend learning new skills and talents is a hundred percent more well spent than the time used up slacking off and being a coach potato (unless you could make money being a couch potato that is!). There are a million new things to try out. Use the internet to have a clue! And for once, please try not to be a tad bit too uptight.

5. Watch motivating videos
From time to time, some TV stations cover the stories of great and notable people in history. Do not miss out on them! Watching these videos is a great opportunity to learn about these people, to find out what exactly inspired or motivated them to do the great things they did. Hopefully, you will find out that they too experienced slumps just like yours. Watch out though for the exact things they did, or the exact experiences which motivated them in order to conquer the hell out of their slumps.

I'm sure there are tons of other ways to provide answers the perennial demand of needing solid basic motivation training programs,  but for now I leave you with these five motivating tips to think about today. Do not in any way be afraid to try them out (especially the tip on those free online e-books), I guarantee that they will aid you greatly in your search for motivation. :)

Spitting at the Face of Failure

It's everyone's nightmare, that damned 7-lettered word: Failure. Who would have thought that a concept like that could be so powerful as to kick the unsuspecting in the gut and send even the smartest in the bunch to semi-reclusion? Why, the very mention of the word, sends shivers up and down the spine of even the most successful people on the face of this earth. For others however, the experience of failure has become so much of a normality that they in turn, resign themselves to their fates. It's fairly simple to fall under its spell. Lose a couple of games, F a number of tests, step on the plate and come face to face with an overwhelmingly difficult and risky task and BOOM. What happens? You just give up. In the face of failure, you slunk your shoulders, sigh, and allow your dreams to be butchered before your very eyes.

It's a travesty and unto this spirit of failure, we at KickAssifymylife most certainly do spit! Thus, I have listed a number of strategies which you can follow to aid you in spitting at those stupid jitters in your tummy (figuratively, of course).


1. FFF: Flash the Finger at Failure

The numero uno method of spitting at the face of failure is to FFF. Don't be scared of it. Don't be cowed into your submission. Don't wet the hell out of your pants in fear. Keep sight of the paths and goals you wrote and continue to write for yourself everyday. If fear gets in your way, then your reaction should be simple. Flash the metaphorical hell out of your middle finger at it.

Kicking ass in life entails eating your Fears alive, and drinking Risk for breakfast. Though for most new endeavors, the possibility of things not going according to plan is high, take it by stride. Don't dwell on it. The longer you dwell, the more time you're wasting time which could be spent instead hammering a dent in history.

2. Failure is Yo Momma

In as much as the fear of failure is a mortal sin, at least by KickassifyMyLife's standards, it can indeed be used as a motivating factor in the pursuit of our dreams. I'm sure you know the feeling. It's quite common really. It's the feeling of being pumped up to kick an exam's ass which arises from the fear of an F. It's the feeling of wanting to butcher your equally aggressive competitors despite the possibility of being whooped yourself. Use this fear to drive you, to be that added push you need to truly kick ass in life.

Likewise though, this motto can be used for people who just experienced failure. DO NOT let it get you down. EVER. Use it to stoke the flames. Learn everything you can about why you failed, and MAKE A COMEBACK.

3. Failing Quotations101

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot...and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." - Michael Jordan

"It is not a disgrace to fail. Failing is one of the greatest arts of the world." - Charles Kettering, inventor of the electric starter

"Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising everytime we fall." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Very few of the great leaders ever get through their careers without failing, sometimes dramatically." - Philip Crosby


4. Seduce it but Don't Bed it

Allow yourself to experience situations where possibility of failure is so great, it's maddening. Roughly 99.9% of all people the world rarely risk anything of value to have that chance of hitting greatness. Most are contented with the status quo. They live their lives never for once bracing themselves for the supreme effort required by your most KickAss dream. They live in fear, the fear of failing, the fear of feeling that all their efforts will amount to nothing.

In fact, the face of failure is not so bad if the experience or the aversion one has of it leads one to his or her Dreams. I believe that the higher your dreams and aspirations are, the more risk you are exposed to, in effect seducing, so to speak, the possibility of failure.

Don't chase after failure per se though. While it is a fact of life that it exists, and that it runs parallel to all great ideals and endeavors, do not make it the end goal. Don't bed it. The ultimate journey shouldn't be directed at that. It should on the contrary be pointed towards what you really wanna do with your life, that kickassified idea you have for yourself.


5. KICKASSIFY MY LIFE!

Make it a mantra. :)

Constantly check this blog, http://kickassifymylife.blogspot.com, for more updates on your daily dose of Kick Assified tidbits.

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Kick Ass Tips for Students

You might be surprised at the title of this article, but honestly, how many times do students actually sit down to think through the ways you could actually kick-ass, and make the most of your potential while still in high school or college? I mean, how many people actually take the time off to go through lists like these? I mean I never did! All I knew was that I was always interested in kicking-ass (figuratively speaking, of course). You laugh, but it’s a given fact that most students go through their lives in school without ever exposing themselves to opportunities that lead one to discover hidden talents, and rediscover dormant ones. *Whew* Long sentence.

