How many times have you started enthusiastically a weight loss program, began a bodybuilding or aerobics training program, or started learning a foreign language, only to stop after a short while?
How many times have you tried to make changes in your life, study a certain topic, or start a certain project, but couldn’t, due to lack of motivation?
Sometimes, we have the motivation and enthusiasm and start a new project, but after a little while, we lose the motivation and zest, and stop doing what we started to do. This happens quite often to most people, and then we wonder what can we do to get motivated, not lose the enthusiasm, and to continue to the finish line.
What Is Motivation and Why Do We Need It?
Motivation is an inner driving force that pushes you to do and accomplish things. It is comprised of a strong desire, ambition, and the realization of the importance of what to want to do.
In order to accomplish anything, you need a driving force, otherwise, nothing would happen. A simple wish is not strong enough to make you take action. A wish is a weak desire, but only a strong desire can drive you forward, to act and accomplish aims and goals.
Motivation is awakened by both internal and external factors, which stimulate the desire and the energy to continue being interested and committed to a job, action or goal. It is the process that stimulate people to act, do things, and accomplish goals.
What can help you to get motivated?
- You need to know exactly what you want.
- Your goal should be clear.
- You need to be aware of it benefits of what you want to accomplish.
- You need to keep the desire, enthusiasm and zest constantly alive.
Thinking often of your goal, and accepting the idea that it can come true, would increase your motivation and strengthen your desire to achieve it.
Thinking and persuading yourself of the importance of what you want to do or achieve, would increase your motivation, strengthen your desire, and make you willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goal.
As strange as it might seem, exercising your body regularly can help too. This will increase your energy level, inner strength and perseverance, and help you continually get motivated, active and energetic.
How to Get Motivated – Tips and Advice
Motivation has become a popular term nowadays. There are motivational coaches and speakers, and motivational books and articles. You can find a lot of information about it on the Internet, as well as here, in the articles on this website.
Motivation has much to do with the emotions and the imagination, which means that if you want to get motivated, you have to work on your feelings and imagination. You can do so, by visualizing your goal as clearly as possible, and actually feeling that you are enjoying it.
How to get motivated? Here are a few tips to help you:
1. Think and analyze your goal, and find out whether you really want to achieve it. Is it worth the effort and time? Maybe you don’t really want it.
If after thinking about your goal, you realize that you do not really care about it, it would be difficult to be motivated, and you will need to find something else that you really want to achieve and that is really important to you.
It is easier to become motivated and stay motivated, when you are sure about what you want.
2. Make your goal very clear. Writing it down will help you describe it in clear and concise words. The more specific it is, the easier it would be to focus on it and get yourself motivated.
3. Think often about your goal or desire, about its benefits, and how your life will look like after accomplishing it. This will awaken your emotions, which supply the driving force and enthusiasm to pursue your goal.
4. Visualize your goal as already accomplished, and close your mind to doubts and disbelief.
Visualize how your life would be after getting what you want. Imagine how you would feel after achieving your goal.
True, it might not be easy, as doubts and disbelief will probably try to occupy your mind. However, with persistence, you can teach your mind to stay away from doubts, or least ignore them.
5. Make workable plans, with small steps that are easy to follow, and insist on taking at least one step a day. This will give you confidence, and make you believe that the goal is within your reach. When you see a goal as doable, it would be easier to become motivated and enthusiastic.
6. Read books or articles about the subject of your goal. They will keep your mind directed toward your goal and focused on it.
7. Read about people who have achieved success. This would inspire you to emulate them and do what they did. You can find books, articles and videos about them, by searching for them on the Internet.
8. Read inspiring quotes related to the topic of your goal. I suggest that you read a few in the morning and again at night, before you go to sleep. You may also read them at any other time of the day. You can write a few on a piece of paper or save them on your smartphone. Visit our quotes directory to find such inspiring and useful quotes.
9. If you are depressed and feeling down, and have no desire to do anything, you should muster all the strength you have, and go out for a walk, exercise your body, or force yourself to get out and go see an entertaining movie, which will make you laugh or inspired.
Never allow yourself to stay in bad mood, no matter how down you feel. If you follow the tips and advice here, you would be in a better position to get over any negative state of mind.
10. When you need a dose of motivation, you will find it helpful to repeat positive affirmations. Here is an example:
“I have the desire, enthusiasm inner strength to achieve my goal”.
Repeat this affirmation often, with attention and belief. You can find many such affirmations in my book, Affirmations – Words with Power.
11 Start taking small steps toward your goal right now. Don’t wait for the right opportunity and time. Any time is the right time, otherwise it is just procrastination.
The Importance of Starting with Small Goals
It easier to show motivation in connection with short-term goals. When it comes to long-term goals, it is not always easy to sustain the motivation for a long period of time, unless you have a strong ambition. This is why it is wiser to start with small goals, which you can accomplish quite fast. After learning to awaken motivation and increase the ambition, you can proceed to bigger goals.
If you desire to get a certain object, or accomplish a certain goal, but you don’t feel motivated enough to act, it means that the desire or goal are not important enough. To be motivated to take action and do something related to your goal, you need to possess a strong desire.
Motivational Phrases Worth Remembering
“Motivation is the powerful engine that moves you toward success and accomplishments in every area of your life.”
“Motivation is the electrical power that activates the engine of success.”
“Visualizing your desire as already accomplished, and enjoying the feelings of accomplishment, awaken in you energies that drive you to do whatever it takes to make your desire come true.”
“It is important that you motivate yourself only towards worthy and positive goals that will benefit you and others.”
“Visualizing your desire as already accomplished, and enjoying the feelings of accomplishment, awaken in you energies that drive you to do whatever it takes to make your desire come true.”
Find more quotes on the motivation quotes page.
Learning how to get motivated is an important step to achieving anything you want. It will make your life more interesting, improve it, and make you more positive and happy.