On the same weekend when someone asked me what is it that I do. I heard this interesting quote on product management. I think it is worth sharing and useful for me those times I need to remind myself, the foundations of the profession.

"Product Management controls the roadmap, what is going to be built. Unlike engineering they are motivated by the market and the idea pool, of what it is possible for us to build."

1. Visualize the day: Everyday close your eyes and visualize the day and how you want it to go

2. Visualize your goals: Visualize your bigger goals, industrialization in Africa, , change the world, make heaven etc.

3. Do your Affirmations: one affirmation for every goal

4. Put external images around you: Mental image to remind you of your purpose of why you are here

5. Better feeling thought: Every time you are not feeling well, ask yourself what am I thinking, usually it is a negative thought replace it with a positive or better feeling thought

6. Have an attitude of gratitude: Go through everything you are grateful for

7. Take Action: Everyday if you have an inspiration, take action, do something about it.

8. Acknowledge: Acknowledge that the law of attraction is working in your life. Whatever you focus on stand, whatever you pay attention to grows.

The importance of belief, belief is important for success, and one of the key attributes of belief is action. You will act according to your belief. Based on a survey of entrepreneurs one of the things that was found they have in common is a bias for action. If entrepreneurs have an inspiration, they will act on it.

Things don't just come to you. You have to take an action. The last six letters of the word attraction spells action. There are two types of actions 1) Obvious action - do research, understand the market, understand the theory around the subjects etc 2) Inspired action - you have a sense to do something, but you don't know what it is. How is this going to impact, what I am doing to move me forward in my life.

Trust your intuition and take action. There are two kinds of actions. 1) Outer action - your actual journey, you are out in the world doing something about that which you desire and 2) Inner action - these are things like meditation, visualization and affirmation.

Research (needs citation) points out that one hour of inner action is equivalent to seven hours of outer action. You are working too hard if work feels like paddling upstream rather than running downhill. You can be attracting a lot more to you by sending out the vibration, focusing on the goals, and being what you want to be.

We've all learnt that to succeed we need to work hard, head to the grindstone and all that, but that is really not the way it is. You have to distill the essence of the popular saying, "work smart, not hard" in your daily existence. Are you doing the things that comes naturally to you, things should be more effortless. We have to create a vibrational match for that which we want to attract into our lives.  This means you have to be vibrating at the same level you will be if that thing comes into your life.

One way to do this is by using affirmation - a positive statement that already affirms that you have it.  Vision board and dream books are tools you can use. You have to use discipline to keep yourself focused.

How do we know it works? 30 days principle based on NASA research. It takes 30 days to lock in any new discipline or believe.

Do whatever it is that make you happy, everyday!!!

Day 1

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

1/2 cup tuna

1 piece toast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

Dinner

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans

1 cup carrots

1 apple

1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 piece toast

Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 boiled egg

1 piece toast

Dinner

1 cup tuna

1 cup carrots

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup melon

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

In addition to its strict daily food prescription, dieters drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.

A while back I decided to read the graduation/commencement speeches by Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. I have read this documents before, however I decided to re-read because I think in those 13 pages on average is the kernel of what motivates both men.

Gates, didn't dwell much on what got him to where he is now, but more on the passion for his future. For him it is about being the voice of the voiceless. Applying his intellect and resources to solving one of the world's most difficult problems. The way he characterized that problem was "children dying because their parents had no power in the market and no voice in the system".

Steve Jobs on the other hand focused on his own story, how he also flunked college, because he doesn't know what he want to do with his life and he couldn't understand how college is going to help him figure it out. From a philosophy perspective, his idea is that you can only connect the dots in your past you can not connect the dots in your future, you can only hope that there is a connection there directed by a cosmic force.

Other principles, it is good to start again, stay hungry, stay foolish dying is a good thing, because it help you focus on the most important thing and my favorite "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?"

In short motivation can be derived from:

1. Change the world

2. Understanding your past

3. Faith in God (or some super natural grad pubah)

4. No Fear

5. Be Driven

references:

http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/06.14/99-gates.html

http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html