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A Balanced Perspective Weekly 
on Health and Wellness
September 6, 2006

1. What Motivates You?
2. Website Highlight Of The Week - Personal Training
3. Cooking Classes - FALL CLASSES STARTING!!! 
4. Improve Your Relationship with Food and Your Body
5. Nutrition and Weight Loss Workshop

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1. What Motivates You?

I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend.  I spent
my very first weekend in the Hamptons with some
friends.  It was fun!  And one of my friends who is a
personal trainer developed a work-out for me while I
was out there.  It kicked my butt, and it felt great! 
Fortunately, I am at a time when I am very
motivated to increase my fitness level.

So what motivates you?  This is a really important
question because if you can get that figured out,
you can harness it and use the information to help
you stop putting things off.

Not Necessarily What Motivates Your Neighbor

We are all motivated by different things.  Some of us
are motivated by the praise of others, some by
promotions, some by rewards like vacation....umm...
others by chocolate.  :-) 

When I break down what motivates me...there are a
few things that are surefire: deadlines, a vision for
my future, and my commitments to others.

Sometimes I have all three working together for me
in a project, and sometimes only 1, but for me, each
one of these things helps me to get the job done.

Three Projects You Completed

Think about the last three projects you completed
that took effort, but also brought satisfaction.  Are
there any common themes?  What kept you
motivated?  What kept you working hard?

How can you use these insights and apply them to
your current project?

When I can't seem to gain the momentum on a
project that for some reason seems daunting, I will
apply one of my sure fire tactics.  I will create a
deadline for myself and/or I will commit to someone
else that I will do it and report to them when it's
done.  If it's writing, feedback often motivates me,
so along with my commitment, I may ask that 
someone to give me feedback when my deadline
arrives.

When Positive Reinforcement Doesn't Work

There's one other thing that also helps to motivate
me when positive reinforcement isn't working.  I
will take something away from myself until the
project is done...and I will tell someone I feel
accountable to (so that I don't sneak it back into
my life).  For instance, I may say that I cannot
check my e-mail, or my myspace account, or read
my favorite book, etc., until pre-defined segments
of the project are completed.

For you, possible motivators could be feedback
from others, social interaction, solitude, peaceful
or creative work environment, silly praise stickers,
inspirational quotes, etc.  Let me hear back from
you what you discovered works for you:
melissa@myheartdances.com 

No Inspiration?

Next week we'll talk about what to do when you
haven't been motivated or inspired in awhile, and
just can't seem to grab onto a vision to move you
forward...i.e. you have no idea what you're doing
or want to do.

Until next week....much love to you all!!

Next Tuesday is the first cooking class of the
season.  There are still spots open.  E-mail me if
you'd like to register.

Melissa

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"I am constantly finding myself being amazed with
Melissa.  She is non-judgmental, supportive, caring,
encouraging, compassionate, open minded, and full of
knowledge.  So many times she has been my support
rock.  I have had the most pleasurable experience of
working with her as both her client, and as her web
designer.  She has supported me in some emotionally
difficult times such as stress when I was in school,
relationships, diet, finances, and business.  She has
always listened intently and has provided me with
sound advice.  I am unable to think of suitable words
to express the thanks and deep appreciation I have for
her and how she impacted my life."