- Focus on commitment, not
motivation.
Just how committed are you to your goal? How important
is it for you, and what are you willing to sacrifice in order
to achieve it? If you find yourself fully committed,
motivation will follow.
Here’s how to focus on commitment.
- Seek knowledge, not results.
If you focus on the excitement of discovery, improving,
exploring and experimenting, your motivation will always
be fueled. If you focus only on results, your motivation
will be like weather—it will die the minute you hit a storm.
So the key is to focus on the journey, not the destination.
Keep thinking about what you are learning along the way
and what you can improve.
Here’s how to seek knowledge.
- Make the journey fun.
It’s an awesome game! The minute you make it serious,
there’s a big chance it will start carrying a heavy
emotional weight and you will lose perspective and
become stuck again.
Here’s how to make the journey fun....
- Get rid of stagnating thoughts....
Thoughts influence feelings and feelings determine how
you view your work. You have a lot of thoughts in your
head, and you always have a choice of which ones to
focus on: the ones that will make you emotionally stuck
(fears, doubts) or the ones that will move you forward
(excitement, experimenting, trying new things, stepping
out of your comfort zone).
Here’s how to get rid of stagnating thoughts.
- Use your imagination.
Next step after getting rid of negative thoughts is to use
your imagination... When things go well, you are full of
positive energy, and when you are experiencing
difficulties, you need to be even more energetic. So
rename your situation. If you keep repeating I hate my
work , guess which feelings those words will evoke? It’s a
matter of imagination! You can always find something to
learn even from the worst boss in the world at the most
boring job... I have a great exercise for you: Just for three
days, think and say positive things only. See what
happens.
Here’s how to use your imagination.
- Stop being nice to yourself.
Motivation means action and action brings results .
Sometimes your actions fail to bring the results you want.
So you prefer to be nice to yourself and not put yourself in
a difficult situation. You wait for the perfect timing, for an
opportunity, while you drive yourself into stagnation and
sometimes even into depression. Get out there, challenge
yourself, do something that you want to do even if you
are afraid.
Here’s how to stop being nice to yourself.
- Get rid of distractions .
Meaningless things and distractions will always be in your
way, especially those easy, usual things you would rather
do instead of focusing on new challenging and meaningful
projects. Learn to focus on what is the most important.
Write a list of time-wasters and hold yourself accountable
to not do them.
Here’s how to get rid of distractions.
- Don’t rely on others.
You should never expect others to do it for you, not even
your partner, friend or boss. They are all busy with their
own needs. No one will make you happy or achieve your
goals for you. It’s all on you .
Here’s how to not rely on others.
- Plan.
Know your three steps forward. You do not need more.
Fill out your weekly calendar, noting when you will do what
and how. When-what-how is important to schedule.
Review how each day went by what you learned and
revise what you could improve .
Here’s how to plan.
- Protect yourself from burnout.
It’s easy to burn out when you are very motivated.
Observe yourself to recognize any signs of tiredness and
take time to rest. Your body and mind rest when you
schedule relaxation and fun time into your weekly
calendar. Do diverse tasks, keep switching between
something creative and logical, something physical and
still, working alone and with a team. Switch locations.
Meditate, or just take deep breaths, close your eyes, or
focus on one thing for five minutes....
Here’s how to protect yourself from burnout.
You lack motivation not because you are lazy or don’t
have a goal. Even the biggest stars, richest
businesspeople or the most accomplished athletes get
lost sometimes. What makes them motivated is the....
curiosity about how much better or faster they can get. So
above all, be curious, and this will lead you to your goals
and success.