Yesterday, in my post on Bushido – The Soul of Reiki I discussed some of the discipline necessary to ride the Reiki Train all the way to the last stop (Daianshin Station). Today I’d like too look at some of the ways you can keep yourself and your Reiki motivated for your best chances of success and to avoid getting in a Reiki Rut.

One of the main reasons that one’s Reiki engine loses steam is that we have no clear goals.This is not only necessary to know where we are going, but also to know where we are. Its like taking a road-trip across the country without a map, the journey is possible, but its a very different journey than one with a clear destination and a map to guide you. With the map, you can see exactly where you are at any given time, know how far you’ve come, how much further you have to go and you can get a birds eye view of your progress. As I mentioned in my post on Strategic Reiki, only through the proper creation of clear, reachable, practical, desirable and realistic goals (did I mention attainable?) can you (a) know where you’re going and (b) know when you’ve arrived.

The first step in creating clear goals is deciding which of the Three Pillars of Reiki you’d like to focus on. Of course you are always free to change direction, take a side trip and/or chose another path completely as your short-term goals and long-term goals will no doubt evolve as your Reiki grows. Knowing where you are and where you’re going will go a long way towards keeping you motivated.

Another way to stay motivated is to relax, take your time and enjoy the trip. Knowing what your goals are is quite different than constantly focusing on them. Like travelers of old who used the stars to guide them, they weren’t always staring at the north star, they merely glanced up from time to time and reset their course if necessary. Don’t allow your goals themselves to interfere with your progress. Remember the Second Reiki Principle, don’t worry (about your progress, etc.) just enjoy the trip and don’t be in too much of a hurry to reach the end.

In the world of educational psychology there are two types of motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic. In Reiki, intrinsic motivation refers to the rewards of happiness, contentment, satisfaction, etc. you feel for having Reiki as part of your life. Extrinsic motivation is like the lollipop we used to get (and some of us still look forward to) when visiting the dentist. It is something greatly overlooked when we get older. Set milestones in your Reiki practice (the attainment of various levels or degrees, learning new styles, reading, studying, teaching, etc.) and reward yourself when you achieve them to your own satisfaction. Don’t discount the power of the lollipop to keep you motivated.

Remember the wide eyed wonder you experienced when you first learned about Reiki? I’ll bet that sentence alone was motivational and if it wasn’t… take a moment to reflect on your initial reactions to stories about Reiki (Dr. Usui stubbing his toe, tirelessly helping out after the Great Tokyo Earthquake, Mrs. Takata grabbing the sleeve and looking for the heater, Arjava’s discovery of the Usui Memorial, the existence of the Usui Reiki Ryoho Gakkai, etc.) and remember how good it felt to learn these things. There’s more you know, much more, more amazing stories and even greater wonders lie ahead. The Reiki path itself will guide you to those that are most important to hear and again, don’t be in to much of a hurry to hear them all and know it all… very few do, you know… and very few want to.

My favorite way to rekindle the Reiki flame of motivation is to relate these stories to others and let them know about Reiki. The fascination is truly contagious and will go a long way towards keeping you motivated… luckily there are billions of people that still haven’t heard about Reiki… go get ’em!!! Don’t forget to empty your cup and don’t forget the lollipop!!!

For further explanation or discussion, your thoughts are most welcome and highly encouraged, please feel free to comment below!!!