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Motivation, what is it and how do we get it? The actual definition of motivation is “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something”. But, how we find motivation when there is no desire or willingness? We’ve all had deadlines, projects, and assignments that leave us a little less than enthusiastic. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or fitness, if the motivation isn’t there; the mind and body do not follow. Let’s take a look at 5 unique steps you can take to find that motivation and jump start the New Year!
Step One: Acceptance
Wait, isn’t that the first step of everything? There is no better place to start than by accepting that motivation is completely up to you. There is no life coach waiting at your door to boost your positivity and energy each day. If there is, please send him/her my way! You have to take responsibility for not only your lack of motivation but for everything. If there are distractions or obstacles don’t let them be excuses. Eliminate them and become the motivator. The choice is yours. Ask yourself, do you want to be the person missing deadlines and coasting through life, or you do you want to be the person that other people look at and say “I want to be like that!”.
Step Two: Taking care of your body
Prepare your body and mind. Don’t skimp on sleep or nourishment and expect to be raring to go with whatever life throws at you. Taking care of yourself is a key element to staying motivated. Get the proper amount of sleep and keep your body hydrated and fed so that you are ready for your day. It’s important to note that having the right amount of energy is key. Starting your day with some exercise that gets your heart rate up or some caffeine can easily boost your energy level.
Step Three: Positive Thinking for Motivation
Get positive! Positive thinking is all about the repetition and awareness. Every time you see or hear yourself being negative, put an end to it. Is it that easy? Yes. The key is to change your “laters” to “nows” and your “cant’s” to “cans”. Listen to yourself when you speak. I know that seems silly at first but really listen to what others are hearing from you.
Are you constantly the “Debbie Downer” at home or the workplace? Do you spend a lot of time complaining or finding reasons why you CAN’T do something? Are you constantly thinking about the things that you aren’t getting done? If so, I want you to try a simple experiment. Pretend to be happy! What? Yes. Put on a fake smile and challenge yourself to only saying positive things. I promise you that before you know it you’ll have not only fooled those around you that you are a positive person, but you’ll have done the amazing job of fooling yourself. Being a positive person is a choice. Make that choice as many times a day as possible.
Step Four: Planning
Make a plan. I am a firm believer in lists and goals. If you aren’t looking at the big picture – whether that picture is your outlook calendar or your handwritten list of to do items, then chances are you don’t really know how much needs to be done. Seeing is believing. Make a list of things you need to do today, this week, this month, or even this year. You can prioritize the list as you see fit.
Just knowing that you are on action item number one of twenty should be enough to get you going when you look at the clock. Not only can you make a list for today but you can expand that into what that ‘to do’ list can help you accomplish with a bigger set of goals. It’s easy to toss things aside in your mind or get distracted. But, when you have a concrete plan that has a due date you are more apt to get things done. Looking back at all the things you have accomplished will get you motivated to do more things in the future.
Step Five: People Around You
There’s a dirty little secret that some will be afraid to tell you. But, good news for you, I’m not one of those people. If you surround yourself with negative people and disagreeable, distractive situations, then you are less likely to ever get out of your negative procrastination fog. Surround yourself with positive people. Don’t let others bring you down and keep you uninspired. Don’t get pulled into complaint circles and can’t campaigns.
The time to get things done is now! Everything you do in life requires a great support system. Sometimes that’s your friends and family and sometimes it is just you. Surround yourself with people that inspire and motivate you and you are half way to your goals. Fill your social media with people that are doing the things that you want to do and you are more likely to do them. The same can be said for filling it with the opposite.
If you still aren’t feeling motivated; I’ll leave you with some words to think about.
“Many people die at twenty-five and aren’t buried until they are seventy-five.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Looking for more great tips? Check out our other blogs here!
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