How to get Motivated

Motivation is the core of all action; it actually means to be moved to action. Whether a person succeeds, fails or leads often depends upon their motivation. Understanding what motivates you can have lasting positive effects. By understanding and acting upon the things that motivate you, you will be more likely to live a healthy, happy life. One method to help get motivated is to Change the Way you Think! 1. Think Positive. Feeling negative can actually cause goals to seem less achievable and like mountains to climb when, in a more positive mindset, the same goal can seem more manageable. In one set of studies, causing people to be a sad mood literally led them to overestimate how steep a hill was compared to those in happy or neutral affective states. * If you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, try stopping by changing what you are thinking about, or casting it into a new positive light. For example, if you are struggling with motivation to write and have the negative thought “I’ll never finish my book, I’m still only on chapter 3 after a year” try replacing the thought with a more positive spin, like, “I’m 3 chapters into my book, if I continue to write, I’ll double that, and then soon after I could have completed my book!” * Try smiling even if you do not feel like it. Research on the facial feedback hypothesis suggests that there is a bi-directional relationship between the facial muscles and subjective feelings such that, although typically we feel happy so we smile, smiling can also cause us to feel happier. * Try listening to positive music. Positive music can put us in a happier mindset and increase positive feelings. * 1. Be proud. If you are currently struggling with motivation but have had some success with your goals in the past, take a moment to feel pride about your past accomplishments on that goal. Even if you don’t yet have any successes under your belt in the specific area you are trying to be motivated in, you surely have been successful at something in the past that you can feel proud of. By feeling proud of yourself you will be more likely to remain motivated, especially when times get tough. * For example, maybe you helped someone achieve a goal of their own by offering helpful advice or offering your services to them. * Don’t be embarrassed to take credit in what you’ve done. You know you’ve worked hard, and getting praise from other people can strengthen your resolve in pushing on. * To feel proud, think about how you yourself were involved in bringing about a positive outcome. If you were part of a charity organization that fed the hungry, think about your specific role in that project and the positive outcome that it helped to bring about. For example, if you were washing the dishes so more people could eat, think about how that was a necessary step for people to have a nice meal on a clean sanitized plate.
1. Be passionate. Maintain passion about your goals; this will act as a fire that will help keep you energized and motivated. Passion about your goals will also help you persevere when times get tough and when you feel like giving up. * If you are losing your passion and struggling with motivation, remind yourself why what you are motivating yourself about is important to you and why you were initially passionate about it in the first place. Ask yourself what positive outcomes accomplishing your dream will have on yourself and others. * For example, maybe you wanted to attend law school so that you could help those in need or achieve financial independence. Visualize what it would mean to you to accomplish your dream of being a lawyer and use that vision to re-ignite your passion! * If you aren’t passionate about your goal to begin with but are doing it for other reasons, for example, if you want to lose weight to be healthier or to look thinner but it is not necessarily something you are passionate about, keep in mind the end goal. Think about what it would mean to be healthy: you would feel better, likely live longer, and could feel proud of your accomplishment.
1. Be intrinsically motivated. Value engaging deeply in learning and studying and working toward your goals rather than focusing on things external to you such as what others would think about you if you achieved your goals. * This is called intrinsic motivation and it is a great way to stay motivated because it does not depend on other people; with just the power of your own mind and desires you can spark a motivational fire that can energize you to accomplish your goals. * To foster your intrinsic motivation for your goal, think about what interests you about it. Think about how it stimulates you mentally, and think about your sense of control over your goal; if you have made sure your goals are attainable you should feel that they are in your grasp; all of these things can foster your intrinsic motivation.
1. Fight against fear. Refrain from worrying too much about failure. When people think about “failure” there is often an implicit assumption that a lack of success is permanent and says something about your value as a person. This is not true. Embrace the idea that you can learn from your mistakes. * Ultimately, success often requires many failed attempts. You may not achieve your goals the tenth, twentieth, or even fiftieth try. Remembering that failure is often a part of the recipe for success will help to get you motivated to try in the first place and help you to maintain motivation upon bumps in the road. * Think about the worst that could happen if you failed to achieve your goal. It probably won’t be that bad, realistically. So, what are you afraid of? Often, people overestimate how badly they will feel after failing at something; keep that in mind if you are struggling with motivation because you are worried about trying but not succeeding.
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