How I keep myself motivated?
7 simple things I do for long-term motivation
--
“You can look for external sources of motivation and that can catalyze a change, but it won’t sustain one. It has to be from an internal desire.”
—Jillian Michaels
Photo on Unsplash by Cristofer Jeschke
Motivation is what we need to pursue a path and to keep going. It is needed to everyone a professional, a beginner, a student and even a householder. It’s so easy to get motivation from books, motivational speakers and in short the kernel of people’s experiences that is motivational quotes. Either way, we can get ourselves to work by getting prompted. The problem is not how to get motivated, the problem is how to keep yourself encouraged? How to remain steadfast and motivated during the whole course of the journey?
How keeping yourself motivated is difficult?
Let’s look at the story,
Sarah is a high school student who is average at studies. She has her weaknesses, but she is happy with how life’s going. Sometimes she learns enough and sometimes her performance is not up to the mark. Her mother tries to knock some motivation in her but all in vain. One day randomly scrolling Facebook page she came across a motivational video in which the speaker used the quotation of Seth Godin, the author of a self-help book, ‘The Dip’. The very quote said “Quit or be exceptional. Average is for losers.”She decides now is the time to mend her ways and work hard. So she relinquishes all other notions which she had on life and begins to work on her studies. The video keeps her motivated for few weeks but soon enough she becomes sluggish and comes to her daily routine as before.
We all encounter similar situations in one way or another. Sometimes our plans turn against us and everything is messed up. What are we supposed to do then? The answer is to change your plan not the goal.
- Trying to get motivated time and again
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”
—Zig Ziglar
One-time motivation doesn’t last forever. The things which are most important to you one day, are nothing the other day. Sometimes feelings and emotions attached to a motivational book/speaker change with time. Then we are supposed to search for another inspiration. I still remember the first time I started to keep my belongings organized. It was a quote that prompted me and back then, I believed that that quote would be a part of my everything in future especially planner. But now that quote has done its job and it’s no longer a part of my daily planner. So, sometimes everything changes with time. Have a new inspiration to refresh you.
2. Keeping the favorite motivational quote/lines at the start of daily planner/commonplace notebook
I’ve to see my commonplace notebook many times in a day. Whenever I took it, my inspiration for following the track welcomes me. It is refreshing to just look at the quote as it is what works for me.
3. Never look back
Once started the journey don’t ever think about going back. The safety zone allures us into giving up. Whenever I start something, I remind myself time and again that all the roads for going back are closed. Always believe that when we stick to something for enough time, we can have our way quite easily. Just look at your way forward.
4. Be mindful of ease in giving up
It’s easy to abandon the exasperating journey. The actual greatness is in doing what is too difficult. If it is too easy, it’s not worth it. With this approach, you can boost up your enthusiasm and can have your way. Once I started learning something, it was particularly difficult for me and at times I just wanted to shut all that stuff but barely believing that giving up is easy, actual bravery is to do what needs to be done, worked for me and I eventually succeeded.
5. Stop worrying about perfection
Things take time. Nobody gets perfection right away. If you keep thinking about getting perfect, it’s just not possible. And over thinking about how much you have to accomplish, you will end up leaving the task altogether.
6. Don’t compare your progress with others
God has bestowed each human with different traits. The easy things for a person may be too complicated for others. It doesn’t mean some people are born as a follower and not as the leader. It’s just that everybody has distinct potentials and thus everybody’s department may or may not be similar. So, don’t compare yourself with others, it’s just a waste of time and energy. It can’t help you, can it?
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
~Albert Einstein
7. Reward yourself
Don’t forget to reward yourself. An accomplishment of something which will lead you to success is good. Heart goes where it’s appreciated. The only one who can reward yourself properly is yourself, So enjoy every aspect of your little attainment to keep yourself motivated for a long time. Too much bonus can lose its worth. So, handling this rewarding way suitably is important.
So, that’s all I do to keep myself motivated. These simple tricks helped me to battle the conflict between whether to give up or get going. Your only long-term motivation can come by yourself.
“You can motivate by fear, and you can motivate by reward. But both those methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.”
―Homer Rice
