Motivation can be a powerful driving force pushing us to get things done and achieve our aims. However, motivation can be complicated and difficult to sustain. Here we are looking at ways to start being motivated and to stay that way.
Positive and negative motivations
There are both positive and negative motivations that can provide the energy to get out of bed and keep working to fulfil your goals. A positive motivation will centre on the favourable consequences. Conversely, a negative motivation focuses on what could go wrong if you fail to complete your task. Over the longer term negative motivations can leave you feeling vulnerable and ultimately reduce motivation.
Goals
By setting an achievable and measurable goal you will have something to work towards, which can help with staying motivated. Working towards something you genuinely want will help with staying motivated.
Finding the positive
Sometimes a task you are not interested in has to be completed to achieve a wider goal. In this case, think about the wider implications to help maintain your motivation. For example, I don’t like painting but I’m really looking forward to having a newly decorated bedroom.
Share
If you set a goal then tell someone else about it or write it down. The act of doing so is like making a promise that will help hold you to account, as discussed in this article from The Independent. It can be valuable to find people with shared interests or goals. Their encouragement can help keep you going and boost your morale if you start to find it tough.
Rewards
Sometimes breaking a larger goal down into achievable steps can help, especially if you have a reward when you complete a step. These can be small, like a chocolate, or larger like a night off to go out with friends. A great idea could be to go and see a motivational speaker, such as https://www.adventureman.org/motivational-speaker/.
Track progress
In the midst of working to achieve your overall goals, it can be easy to lose track of how far you’ve come. If you have broken a larger goal down, it is helpful to have some kind of visual representation to show how well you’re doing. This could be a drawing you colour part of each time or adding pebbles representing each step into a jar.