It's a huge limiting belief to assume that going faster means you’re doing something wrong and creating too much stress.
The problem isn't capturing our creativity, as individual inspiration is a steady pulse that beats within us all. The problem is keeping those embers hot once we have them in our grasp.
So many acts in our daily lives -- refusing that second slice of cake, walking past the store with the latest gadgets, working on your tax forms when you'd rather watch TV -- seem to boil down to one essential ingredient: self-control.
The authors of this study looked closely at the ways beginners versus experts respond to negative or positive feedback.
Employees who pursue creative activities outside of work may find that these activities boost their performance on the job.
For some people, neither the carrot nor the stick will serve as a motivational tool
While some psychologists still argue that people perform better when they do something because they want to, research suggests we shouldn't even make that distinction.
A reader recently asked, “How can an achievement-motivated workaholic learn to back off, relax, de-stress, and feel good about doing it? I am too driven!”
I make a living doing what I love, and doing what you love for a living is fantastic.
Research suggests that it is pro athlete's ability to manage his goals, as well as his skill, determination and motivation that makes him successful.
Too often we get stuck in inaction -- the quagmire of doubt and perfectionism and distractions and planning that stops us from moving forward.
Keep refreshing your goals in your mind, so you think about them often. Here are some ways to do just that.
You might think that a loving partner helps keep you on track -- say, when you want to stick to your jogging or concentrate on your studies.
When we're waiting in line or sitting in a boring meeting, time seems to slow down to a trickle. And when we get caught up in something completely engrossing - a gripping thriller, for example - we may lose sense of time altogether.
A common mistake people make is that they’ll spend 500 hours creating a product and then 20 hours promoting it. Then they wonder why no one is buying.
We all procrastinate. I put off writing this article by doing a bunch of smaller tasks, for example. They were less important and I knew it, but they were quick tasks and so easier than writing an article on a tough topic.
It’s the lack of starting that kills most tasks and projects.
A big part of self-discipline comes from social pressure. This is how people in the military can become very disciplined, particularly in special forces. They don’t want to hold their team back, so they have to do their best.
You win some, you lose some. Such are life's ups and downs.
Procrastination is in all of us, and one of the best ways to procrastinate is to do all the busy-work that makes us feel like we’re doing stuff -- while not doing the stuff we know we should be doing.
Even the most motivated of us can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
If you accept a job, a relationship, or a lifestyle that you merely tolerate -- but don't appreciate -- you’re putting other concerns ahead of your own happiness.
Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, feeling overwhelmed, resentment and guilt.
Members of a group or team will work harder when they're competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group.
Little research exists in the area of self-talk, although internal dialogue often influences the way people motivate and shape their own behavior.
I've been a professional writer since I was 17, so nearly 24 years now. I’ve made my living with words, and have written a lot of them -- more than 10 million.
How does someone else’s success mean anything bad for you?
It turns out passion is not as elusive as we think.
Whether it's sports, poker or the high-stakes world of business, there are those who always find a way to win when there's money on the table.
Just being in the same room as greatness can inspire you to new levels of the possible.