What motivates you?
Motivation is the reason behind our actions, needs and desires. If we can master our motivation we’ll be able to inspire ourselves to always find a way to keep moving forward. We’ll follow our growth and create new experiences for ourselves.
Literally every aspect in our life is guided and changed by what motivates us. For example, where and when we buy new clothes may be motivated by our personal preferences as well as weather conditions and the change of seasons. Whether or not we attend a workshop may be motivated by the cost, location and teacher. What we have for dinner may be motivated by our goal of gaining or losing weight. You get the idea… Even whether or not you read and finish this article is a matter of motivation. Are you curious about the subject? Do you want to learn new information? Do you have enough time to read until the end?
Generally, we are motivated by two basic motivators. The desire to get or achieve something or the fear of losing something. It’s really that simple. Deep down it comes down to these two things that cause us to act a certain way.
Do you want to boost your motivation? Here are our TOP 10 keys to increase motivation.
#1 Find Your Inspiration
To get and stay motivated it is critical to find your inspiration. Take an honest look at what excites you and where your passion lies. If you follow what your friends, family or society suggests you do and ignore your passion and inspiration, you will not have the motivation, energy and persistence to achieve your goal and you’ll lose interest quickly. However, if you have inspiration and passion for the things that you do, you will have the motivation to sustain you when challenges come up, your focus becomes sharper and you enjoy what you do.
#2 Dare the Impossible
Whenever you get the opportunity to attempt something that seems impossible, jump on it and dare the impossible. It’s the impossible that makes you grow, pushes you out of your comfort zone and shows you what you can become. Stretch your imagination, stretch your expectations, stretch your skills and knowledge. If you can stretch yourself and do and dare the impossible, your motivation will spike.
#3 Set Goals
If you don’t set goals, you have nothing to strive for, so how could you possibly be motivated. Take the time to ponder your goals and dreams, create strategies on how to achieve them and write it all out. Written goals are the key to motivation, because they give you a direction and course of action to follow.
#4 Don’t Settle
A lot of people settle. What does it actually mean to settle? It means that we agree to something that is less than we originally wanted, because we feel like we won’t be able to achieve what we set out to achieve. If you settle for less than what you want, your motivation goes down the drain in a heartbeat. Don’t settle! Go for what you want and what you deserve and your motivation will soar.
#5 Monitor Your Inner Conversations
Positive self-talk is the key to free the motivational forces within you. Shut down negative chatter as soon as it starts and replace it with positive affirmations that motivate you. 85% of our self-talk is negative. How can we stay or get motivated? You have to watch your internal conversations and make sure you fill your mind with positivity any chance you get. If you can move from the negative into the positive, you will be able to sustain the high level of motivation you need to succeed in life.
#6 Choose to…
If you tell yourself you have to do this or you must do that or you should do something else, you will weaken your motivation. Use the power of choice and reframe your language. Choosing to do something rather than having to do something is incredibly empowering and will motivate you to get things done and make them work.
#7 Network
A key factor in getting and staying motivated is to network with positive and highly motivated people. Remember, as a single person, you can’t move a mountain. But when a number of people come together, the mountain turns into a little hill and challenges can be surmounted. The support from a community is a great motivator. A network helps you to generate ideas and you can share experience and expertise, while having fun in the process. If you want to increase your motivation, increase your network and you’ll be amazed how your motivation will soar.
#8 Exercise
There is a powerful connection between our body and our mind. If we don’t take care of our body, our motivation can suffer. If you don’t like the gym, start with a brisk daily walk before or after work every day. Whatever works best for you, the important thing is that you incorporate exercise into your daily routine. Maybe buy some weights and keep them in the office for when you have a break. Find a video or online class that you can do at home at your own time. And whenever you get a chance, take a group fitness class, a spinning class, a boxing class or yoga class. The community and energy powerfully increases your motivation. Whatever exercise regimen you choose, make sure you stick to it. You will boost your motivation while doing something good for your body at the same time.
#9 Maximize Your Strengths
In order to keep our level of motivation high, we have to be keenly aware of our strengths and weaknesses. Several studies have shown that if we have an awareness of what our strengths are and know how to use them on a consistent basis, we can not only increase our motivation, but our overall well-being. While we want to put the emphasis on our strengths, because they are the fire that can push us forward, it is also important to know our weaknesses, because they could drag us down. Once we are aware of our weaknesses, we can take steps to minimize them so they won’t stand in the way of achieving our goals and dreams.
#10 Reward Yourself
If you are all work and no play, your motivation will dwindle before you know it. It doesn’t have to be anything grand – although a trip to Bali always sounds like a great idea. How about lunch with an old friend, a relaxing massage in the afternoon, going to a concert with your significant other. To keep your motivation high, you need to take time to unwind and renew yourself. If you give yourself the time to regenerate, you will come back with a new perspective, improved attitude and a new sense of motivation that will keep you going.
It’s important to recognize that everyone is motivated, but we all have different reasons. If someone doesn’t seem to be motivated by one particular thing, that doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t motivated by anything at all. People are different and have different things that motivate them. Understand the keys that help YOUR motivation and you’ll make things happen.
MASTER YOUR MOTIVATION AND FIND YOUR DRIVE.
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked