Motivational Monday: A Poem

I awake,
stretch,
open the prayer app
on my smartphone,
and intone a morning prayer.

The words,
"I have awakened in Thy shelter,"
reverberate through my mind
motivating me
to begin
a new poem,
that will proclaim
Baha'u'llah.

I also posted this poem in the journal Writing in Snow, under the folder Awardican Items, in my writing.com portfolio. Visit My Portfolio @ Writing.Com

Motivational Monday: Contemplating Motivation

Where does motivation come from?
From the Holy Spirit,
through the sacred scriptures
revealed by Baha'u'llah,
The Bab,
Muhammad,
Christ,
and any of the other
sacred scriptures I read
or come across.

The Last Motivational Monday in 2017

It is the last motivational Monday in 2017, 

It is our last chance to motivate ourselves 

To accomplish our 2017 goals, resolutions, 

Or whatever plans we made on January 1, 2017. 

It is the last motivational Monday in 2017, 

It is time to review the goal-resolutions 

We mad at the beginning of the year, 

And determine why we didn't or did 

Accomplish them 

Over the past twelve months. 

Merry Christmas, 

And Happy New Year. 

Motivational Monday: December 18, 2017

It's motivational Monday, 

The day I state my goals for the coming week. 

It's motivational Monday, 

The day I begin achieving this week's goals. 

It's motivational Monday, 

Six days until my 71st birthday. 

It's motivational Monday, 

Thirteen days until 2017 ends and 2018 begins. 

It's motivational Monday, 

I need to clean off my computer desk before the end of 2017. 

Motivational Monday: Welcome to July

It's the first Monday in July, with four more left. Yes, July has five Monday. Five Blue Mondays, five Motivational Mondays, or five Manic Mondays whatever you want to call them. Day when you have to get up and go to work when you'd rather be going fishing or something else fun. Here in Las Vegas they will be five hot Mondays because it's July with temperatures rising to the triple digit. 

Triple digit temperatures are good motivations to work because they will increase the power bills. Hopefully, you are working indoors because out door work, in temperatures like this, is unpleasant to say the least. July is followed by August and more triple digit temperatures. Welcome to July and unpleasant temperatures 

Motivational Monday or Lost Monday

Motivational Monday 

Or was it a lost Monday 

Somewhere in between 

After a difficult start this morning, I finally got  motivated to accomplish something. Most of what I did today was phone calls. I had to call my insurance agent to see if they would cover some of the cost for compression stockings. They will. I called my doctor to have her start the paperwork to get the compression stockings. I don't know how much my co-pay will be, but that's alright because I will find the money. 

I also accomplished a little writing and some Facebook time. I think I may be spending too much time on Facebook. Perhaps I should cut down on the statue updates because I would get more writing accomplished. I only need to update my status one or twice a day, unless it is a special occasion. 

Motivational Monday: Motivating Myself to Take a Walk

I skipped my morning walk on Sunday, but this morning I took a walk around the block. I find that I need something to motivate me to get out and walk. This morning's motivation was taking the trash to the alley. I use the plastic grocery bags for trash, so it is easy, even with a walker, to take two or three of them to the alley. 

After I put the trash in the dumpster, I walk around the block instead of going back through the court yard. I will continue the walking around the block once a day for the next couple of weeks. After that, I will walk around twice. I don't know what I will use for motivation then, but I will find something. Maybe I will down load a music app to my smartphone. 

Motivational Monday: Contemplating My Worldview

The instructor teaching the blogging class I took on Saturday, May 13, suggested I ask myself this question: What is my worldview? After thinking about this question, I have come to the conclusion that my worldview has changed over the decades. My beliefs in the early twenty-first century are different then the were in the middle twentieth century. 

Part of this change is due to maturity and part is the results of a change in religion. In the late twentieth century, I declared my belief in Baha'u'llah. As a result I now look at the world differently. I believe in the three onenesses: (1) humanity is a single race, (2) God is an unknowable essence with many names, and (3) religion is one book with many chapters. At regular intervals God sends a prophet or Manifestation (a person who reflect the divine attributes to humanity) to assist the human race in the next stage of its spiritual growth. It is this belief that motivates me to write poetry and prose. 

