GETTING ORGANIZED AND MOTIVATED
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“When a person is unhappy or sad, decisions should not be made because these feelings can destroy motivation and prevent [one] from working toward [his/her] goals.”
GETTING ORGANIZED AND MOTIVATED
Written By
Madeline Bejanian
On October 15, 2016 the students in the leadership program learned how to get organized and stay motivated by Master Varouj Bejanian. Master Varouj’s main point in the seminar was that organization and motivation are essential to becoming successful at school, at home, and in life. The Master talked about seven necessary steps which must be taken, by the students, for them to achieve their desired goals.
The first step is setting short and long-term goals. Master Varouj mentioned that “When a person is coming up with a goal, it is important to understand that the sky is the limit, but at the same time, that the goal must be realistic.” Once a realistic goal is thought of, it then could be written down to give it a physical presence. After the short or long-term goal is written on paper, the purpose of the goal is being established: a dream becomes tangible. When this is done, a dream turns into a goal. Short-term goals can be accomplished in near future. In other words, they can be achieved today, this week, this month, or even this year. Long-term goals otherwise require more time and effort to accomplish. Individual long-term goals can become easier to accomplish when they are broken down into smaller parts or into short-term goals.
The second step to achieving goals is knowing one’s priorities in life. Master Varouj defined prioritizing as deciding what is important to the students right now. He advised that work should be done on the goals that are most important first. The prioritization of goals can allow the students to stay organized and focused on the objectives with the most significance instead of other irrelevant tasks. By making the right choice of working on what is the largest priority, at the moment, an individual is heading closer on the path leading to success.
The third part to achieving goals is making the best use of time. During the seminar, it was mentioned by Master Varouj that “time is like gold. Once it’s gone, it can never come back.” By this statement, the Master did his best to convey that time is valuable, and it should therefore be used wisely throughout our daily activities. When making use of time, Master Varouj states that an individual should not, “let time pass by without gaining something of importance.” By this statement, it is suggested that each second can be put to achieving one’s priorities and important tasks. Another outstanding way to maintain time is by learning as much possible. He explains to the leadership members at the seminar that when learning, “At your age, you are like a sponge absorbing information faster and easier.” It can be said that time and learning come hand-in-hand as an effective way of being productive and keeping one’s focus on his/her goals.
Understanding how to motivate oneself is the fourth component needed to accomplish certain goals, Master Varouj said that once things are started, then the motivation will eventually come along the way. Also, motivation can be influenced by the way we think and the way we speak. Master showed the students that thoughts and words can take each person where they go everyday. Therefore, each person must think positively and speak positively everyday. In order to ensure positive words and thoughts, an individual must think twice before speaking. Lastly, content that is heard affects one’s motivation either positively or negatively. About this subject, Master Varouj said that “What we hear has a big impact on our level of motivation. Motivation comes by hearing positive words, music, or sounds.” This indicates that the likeliness of reaching goals becomes greater when our level of motivation increases as we align positive thinking, speaking, and hearing.
The fifth step which must be taken when achieving goals is to resist distractions. Master Varouj ensured that this was a major conversation and discussion session in the seminar and that it will continue to be in the classroom. He stated that “The enemy of success is distraction. Focus and determination are key!” It is true that a large amount of individuals in the generation are caught up with distractions. Common distractions can include smart phones, television, computers, friends, feelings, and etc. Although there are many, typical distractions all around, individuals must avoid them. An example is that students must put their smart phones away when doing homework. This should be done to abstain from its distraction. Individuals who focus and dedicate their effort and time to goals enjoy worthwhile outcomes.
The sixth, beneficial step that allows a person to approach closer to his/her goal is when he/she knows the importance of learning and feels positive about learning. When a person understands the significance of learning, the individual can then believe that learning throughout life allows him/her to generally feel healthier, happier, weather, longer-living, and other positive feelings. Master Varouj Bejanian additionally said that positivity about learning allows a person to gain more knowledge and add value to oneself. Master followed up with this topic when he mentioned that “Becoming a valuable person should be the most important goal in your life. When you become valuable, not only do you bring happiness into your life, but you also make others happy.” This statement is powerful because Master Varouj demonstrates that the process of learning partly contributes to a person’s ability to not only make his/her own life better, but it also promotes the well-being of others.
The final part which makes up the embodiment of accomplishing one’s goals is preventing oneself from operating by feelings. In other words, the students were told, by Master Varouj, that they should not “let emotions dictate [their] faith. Feelings come; feelings go. One day happy, one day sad. One day hot, one day cold.” The students understood that feelings can change constantly. When a person is unhappy or sad, decisions should not be made because these feelings “can destroy motivation and prevent [one] from working toward [his/her] goals.” Feelings must otherwise be replaced by faith which Master defines as “the only road to turning dreams into reality.” He stated that faith can also be thought of as “true confidence” or a state of mind that can be utilized to overcome any obstacle.
When the seminar came to an end, there was a positive ambiance expressed among the leadership students at Bejanian Martial Arts. Master Varouj hopes that the students benefitted and learned something valuable from the seminar.
