Life is too long to have just one goal. And your goals will constantly change with your age and priorities. It could be to make a big change in your life, to meet a bigger target or to simply be happier. Whatever your goal may be, following it through without losing motivation is the biggest hurdle that you would need to overcome.
Motivation is the fuel that can keep the fire of ambition ignited in you. But maintaining a steady level of motivation is not always an easy task. That is why you must focus on having a playbook of motivation for yourself. Motivation is subjective. Hence, you need to seek motivation in a way that works for you to push yourself forward.
The Power Of Positive Motivation
Motivation works differently for different people. Some people can use their fear of losing as their motivation to work harder. Others can use their goals to keep themselves motivated. So, you need to look into yourself and find out what motivates you. Positive motivation works better in comparison to negative motivation. For example, people can either use good health as their motivation to exercise or they can use fear of losing their health as their motivation. Fear can come with other negative emotions like anxiety and that is detrimental to health. So, it is best to focus on finding positive motivations to do things.
10 Ways to Be Consistently Motivated
1. Chalk Out A Plan
When you have a goal, you must formulate a plan to achieve it. Write down all the steps of your plan and how you are planning to execute them. This can give you clarity to foresee your destination and the hurdles that can come your way. When you can foresee the problems, you can start working on a plan of action to overcome them as well. Keep your detailed plan handy with you at all times to seek motivation.
2. Hold Back On Your Energy
When you start something new, your motivation and your energy level tend to be very high. During this stage, you would want to achieve everything all at once. And this is exactly when you need to take a step back and understand your limitations. You need to be realistic and patient with yourself and about your abilities. Save your energy and spend as and when required. Your energy and motivation can start to plummet with time and that is when you need to put in more of your energy to jump-start yourself.
3. Think Less, Do More
There are going to be days when you would start questioning everything, right from your motivation to your purpose. And those days would be tricky to handle. Your lethargy would try to take over your motivation during these times. On such days, you need to think less and do more. Focus on doing your regular things instead of falling into the trap of giving up.
4. Feel Responsible
You have decided to take on a task. So, it is your responsibility to complete it. One easy way to hold yourself accountable is by publicly acknowledging what you are doing. This way you would not be able to quit when things get harder. This is the very reason why people feel more responsible for their work than their personal commitments. When you involve others, you would think about them before giving up and that would make it more difficult for you to give up.
5. Switch The Charge Of Your Thoughts
Negativity has a subtractive effect whereas positivity has an additive effect on your motivation. Thus, every time you think something negative about your goal and the path you have chosen to reach there; you tend to lose a bit from your motivation. Similarly, when you think something good about your goal, you add on to the collective good of your motivation.
It is not easy to be constantly positive. But when you get a negative thought, acknowledge it and replace it with something positive. So, trade ‘I can’t do this’ for ‘yes, I can’. Small positive thoughts can help you to push your limits.
6. Seek Inspiration
Read inspiring stories of real people who have overcome a great deal in their lives. It would make you hopeful about achieving your goal. An inspired soul can move mountains. And you too can move your mountain of obstacles if you can keep your soul open to inspiration.
7. Find Like-Minded Company
‘One is known by the company one keeps’, so goes an old saying. But not just known, one can also be motivated by the company one keeps. So, hang out with people who share your passion and are looking for motivation like you.
8. Muddle Through Your Low Points
In your path to success, you will encounter many high and low points. Always remember that you will be defined by how you handle your low points. So, when you are neck deep in your not-so-glorious moments, try to hold on to your courage as you muddle through them. And no matter how bad you are feeling, never miss two days of your commitment in a row.
9. Have Short-Term Goals
It is easier to achieve short-term goals. So, try to have many short-term goals rather than one big long-term goal. One big goal can overwhelm you and take a toll on your motivation. So, focus on achieving your short-term goals.
10. Celebrate Your Successes
You need to celebrate your success as and when they come. Feel every bit of emotion that it brings you. Feel them all and remember them so that you can use that as a motivational factor to push yourself harder later.
Invest your energy wisely to keep yourself constantly motivated toward your goal. And when you feel like giving up, remind yourself that you have come too far to give up now. And move forward one step at a time.
