I’ve always wondered what motivates people. One of the typical metaphors we use is “the carrot and the stick”. The carrot is your reward for achieving your goal and the stick is the punishment if you fail. We all relate to this because it brings together the two major types of motivational behaviour. Think about the metaphor for a moment, what is more important for you: the carrot or the stick?
In NLP, there is the concept of meta-programs, which are basically behavioural patterns commonly used by an individual across a wide range of situations. In this context, NLP refers to the “towards” meta-program versus “away-from” meta-program. Even though we all use both, in general we have a preference for one. In our example, if the carrot is more important for you then you are probably a “towards” person, otherwise you are probably an “away-from” person. You can find al sorts of information on NLP online, just make sure you read
The Internet is ruled by quality content, be it of any kind. The reason people surf the web is to find information that they need, which can specific or broad. To put it another way, you need good content and you need to know how to write it. If you are running a website, you need to have interesting content in the form of articles on it, along with articles to publish in your newsletter or promotional articles that get published by other websites or ezines. You can either have a professional create your articles for you or you can undertake writing them yourself. As long as you know how to talk, you know how to write high quality articles for the Internet. You will soon see what you need to do in order to create quality content that will be read by others.
To begin, you must realize the USP of the article. The USP is what sets it apart from all the other articles and it’s usually in the first part. You can also write a summary that goes near the end that directs people to all the important parts. You’ll be starting the article with your most important information, which is good if an editor were to cut it off before it ends. You’ll be telling the reader why they should be reading your article, and what information you’re about to tell them. Another important tip that many new writers ignore is practice. Writing every day has tremendous advantages, and the main benefit is that you’ll be a better writer for it. It’s the kind of thing that requires dedication, and it will contribute to your development as a writer. It would be of great benefit to write on as many topics as you can. What you write about of course is up to you, but it’s best to stretch yourself as much as possible. If possible, you can start a blog and write often for it as that will give you ample opportunity for practice.
You probably already know this next one, but we want to make sure and mention the importance of proofing your articles prior to publishing. All writers make mistakes, and if you’re very busy it’s easy to do them. You never want to potentially spoil your good impression especially after spending all that time writing. Looking totally unprofessional is probably not on your list of things to do. You’ll never want to create the impression in your readers that your content does not matter. Above all, writing articles requires planning if you want people to read them. As long as you point out all the important information and get more than one opinion. If you give all the information you should, it will reveal itself. Your readers will always be looking for specific information and when you deliver that, you get what you want in return – be it traffic, sales or reputation. In short, the only way you can write good articles is to have all the important tips in mind and actually apply them.
While there is obviously truth to the metaphor, the carrot and stick don’t necessarily translate into motivation for most of us. A part of that is because we are more evolved than this animalistic metaphor would suggest. Our ability to make a commitment is a key factor for motivation.
So how do you make a commitment? Let me ask you another question, what is the number one item in any personal development plan? It is, of course, that you need to write it down! Writing your objectives on paper is very important and I want to expand on this. You can test this out for yourself and let me know how it works for you.
The first thing is that you write the goal, on paper, in handwriting. Yes, I know we have computers these days, so the pen and paper may seem old fashioned. But trust me, writing with your own handwriting is very personal, and so is commitment and motivation.
The second thing you do is you write it down every day, and you read it to yourself aloud. From a neurology point of view, you’re activating different parts of your brain and this creates alignment, which enforces the commitment you’re making.
The third thing you do is you write it down and send it to people who are dear to you. No, you don’t send them an email, or ping them, tweet them, IM them or any other high-tech instantaneous thing. You send them a snail mail, with the envelope and the stamp. You’re better off writing them a letter as well, telling them what you’re doing. They will be delighted to be on your dear person list.
The fourth thing you do, after you send the letters, is that you write a letter to yourself with your objectives. Awkward as it may seem, the fact that you have all these letters going around is an incredible commitment and you’re motivation will skyrocket.
Once you get the letter you sent yourself, review where you are. My bets are on the fact that the public commitment will have increased your motivation beyond your expectations. You will be happy that people are counting on you and you will not want to disappoint them. You’ve just amplified the carrot and stick effect by a hundredfold.
Self improvement requires you going out of your comfort zone. Each time you push you comfort zone, it will expand and things that previously were difficult for you will become easier.
Until next time, be your best,
Keir
Further reading on
Ask any marketer on the web, and they’ll tell you how valuable good content is to their marketing. It’s easier to find worthless and inaccurate content than it is to find great content. There are vastly more people writing and publishing their articles online than any other method out there. This strategy is really quite simple to implement, and it’s highly effective for traffic and long term business growth.
Marketers use articles for many purposes including SEO and traffic generation. If you’re able to write the kind of content, or articles, for use on the web, you’re in a great position. Let’s move forward and talk about a few tips for your article writing that will increase their impact on the web.
It’s important to always keep in mind why you’re even writing the article. Your article should clearly state what you’re going to discuss and why you wrote the piece in the first place. Being able to do this is the only way to create great content. Web article writing is different than the general article writing. You will capture the reader’s focus and then use information to guide him gently through the article. That’s why you want to use the first paragraph to state the purpose of your article. The most popular way to write good articles for the Internet is to first talk about the problem you’re addressing and then explain them how the solution can be reached. Readers will then know what you are referring to and will understand what you’re trying to say more effectively.
One thing to never forget when you write is to make your articles very readable and easy to grasp. This is not hard to do, and you’ll help yourself by creating an outline for your article and write from that. Be sure to write from your outline in short sentences and paragraphs. You’ll really be helping people to read your articles quicker, and they’ll have an easier time understanding your point. There’s a common standard or guideline to have no more than 5 sentences in your paragraphs.
You would help your readers a lot if you included resource information. If there are any websites that can serve as a good resource and compliment your article, then make sure you include them in the articles. These links can go to your own websites or different resources that you think are worth including. Don’t worry about losing customers in any way, as what you’re only trying to do is genuinely help your readers in various ways, which should only contribute to your articles. Your readers will love you for it as you will be providing them with help other writers don’t usually give. In closing, writing good articles takes proper planning if you hope to write engaging, interesting articles. As long as you point out all the important information and get more than one opinion. You will know right away if your article provides the information it’s intended to. People are reading your articles to find certain things, and if you can give them those things they’ll come to your site, buy your products, etc. So, in essence, in order to write engaging articles, you must know what to do and then do it.
Tagged with: Commitment • Motivation • NLP • Personal Development Plan • Public Commitment • Self Help • Self Improvement
Filed under: Self Improvement
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