Luckily though, since you’re here, I guess you’re part of that very small minority of people who are indeed inclined to find ways of improving. However, I could be wrong, and you could be here just at random, but then again I maintain that the most of the information and tips you’ll find on this site will in fact, still be of use to you and can be applied to your life.

1. Join the Club

It’s one of the most overlooked methods of kicking ass as a student. There’s a whole score of them, with the number of organizations being different from school to school. You have the school newspapers (such as The Guidon, in my university), the debate associations, theater guilds, orchestras, and more. Pick one or two according to your interest, or if you’re unclear about what you like doing, try randomly joining any club that catches your fancy.

In my opinion, it’s a very potent way of honing your skills and talents while being exposed to increasing responsibilities which develop leadership. In addition to these, believe me, you get to meet equally cool people who are into the same things that you are, as well as friends that’ll make your high school/ college experience funner, in a sense.

2. Try Outs

Oftentimes though, most students are caught up in their own shell, plagued so much by the fear of rejection, that they end up never trying out for things that could potentially be fruitful. They miss out on rich opportunities such as landing a role (the leading one would be nice) in your school’s Spring/Summer production, or experiencing what it feels like to be an athlete in the school varsity. Although it’s understandable that people are afraid of the possibility of failure, it is equally important to realize that it is only when you take risks in spite of these, that you prep yourself for success.
Let’s say you get rejected in the first few fields that you try. No biggie. Keep trying out for things and don’t let the sounds of other people’s voices drown out your own inner voice. Remember that quote from the movie Rocky in my previous entry? Check it out if you haven’t. Read it to yourself time and again. Don’t let the experience of one rejection hammer you into your shell. Fight back, and flash the finger at the world.

3. Get Lost!
This has gotta be my most unorthodox advice for anyone ever wanting to kick-ass in school. This comes from the reality that some people go through life never experiencing what is to go out on an adventure, to get lost in some unknown location, even just for one occasion! Some people are just too gloriously uptight. They seldom take risks. Little do they know that getting lost is replete with richness.

I remember this one time I deliberately chose to get lost. I took the 4:30 train to its final destination (somewhere I never in my whole life would dream of going to), and lost myself in the crowd. What did I get? What amazingly kick-ass realization did I get out of it? A LOT, thank you. For one, I realized that in the endless sea of people, walking sordidly along the downtrodden streets, I had a hard time distinguishing one face from another. How many were they? 50? 100 unnamed people?

That fact alone scared me. I don’t wanna grow up to be a mere statistic, a forgotten individual in an evolving society. I’m sure you guys feel the same sentiments too. Thus the question really is, Will you be part of the minority?

Will you stand out?

Will you be the one who deliberately chooses to strike out on your own, and get lost?

4. Kick-assify your old talents

You never know when you’ll need them, or if they’ll lead you to a 180 degree turn in terms of your college course. I know a couple of people, who, upon reigniting their passion for theater and composing chose to go into drama school, and the conservatory, respectively. I mean, they would’ve been killer physicists I tell you. They were just that smart. But somewhere along the line, they came to rediscover something more valuable: their Passion; and that made all the difference.Against all odds and against their parents’ wishes, they took the dive and never really looked back.

So as much as possible, don’t let your talents go to waste. Always try and sharpen the rough edges coz you never know. You guys may be the next Theater Queens and Mozarts, the future Andre Agassis and Michael Jordans.

5. Learn New Talents

The lines that I constantly hear from people are as follows: “Why the hell should I learn something new? I’m already good at stuff.” WRONG. Peace of advice dude, DO NOT be afraid to learn new things. Chances are you’re bound to reap the benefits sooner or later. If not through the talent itself, then by the process. The beauty of humanity is the fact that we constantly evolve to adopt new frames of reference. Ha! Deep shiz. But it’s true! By being aware that we are essentially gifted with the capacity of a sponge (the process), slams the sledgehammer on those stupid self-imposed and/or society-induced limitations.

6. Fall in <3>
Now this is a double edged dagger. It can either help you or slay you. I know many may or may not agree with me when I say this but having someone who loves and cares for you immediately does gives you that added inspiration to kick-ass in everything you do. However, not all relationships are nice and rosy. In as much as you can sour to cloud 9, you are also exposed to the probability of falling face-first into the gutters (in the cases of horrible arguments and fights).

7. As a corollary to#6: DO SOMETHIN ABOUT IT WILL YOU?

[This is directed to the guys] Yeah, yeah, yeah. Some people fall in love and never really do anything about it. “After college,” or “When I’m 18,” or “I’m too damn scared” they say. Hey, I gotta tell ya, the longer you sit on your butts waiting for some cupidic miracle to happen, the less likely you are of getting anything going at all. I mean, how will you ever let the object of your affection discover how amazing a person you are, if you never actually talk to her right?

