Pursuit of Happiness: Tools to make it rain

The beauty of the Pursuit of Happiness is that no matter who you are, where you live, what you know, when you were born, or who you love, you can be happy. True happiness is above the five W’s and so are you. Learn how to find happiness in the good and bad times of life. Believe it. Read it. Be happy.

Joe Douglas - Editor-in-Chief -

Joe Douglas
– Editor-in-Chief –

Motivation is not constant and ever-flowing.

Waiting for motivation can be like waiting for it to rain.

Sometimes it pours and sometimes there’s not even a cloud in the sky, but unlike the weather, there are no meteorologists who can forecast when and where motivation will show up.

People have to create their own motivation. This is especially true for students.

Finals are creeping closer and the act of studying is the last thing many students are interested in.

Therefore, here is a list of ways anyone can motivate him or herself to do what he or she needs to do and do it right.

—Set small goals, indentify a small one, and then to work toward it one day at a time.

Don’t try to do too much at once or all of that motivation will be wasted.

Burnout is the biggest disease of motivation.

—Schedule time in advance.

If there’s a test coming up in two weeks, don’t wait until three days before to schedule time to sit down and study.

Pick any date as soon as possible. It helps not picking one that’s less than two days away. Anticipation builds mental preparation.

—Focus on the benefits. Every goal is beneficial in some way. Keep a mental or physical list of what good can come out of meeting the goal.

Also, remember there is as much to learn from the process as there is from accomplishing the goal itself.

Never think about how difficult the goal is or how long it will take.

This only makes the goal seem further away and it destroys motivation.

—Commit publically. Tell friends and family about the goal and what the time frame is.

Most people don’t like to quit something after they’ve hyped about it with their peers.

—Remember why. Either discover or rediscover why the goal is so important to meet. It may be for health, a grade, a profit, love or anything really. Don’t forget about the goal’s original purpose.

—Have a visible reminder. Make some kind of memory device (a written sign, a cutout or a combination of both) that will act as a reminder to start the goal or stay on track.

Place the note somewhere noticeable.

If the note is for a goal or activity that’s not happening within a couple of weeks, or will take more than a couple of weeks to accomplish, move it to another visible location so the reminder stays fresh.

—Buy a monkey. Not literally. Find someone reliable who is comfortable with nagging (without being absolutely annoying). Sometimes people forget about the goal or forget about why the goal is so important. Having a monkey around will help.

Motivation is more important than ever as the semester comes to a close.

Applying the above will make studying, completing projects, exercising or anything easier.

Not all of the above are applicable 100 percent of the time, so do what works best for each situation.

Make it rain.