How Do I Stay Motivated?

It is important to note that motivation starts within. Find it, keep it, and make it work for you.

How Do I Stay Motivated?

Motivation feels good, energising, and drives us to get things done. But it doesn’t always come naturally, and we all face challenges when motivation feels hard to come by. This became evident in the questions I get asked about what motivates me or how do I stay motivated. I always thought that if you wanted to achieve something, you would develop a natural motivation to do so, but that's not always the case. Fortunately, there are a few ways I can share that I found effective that helped me increase and maintain motivation to achieve my goals.

  1. Discover Your "Why". Why do I want to achieve this goal? Why is this goal important to me? How will I benefit from achieving this goal? Having the answers to questions like these can really go a long way in helping you to get and stay motivated.
  2. Practice Chunking. Chunking is the act of breaking a component into smaller “chunks” of related information. By breaking down my end goal into smaller achievable tasks, it allowed me to stay focused, less overwhelmed and most importantly, I get to celebrate "small wins" after completing each task. So instead of seeing 20 modules to complete, see it as 4 chunks of 5 modules, and be sure to reward yourself after completing each chunk.
  3. Set Specific Deadlines. Instead of saying, "I will complete my goal within the next 3 months" say, "I will complete my goal by the 25th of January". And be sure to stay true to the committed timeline, unless you have an immediate emergency, DO NOT RESCHEDULE. I found this worked for me as a combat to my procrastination.
  4. Find A Role Model or Mentor. I get really excited when I see others excel, especially in areas that directly align with my goals. That excitement gives me a burst of motivation, knowing that one day, that's going to be me. What I like to do, is connect with these individuals and ask them about what they did to achieve their goals. After which, I try to adopt their methodology, making adjustments where possible. In doing this, you will quickly realise that "They (aliens) Live Among Us".
  5. Take A Break. When you feel that you need to take a break, try to stop at a point where it is logical to stop. Taking a break seems counter-intuitive to motivating yourself, but you don’t want to burn yourself out.

In concluding, it is important to note that motivation starts within. Find it, keep it, and make it work for you.