One of the greatest challenges we face in our day to day lives is figuring out how to acquire a steady, consistent sense of daily motivation. A lack of motivation can result from any number of problems, ranging from the very troubling to the easily conquered. A lack of daily motivation could be the result of a serious medical issue such as depression. With an issue such as depression the best option for increasing your motivation is to seek professional help. However, in situations where the issue is avoidance or laziness there are many ways to overcome a lack of motivation.
Discipline is not a tangible idea. There is no innate skill in certain people that make them more motivated than others. Motivated people simply choose to work harder and put forth more effort, realizing that their efforts are worthwhile in the long-run. So how can you become one of these motivated individuals? This article will address reasons you may lack motivation, as well as some steps to become more self-motivated.
The first and most important step to motivate yourself is to realize and accept that you are not perfect. Beating yourself up mentally and dwelling on past failures will only serve to make things worse for you and will further compound your lacking motivation. Harping on the past and focusing on imperfections is a common pitfall for people who lack motivation. This kind of mentality only leads to an intensification of your motivational problems. Accept your strengths and limitations, as both will play a role in influencing your motivational style.
Your second step towards achieving greater motivation should be to make a list of things that interest and drive you. Do you work hard for your family’s sake or will you be more motivated by career recognition? Do you need to feel good about your achievements or will monetary compensation be your motivating factor? There is no trick to these questions, as one form of motivation is not necessarily better than another. This exercise is about finding what will help compel you into action.
The next step is deciding what to do when you are feeling an extreme lack of motivation on your journey towards completing your goals. When this happens you should look back at your reasons to be motivated and allow them to guide and inspire you. Write your goals and strategies down; tape them on your bathroom mirror – any little action that will remind you of the value of what you are working towards.
One simple suggestion to help make a difficult task seem easier is to break it down into smaller pieces. This strategy will help you to view the task not as tough and time consuming, but as simple and manageable. Choose to see the aspects of the project that are easy. For example, many people find it difficult to begin exercising. However, if you can create the habit of exercising for five minutes a day, you can expand it later to ten minutes a day. This build-up creates, at a subconscious level, the routine of exercising and removes the stress of engaging in something that seems daunting.
The final step in the process is to repeat-repeat-repeat all of the aforementioned tactics. It is through the repetition of these tactics that motivation becomes steady and constant. It is also important to realize that even though you may slip up along the way, adhering to this method will result in genuine motivation. For people who lack motivation it is easy to get completely derailed by bumps and hurdles in the road. It is vital to remember that tomorrow is a new day and you can pick up the threads of your motivational plans right where you left them.
