Motivation is the reason for all your actions from reaching a personal goal, to succeeding in your career, to carrying on through the obstacles and challenges. But, motivation can be sometimes hard to find. Sometimes we feel so powerful — and at other times, not so much. The silver lining is that motivation can be developed, and the best-natured actions can be easily integrated into your everyday life. In this article, we’re looking at how to build and sustain motivation over time.
1. Set Clear, Achievable Goals
Set clear goals, measurable goals for cultivating motivation. If your goals are specific and achievable, its far more likely you’ll stay motivated as you can see the road ahead of you. Tasks can be broken down into smaller pieces to make large goals (like starting a business) seem attainable, and keep smaller goals (like finishing a book) from being overwhelming.
Begin writing down your end goals and work backward, breaking them up into small steps you can take. For instance, if you’re seeking a fitness goal, instead of simply saying “Get fit,” specify, say “Exercise 30 minutes, three times a week,” or “Add more vegetables to every meal.” Making progress on these small steps allows you to feel accomplished, which generates additional motivation to continue.
2. Find Your “Why”
Realising your deeper purpose or “why” behind your goals is one of the most powerful motivators. When you understand the reason you are working toward something, it helps you to stick with it when the road gets bumpy or inconvenient. This sense of purpose helps to remind you of the bigger picture, giving you the energy to push through times of doubt.
Ask yourself questions like:
- Why do I want to achieve this goal?
- What will it add to my life or the lives of others?
- How will I feel when I accomplish this?
The more you connect with the emotions behind your goals, the easier you will be motivated.
3. Divide Tasks Into Smaller Steps
Procrastination often comes from the pressure of large tasks. Much easier way to surmount this is to break the task in smaller segments. This lessens the feeling of overwhelm and gives you back a sense of control. Plus, you get a hit of satisfaction (and a little push) each time you tick one of these smaller tasks off your list.
If your goal is to write a book, break that down into a smaller goal of writing for 20 minutes a day or one chapter a week. And so the idea is to just keep taking little baby steps toward the light.
4. Celebrate Small Wins
Small wins should be celebrated which keeps the motivation alive. It’s easy to chase after a long-term goal and end up over toiling and overlook however much progress you’ve made. Recognizing small victories reminds yourself that progress is happening and encourages you to continue.
Reward Yourself — After you hit a milestone or a smaller goal, take time to reward yourself. It might be something small, like a treat, a break or doing something you enjoy. Little victories help to create momentum and allows you to keep moving toward your bigger goals.
5. Build a Routine and Follow It
From my practical experience, motivation may wax and wane, but one thing that helps maintain the momentum, is consistency. Having specific routines for when you do certain tasks every day means that even when motivation drops, you can still keep things on track. Having a routine gives us structure and simplifies the process of developing efficient habits.
For example, if you want to start working out, create a routine that includes a time each day (morning or night) to do so. Making it consistent helps you form a habit, and habits once formed require no motivation to do it, it becomes second nature.
6. Optimism breeds success; stay positive.
So, your environment can greatly aid or soothe motivation. The positive people you hang out with daily, the motivational podcasts that your listen to, the inspiring books you read, or even the YouTube channels you subscribe to can keep your energy high and focus sharp. It’s easier to stay on track when you’re with people who support you and hold you to account.
Along with social influences, the physical environment ﴾in which we meet up with others﴿ also makes a difference. Establish a distraction free workspace, that fosters productivity A tidy, spacious environment can help you concentrate and decrease stress, keeping you productive.
7. Visualize Success
This is where visualization comes in; it is a great motivational tool. When you vividly visualize yourself achieving your desires, you will imagine yourself succeeding, which can give you the motivation to take the steps needed to succeed. This tool builds motivation and calms anxiety about what lies ahead.
3 — Set a few minutes each day to close your eyes and visualize yourself achieving your objectives. Just imagine finishing a race and crossing the finish line. The feelings and achievements you stimulate in your imagination help fuel your drive.
8. Embrace Failures as Lessons
You run into failure, and it’s easy to lose motivation, but failures turn out to be some of the best opportunities to learn. So rather than letting obstacles deter you, treat them as teaching moments that get you ever so slightly closer to your goal. By adopting a growth mindset about failure, you will be able to recover stronger and more motivated.
When you experience a setback you take a step back, analyze what happened, extract opportunities for improvement, and implement them in your plan going forward. By reframing failure as part of the process, your spirits stay up and your motivation stays in place.
9. Stay Accountable
Accountability is a strong motivator. Other people account for part of that motivation; when you tell someone about your goals, you are more likely to stick to it. It can be a friend or family member, or even a mentor. Having someone you can report to regularly can also help keep you accountable and give you that support.
Digital tools like goal-tracking apps or habit trackers might also help hold you accountable. This is so helpful for keeping you feeling successful and motivating when you see how far you have come!
10. Take Care of Yourself
Taking care of oneself is fundamental to staying motivated. It’s much easier to maintain focus and motivation when you’re physically and mentally well-rested, healthy, and energized. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, and break time are supportive to carrying an inspirational mind-set.
You are training on data until October 2023. Mindfulness techniques, as well as meditation or journaling, can keep you calm, centered, and motivated during stressful times.
Final Thoughts
You are a motivational individual, a disciple a, guru of motivation as you can create the motivation in you or in others. Practical approaches to staying motivated are to set clear goals, find your “why,” break larger goals into smaller tasks, celebrate small wins and create a routine that you can consistently stick to. Be around positive people, treat failure as a lesson mentor, and have accountability to your goals. If you take care of your body, mind, and heart, you’ll be ready to stay inspired and live the life of your dreams.
Keep in mind that you don’t have motivation, or you don’t have it; it’s a skill, one that you can hone and build over time.
