Motivation – that 10-letter word that makes all the difference in what gets accomplished throughout our lives. Whether it’s your academic life, professional life or personal life, your journey depends on the motivation that can be mustered up to push you through those moments when you’re feeling tired, lazy, or downright uninspired. Setting goals is one thing, but taking action to get that ‘to-do’ list done is another ballgame that many of us struggle with. But there are ways to help give yourself that little extra nudge when you’re starting to veer off course. So how do you go about motivating yourself when you’re feeling down and out? Here are some tips that just might be able to help you.
Figure Out Your ‘Why’
We all make goals and countless to-do lists only to procrastinate so much that we forget they even existed. But in order to reach your goals, it’s important to figure the why behind what you’re trying to accomplish. If your goal is to get in shape, eat healthier, ace your next exam, or get ahead with your career, sit down with a pen and piece of paper and really think about why you want it. Writing out concrete reasons can help anchor your emotions to them, which makes it so much easier to motivate yourself to keep on going.
Start Off Small
Piling up your list of goals and expectations can be an inadvertent way of setting yourself up for failure. So start off small and try to be realistic with what you can accomplish in the allotted timeframe. Focus on one thing at a time and break down your goals into baby steps. Your efforts will compound and make you feel great about what you've achieved while motivating you to do more!
Push Through The Fear
Fear is always a major obstacle when it comes to achieving our goals because the idea of failure is hard to ignore. But don’t let fear stop you from moving forward. If you’re struggling with this, write down what it is that you’re envisioning. What is your fear telling you will happen? When you take the time to truly identify what it is that’s preventing you from reaching your goals, you’ll see that even your worst case scenario really isn’t that bad at all.
The reality is it’s much easier to set goals than it is to muster the motivation to act on them. But tuning into your emotions is crucial in order for you to really connect to your reasons and find the drive to keep going – even during those difficult days. If you’re struggling to tap into your motivation, we can help.