If you’ve got a friend or two who support you in your goals, give them a call! Tell them you’re having trouble getting started (or keeping momentum) and you need a kick in the rear. Tell them to remind you what you are working so hard for, and how excited you sounded the last time you spoke to them. This will only work with friends who do support you – not dream stealers. Alternatively, you could visit your favorite online forum and ask for support – as long as you know it’s a place where most people are supportive. (Disregard any negative comments and remember that there is always a troublemaker or two hanging around forums!)
Expand your vision.
If you find yourself constantly needing to get motivated to work on your dream or goal, you might question whether it’s right for you any longer. Have you outgrown the original vision you had? If you conceived your dream or set your goal years ago, you might need to rethink what you want and see if you can expand on your original dream. You can even start from scratch if your original plans no longer inspire passion; you are a different person than you were even a year ago! Come up with something that you won’t have to work so hard to get motivated to do, and you solve not only your immediate need, but long-term needs also.
Watch less television.
Watching television can be a relaxing pastime, but it can also begin to suck your brain out through your eyeballs with excessive use. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration – but you can’t deny that too much television makes you feel tired and spacey. Limit your television-watching to a few shows per week; just the ones you REALLY want to see. Don’t keep channel-surfing mindlessly because you’re bored! If you’re bored, get up and do something else. Read something that will get your mind working again, or go out and do something physical. Within a few days of cutting down the amount of time you spend staring blankly at that screen, you’ll notice that you feel much more energetic, and probably more positive too (depending on the type of programming you’re used to watching).
Try something new.
It’s easy to feel lethargic when we get caught in the same routine day after day. Our minds need new experiences in order to stay
sharp and clear, and since much of our energy level is related to our thoughts it’s no wonder that boring routines lead to feeling stagnant and unmotivated. In order to break out of this rut, make it your mission to try something new at least once a week (once a day is even better). Visit a new city (even if it’s somewhat local); go to a museum and gaze at great works of art; take a class at your local community college or adult education center; buy a book on painting or sketching and develop a new talent; sign up for dance classes; or join a singles club in your area. Whatever you do, don’t allow yourself to sink into a daily grind. Invigorate your life, invigorate your sense of motivation!
Strive for excellence.
If you’ve been focusing on just “getting stuff done,” of course you feel unmotivated! There seems to be no obvious payoff from your action steps. This is especially true if you are working on a long-term goal or a very big project that will take time to show results. Instead, commit yourself to excellence in everything you do and watch how it elevates your sense of pride and satisfaction. The better you get at each task you accomplish, the more motivated you will be to keep a high level of quality in everything you do.
Get passionate!
Sometimes we just need a little inner fire before we can get motivated. What makes you feel passionate? Whether you need to recommit yourself to your goal or find something new that takes your breath away, do what you can to get your heart beating faster and apply that passion to your goals and projects.
Get angry or desperate!
If you’ve ever been fueled by anger, you remember how easily you were propelled into action! Likewise, desperation can often serve as a powerful motivator. Decide that you can’t stand your current circumstances any longer and decide that you will do whatever it takes to change them. Use your strong feelings of anger or desperation to keep you moving long after you would have ordinarily quit.
Get determined!
Sometimes all it takes to get and stay motivated is to set our minds to do something. If you refuse to be held back by obstacles and refuse to buy into excuses and vow to push through anything that threatens to hold you back, how can you possibly NOT make good things happen? It works!
Get aggressive!
This tip goes along with the previous 3, and uses the same type of strong emotion to fuel your efforts. Most of us start out aggressively pursuing our dreams but then lose steam as time goes on. Either we encounter obstacles that stop us in our tracks, or our determination begins to falter. Reclaim your aggressive approach – especially as it relates to obstacles. Instead of letting challenges deter you, make a promise to yourself that you will tackle each challenge with intense aggression. The more forceful you are with setbacks and delays, the more you’ll realize they hold no power over you or your results.
Accomplish something . . . anything.
The problem with feeling unmotivated is that it tends to spread to other areas of our lives too. We may start out procrastinating on one task, and then find ourselves sinking into a pit of inertia in everything else. To overcome this trend, simply commit to completing one task. Just one! It can be a large or small task, depending on how confident you feel. Once you’ve accomplished one thing, you’ll find it much easier to keep going and work on other tasks and goals.
Simplify, simplify and simplify some more.
If you’re trying to take on too much at once, you may end up feeling burned out and uninspired. Instead, try breaking down large goals and eliminating redundancy. See if you can create some simple shortcuts, and determine whether you might be making things more difficult than they have to be. The less complex you can make your plans, the more likely you are to feel bold and confident as you attempt each phase of them.
Focus on one thing at a time.
Closely related to overwhelming plans is the tendency to juggle multiple tasks or goals at once. While it’s sometimes necessary to do so, make a habit of trying to focus on the least amount of items at a time as you can. You may need to come up with a strict schedule to fit everything in, but by focusing your energy in this way each step of your journey should seem simple and easily attainable.
Forget perfection!
If there’s one sure way to feel overwhelmed and paralyzed by fear, it’s by trying to achieve perfection right from the get-go. No matter how badly you might want to effortlessly create a shining example of beauty and wonder in the world, it is almost impossible to do it the first time around. More often, you’ll gain in mastery the more you do something - and it can take months or years to become truly great at something. Be okay with this! Rather than striving for perfection the first time around, commit to continuously improving your skills and abilities. Commit to doing something as many times as it takes to get really good at it. Before you know it you’ll be better than you thought you could ever be.
Do it for the satisfaction.
Rather than pinning your hopes on some future outcome, get hooked on the sense of satisfaction you get from every step you take. Let each action be its own reward, and you’ll never lose motivation.
Read success stories.
One excellent way to motivate yourself is to read success stories about people who have accomplished what you are trying to accomplish. Whether you’re trying to lose a few pounds or write the next great American novel – there is probably someone out there who has done it. Do an internet search for “(your objective) success stories” and see what comes up. Also search for internet forums where you can chat with others who are working toward similar goals.
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