Finding and staying motivated can be quite of a struggle, as probably many of us have experienced. It feels so easy once when we decide something with a big hooray, but when the time goes on, we often find ourselves struggling. And there are not many people applauding for us. We need to find the motivation ourselves and go through our lack of motivation like that. Motivation is no magic and it is not something that some of us are born with. It also does not come in a bottle and there is no little blue pill for it. But it's something you can tap into by design then harness. Every inspirational author, speaker and life coach has his own tips and we are here to share a list things, how you can sustain and maintain motivation, so those moments when you almost don’t feel it, it is easier to pick it up!
1. Set your goals and create a visual board
- We have covered that topic before HERE, but knowing by fact what is what you want, is one of the most powerful tools to stay motivated and actually get what you want. Dream big, dream really-really big! See it, feel it and hear the final goal already in front of you. Imagine yourself living already the life what you want when driving to work or walking your dog.
Make a list of the reasons why you want, what you want. It is easy to forget why you started, so it’s better to have something close by, when we tend to forget. Take a piece of smaller paper, write or scribble down why and what you want, put it in your wallet or in your purse. Have a mini version of your main visual board on you.
2. Breaking the big goal down into smaller ones
- We have also covered the topic in a wider range HERE before, but this is one of the main things MUNUM planner is built on- you set a big goal and then breaking it down into many smaller, more approaching ones. So when you feel overwhelmed, because something feels so big and you don’t know where to start- take it down to as many little steps as you want or need. Neuroscience also tells us that each small success triggers the brain’s reward centre, releasing feel-good chemical dopamine. This helps focus our concentration and inspires us to take another similar step, so staying motivated and to keep going, gets naturally easier.
3. Have a routine.
Create a as rough or as flexible routine as you need, what is honouring your working and functioning styles. But have one. Wake up early or go to bed late, but as long as you either go and work out every morning to get closer to your goal or study at nights, to reach some of your other goals, it is already a routine, when you keep doing it continuously and it’s working for you.
Therefore, don’t freak out when you miss days or slip- life happens and you cannot always live your life, written on the stone. Be prepared that life changes every now and then, but make your corrections around changes and your routine. Play around, but always have some kind of routine and timing plan, when are you doing something what gets you closer to your dream.
4. Don’t be afraid of asking help
- There are many people around us, who could easily help us, have the connections we need or have done something what we want to accomplish. The thing is that we often are not brave enough to ask help from others, as somehow, we associate it with weakness rather than a strength. We often overestimate our abilities and there is nothing wrong of asking help from others. But the key is to be selective about whom you tell and ask for help. Base it to the builder’s rule- ‘the right tool for the right job.’
5. Be prepared of the lack of motivation
- I mean, let’s face it. Sooner or later the moment comes, when your motivation falls. Even for a day or three, the moment probably comes and the best way of dealing with it, is to be prepared of it. Don’t imagine that the lack doesn’t come. Therefore, be prepared of it and decide what you need to do, do get your motivation back. Is it a mini vacation, a dinner out to have a quick rest or is it pulling out your vision board. As in a way, be prepared of failure. But don’t give up. There is a difference!
6. Remind yourself why you started
-Check in with yourself every now and then. Most likely you will face moments, when people start criticising what you are doing and don’t take your reasonings seriously. So it’s important to pull back and listen your own heart and thoughts, reminding yourself why you started. The hard periods teach us always great lessons, if we willing to learn from them. Learn to stand up, when something hits you and make the reasons why you started, the foundation, why you started at the first place.
So remember, you are willing to achieve whatever you wish for. You are capable for everything and we cannot stress this enough. For some people it’s easier to pick up their motivation and stay focused, other it can be more difficult, but we need to remember that we ARE all different and that’s why. So, don’t be hard on yourself, but stay focused.