Motivational Monday: Coffee and Motivation

Motivational Monday: Coffee and Motivation 

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Mulk (Dominion), 173 BE - Monday, February 6, 2017 AD about 8:40 AM Pacific Standard Time 

It’s Monday morning and time to get motivated for the rest of the week. I've had two cups of coffee so that should motivate me this morning. I've updated my status on Facebook a couple of times and made entries in two writing.com journals. Those entries responded to three blog prompts. I also reviewed the prologue to a novel.  

Coffee motivates 

Wakes up my mind and body 

Curiosity aroused 

For breakfast I had a banana and chocolate covered doughnut. I know that isn't the best breakfast in the world, but that's what I had this morning and I'm not going to regret it. I have a lot to do today and for the rest of the week. I have to call my doctor about 9:00 AM to request the renewal of a prescription. I also have some surveys to do and a poem or story to write. I started the poem last night. I finished the first stanza and then got stuck on the second. Maybe I need more coffee or a short walk. 

Motivational Monday: What is my motivation for this week?

Kamál (Perfection), 13 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 173 BE - Monday, January 30, 2017 AD About 10:06 AM Pacific Standard Time 

What is my motivation for this week? Two poetry forms I've never tried before. The first is a form created by David Marshall called the Haiku Sonnet. The second is a Cambodian form called the Go Vat. Both forms look difficult enough to wake up my muse and get the creative juices flowing. Not that I've had any creative difficulties this month. At least none that are worth mentioning in this entry. 

I will write the poems and then post examples with the explanations and links on a couple of Form Friday's in February. I need to start planning my blog entries ahead of time because it stress me and turns my hair gray if wait until the last minute to compose an entry. I certainly don't need any thing to turn my hair grayer then what it already is. 

Motivational Monday: A Yoyo Day

Kamál (Perfection), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 173 BE - Monday, January 16, 2017 AD about Sunset Pacific Standard Time 

This morning I woke up in a positive mood. Even before I had my first cup of coffee the morning looked bright with a smooth flowing day. Then my mood changed to negative. I'm not sure why it changed which is the problem. Most of the time I know why my mood goes sour, but this morning I didn't. I could have been financial problems. It could have been the issue with the car. It could have been any number of things. I said my prayers and my mood became more positive. 

Then sometime this afternoon my mood changed again. After thinking about it, I decided the problem was that I hadn't said my Obligatory prayer. Therefore, I recited the short Obligatory prayer which helped. After that, I reviewed some more items on writing.com and did some surveys. That's when I noticed my mood changing again. I think part of the problem is doing survey after survey without qualifying for any. I noticed that I'm always in a better mood when I qualify to complete a survey. Other things that improve my mood are prayers and writing. Anyway, I'm in a more positive mood right now. 

Motivational Monday: Contemplations at the end of the year – A Poem

Kamál (Perfection), 16, Masá’il (Questions), 173 BE - Monday, December 26, 2016 AD about 11:11 AM Pacific Standard Time 

As another Gregorian year draws to an end 

I contemplate my 2016 successes 

And failures. 

My conscious mind knows 

That those failures let 

To my successes. 

My subconscious mind whispers 

Encouragement  

For the coming year. 

If I left anything undone 

There are still five days left 

To accomplish more 

Before 2016 gives birth to 2017; 

I may not be able to complete 

Everything I wanted to in 2016, 

But I can finish a few more things. 

Motivational Monday: Today's Motivation

Kamál (Perfection), 14 Qawl (Speech), 173 BE - Monday, December 5, 2016 AD about 12:59 PM Pacific Standard Time 

The rear brakes are finally fixed. We can now drive the car without them squeaking or making other weird noises. It's amazing how much motivation I can get from a car working properly even when I'm not planning to drive it until next week. We purchased the parts for the breaks at Autozone on Saturday and it took the guy all weekend and half of this morning to fix them. 

Another thing that motivated me today are the surveys. I know I've complained numerous times that they don't pay enough, but I was able to request a little over $70.00 from three survey groups last week. One of them sent the money to my PayPal account and the other two are sending me checks. I'm still going to need at least another $100.00 or so before the end of the month because I still have to get my driver's license renewed and pay the power bill, which is up $2.00  from last month.  

The third thing that motivates me, which I should have listed first because it's the most important motivation of all is prayer.  The prayers of Baha'u'llah, The Bab, and 'Abdu'l-Baha are the best motivation I experience.