7 Inspiring Ways to Maintain Your Motivation

When it comes to getting things accomplished, motivation can be hard to come by. Yet, it is exactly what is needed to hit big goals. A small amount of motivation is required to do small, simple things. Bigger tasks require more motivation to complete.

But how do you manufacture motivation when you have none?

Growing in the skill of self-motivation is necessary for achieving long-term success.

• Use the pain. Ask yourself what damage or consequences will result from avoiding an activity. Avoiding exercise and healthy eating has long-term effects! Avoiding income-producing activities can be catastrophic for business health! Come up with several good reasons why failing to take action would be painful to you. Keep those reasons top of mind.
• Use pleasure. You can avoid responsibilities today and as a result, have to sacrifice in the future or you can muscle up to motivation today and enjoy the rewards later. Remind yourself of all the benefits you’ll receive by doing the hard work first.

Schedule that long list of unpleasant or boring tasks.  Do those first thing!

• Visualize the future you expect to enjoy from getting your tasks completed. Rehearse your successes in your mind. This is a powerful use of the subconscious used by world-class athletes and performers. Create an image that inspires you to take the next step enthusiastically.
• Set short-term goals. It’s hard to stay motivated for more than 8-10 weeks. So, if you have a goal that will require a year to accomplish, you’ll run out of gas before you’re successful. Break goals that take an extended amount of time into smaller goals that can be accomplished within two months. Hitting those smaller goals will fuel the inspiration toward the bigger goal

• Make the task more enjoyable. Use your creative mind to make tasks more enjoyable. Workout to an audiobook or album. Do repetitive tasks while listening to a podcast.

Invite the team to join in and help and then reward them with a group bonding lunch!

• Ask yourself, “How can I make this task as enjoyable as possible?” and then listen to the answers you receive.

 Give yourself a reward. You wouldn’t go to work each day if you didn’t get paid. The reward you receive is enough to keep you going back each day. Apply the same idea to keep your interest high enough to get things done. Think of a few things you truly enjoy and use them as motivation.

• Just feeling proud and pleased with your progress can be a form of reward. Those that struggle with motivation are often hard on themselves. Be happy with your progress and you can expect to enjoy more progress in the future.
• Take a deep breath. Few things will drain your motivation faster than an over-stimulated mind. Stay clear on what you’re trying to accomplish and focus on the most direct path to get there. Deal with one task before moving on to another.

• Keep your brain focused on your current task. Meditation is an effective tool for learning to focus more effectively.
• Include another person. Going to the gym each day can be challenging. But if you know your workout partner is waiting for you, it’s more difficult to stay home. The presence of others can increase your level of commitment. Reach out to a friend.

Without motivation, willpower is the only solution.

Willpower is much more difficult to sustain than motivation.

Learning to control your motivation is part of learning to control yourself.

There’s little that can’t be accomplished once you learn how to manipulate your level of desire. Even the most challenging tasks become manageable when the motivation muscle is kept strong!