Are you tired of being lazy and not achieving anything in your life? Need a little encouragement? Do you lose interest quickly after starting something?
If you want a solution to these problems and need a little motivation, you’ve come to the right place. Today I will share with you 9 tricks from which you can draw motivation to achieve your goals.
According to Zig Ziglar, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last long. Well, neither does bathing… That’s why it’s recommended to make time for it every day.”
Let’s get into it:
Trick 1: Positive inner voice
Have you ever talked to yourself? Then it either destroyed it or on the contrary: it strengthened your motivation. Be that as it may, several studies have shown the great effect of positive self-talk or words of encouragement. If you’re in a bad mood or lack motivation and things seem to be falling apart around you, you can get instant motivation from a few positive words.
This self-talk or self-affirmation technique is mostly used by athletes when preparing for competitions.
So if you don’t have enough motivation, repeat the following encouraging affirmations: I can do it, I’m capable of it, nothing can shake my confidence.
Trick 2: Reward yourself
Rewarding increases work efficiency and motivation. It’s not just about giving yourself credit for accomplishing a goal, it’s about how this method changes the way your brain works and can make you more motivated.
Have you ever rewarded yourself? I mean, have you ever surprised yourself with a gift? If not, you must have missed an important motivational trick in your life. The next time you achieve a remarkable personal goal, give yourself a gift.
Your brain will connect the performance with the reward, and so the next time you want to achieve something, you will be more motivated to start the task.
Trick 3: Remember your goals
The most important motivating component, which you may have overlooked until now, is none other than the reason and purpose of our actions. So why did you start something and why do you want to complete it.
Several studies have shown that life goals have a positive effect on motivation and well-being. Harvard psychologist Ron Siegel recommends making a list of all the goals you want to achieve. Recalling the future benefits will have a motivating effect because it makes work more exciting. For example, if you want to earn money, but you don’t feel enough enthusiasm to work, then ask yourself why you actually want to earn money. It can be anything: A luxury car or that you want to marry the woman of your dreams, etc.
If you don’t have enough motivation, try to figure out the reasons why you started the given thing, and you will see that your enthusiasm will immediately return.
Trick 4: Set life goals
How can you climb a tree, or feel like it, if you don’t know which tree to climb? If you want to climb a mountain and someone says, “Let’s go!”, how motivated will you be? It’s bad to even think about it.
And if this person asks you to walk only one and a half meters per day, how will you react? You’ll say, “okay, no big deal, I’ll go.” And that goes for anything you want to achieve in life. So, the objectives have a positive effect on our performance. However, if you set big life goals, divide them into smaller ones.
You will immediately feel the motivation to implement the tasks step by step and thus get closer and closer to your final goal.
Trick 5: Don’t let anything distract you
A Kaspersky study showed that the mere presence of smartphones reduces work efficiency by 26%. So turn off your phone’s notifications so you can focus on the task at hand.
You can further increase efficiency with software like Cold Turkey, which blocks any distracting apps or websites on your computer or smartphone. If you find yourself too engrossed in your smartphone or computer, turn off or mute these gadgets for peace of mind.
You will see that your concentration will improve, and your motivation to complete the given task will also increase.
Trick 6: Set a timer
It can also be motivating if you set a timer, because this way you force yourself to work only for a certain amount of time, and then take a break afterwards. At the same time, this also clearly defines the amount of work to be done and brings short relaxation within reach.
Interesting, isn’t it? Because what does one want when one is very busy and tired? For a break, of course, so this timing method will encourage you to work hard and then enjoy a well-deserved rest.
By the way, studies show that the ideal ratio between work and rest is 52 minutes of work and 17 minutes of rest, but it is possible that you have to create your own schedule.
Trick 7: Take a walk
If you are not motivated enough and you are listless, a short walk can be useful. The activation theory of motivation starts from the fact that people’s behavior is aimed at correcting the imbalance of neurological activity. That is, if we are over-motivated or under-motivated, we subconsciously act in such a way as to return to the appropriate brain activation level.
If, for example, our excitement level is too low, it is advisable to take a walk or jog. If you feel sad or disappointed, try to get out of the situation.
Get out of the office for a short walk, or go talk to your colleague, or just take a break in the bathroom.
Trick 8: A positive vision of the future
The essence of the motivational expectancy theory developed by Victor H. Vroom is to formulate various expectations about the future, so we try to predict what will happen . If we see a favorable scenario as more likely, we will believe that this possibility can become a reality.
Thus, people feel more motivated to aim for the results they believe to be possible, i.e. their motivation level will increase and they will do their work in the hope of a better opportunity. Many researches have found the theory to work and confirmed its effectiveness.
Therefore, if you expect favorable future results, this can increase your level of motivation to perform.
Trick 9: Look back
Last but not least: You may feel that you are not capable of anything and that you have not yet achieved any serious results. Believe me, you are not alone, many entrepreneurs know this feeling. “The Gap and the Gain” by Dan Sullivan. writes in his e-book that some successful entrepreneurs are unable to correctly assess their achievements and always strive to achieve their constantly changing goals.
When they make a million dollars, they have the vision of having two million, and even when they get there, they are not satisfied. This makes them lose their motivation, and it’s probably the same with you. So if you feel like you don’t have enough motivation, look back at your past successes and you’ll realize how much you’ve already achieved.