8. Break out of character before society breaks you

Do something you’d never do on a regular schoolday. Believe me, it is no easy task. For the babbly ones, try goin through one day without ever talking. For those who’ve never tried getting lost, GET LOST (See #3). For the drama queens out there, try poppin some jokes for once! It’s not easy, but it’s an experience worth trying out. You see, most of the time we find ourselves thrown unknowingly into the trappings of labels, fads, lifestyles, what have you, that we lose sight of the very important fact that we can indeed be anything that we wanna be. Constrained not by cliche, nor by social cliques, but by the boundaries of our imagination itself.


Try it out. For one day, try breaking out of character. It’s worth it, I’m telling you.

9. Study Kickassedly

School ain’t a cruise, I’m telling you, but if you really wanna get that grade, that perfect GPA, then you gotta sweat it out man. It is from this realization that I grew one my personal philosophies: Kicking Ass as a student, entails (although not all the time, as I will explain later) studying kickassedly. Indeed there is no free ticket. You have to log in the hours. But most of all, and perhaps the most important aspect of this, is that you have to believe that you can do it, despite everything your ma, pa, stupid schoolteachers, ignorant classmates say. Coz when we get down to the nitty gritty of it all, the ultimate source of superhuman KickAssedry can only come from yourself.

10. Start your own business.

I need not tell you of the stories of Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerburg, Michael Dell, among others, who chose to take a different path way back in college, in the pursuit of their ideas. Instead of being limited by the constraints of school, they took their smarts and everything they learned previously and channeled it into their young businesses, which are currently empires in their own right.

But their being a student did not stop with dropping out. In fact, they not surprisingly became students yet again, of the school that is the Real World. And how did they fair? I think they’d scored quite high on the kick-ass scale, if you’d ask me.

So if you have an idea, and you’re absolutely sure that this idea will shake the foundations of this earth, then by all means go for it. Do everything in your power to capitalize on the idea, and build your empires.

PS. Hey, I’m not advocating that you guys drop out of school like these dudes ok? Just think about their lives, and be inspired. Coz if they did it and landed big, what’s stopping you from conquering the world too right? That’s my take on it. I hope you liked this article. Thank you!

Top 5 Kick Ass Inspirational Movie Lines

Everyone at different points of his or her life, chances on movies that inspire. You can’t miss them. They have that uncanny power to move you to tears, to dream, to chase after the great many things you have in your head. Sometimes a single quote will do the trick, those killer one or two-liner(s) that cement a movie’s greatness. Personally though, I believe that the movies which truly make a difference are those whose plot and lines move you. Be it a sports flick, a tearjerker, a comedy, a documentary, these may come in different forms for different people, depending on each one’s background.

However, if you’ve been living under a rock all your life, and/or you never actually found the time to watch movies (in which case I believe you should), then I believe these top 5 movies of mine are a great way to start. Each of them carry interesting and inspiring movie quotes tailor fit for your mood and personality.

1. For the Dreamers: Dead Poets Society
Indeed, when it comes to inspiring movie quotes, the lines from the Dead Poets Society takes the cake. The line I chose in particular comes from the first lecture of Mr. Keating, a progressive English Teacher, to his class. Walking down the hall, he shows his students some pictures of the school’s award winners, who in his words were fertilizing daffodils now, a very poetic way of saying they were dead. Mr. Keating eggs them to lean closer, and he whispers in their ears:

“Carpe Diem. Seize the day lads. Make your life extraordinary”

2. For the Fighter in You: Rocky Balboa

Rocky Balboa. Which other movie athlete personifies Kick Ass-edry better? “You’re goin to EAT LIGHNING and CRAP THUNDER” [all caps are mine]. This inspiring line is one for the ages. Remember this line when those haters look down on you, and judge you like they know every ounce of the power you’re capable of.
Word of advice: prove those ignorant fools wrong and keep on fighting. Pretty soon, they’ll take notice.


3. For the Up-and-comings: Coach Carter

Did you ever get that feeling? The feeling where you know deep down of the immense potential you carry within you? That certain power within you that will absolutely shake the foundations of the world? This quote from the movie, Coach Carter, is a testament to that feeling. It’s an experience that I believe is ultimately fundamental in chasing after your dreams.

4. For the Braveheart fans out there: Braveheart

Ok for starters, if you haven’t watched Braveheart, YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON ALOT. No kidding. It reminds me of an era of Hollywood long kicked in the shade, and tossed in the bin. Anyway, this line was part of Mel Gibson’s rallying cry to the Scottish people to fight against the English, for freedom. Man, if only people like William Wallace existed in these jaded times, to yank humanity from the gutters of apathy and ignorance, to inspire more men to fight for ideals and not to hide with tails between their legs.

5. For the Vain ones: Zoolander





If you absolutely think this line from the movie Zoolander speaks to you, and inspires you then Kudos. ‘Nuff Said