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Do you feel like you’ve been sinking into a rut lately? Even the most disciplined among us have times when our motivation lags, and many people struggle with motivation from the outset. Whether you’re suffering from a temporary lapse or long-term focus on your goals has always been a challenge for you, the tips below can boost your motivation and may even change your life.
Often, a lack of motivation sets in when a person lacks a clearly-defined goal. What’s tricky about this step is that people often set what feels like a goal to them. Get in shape or make more money might sound like goals, but they’re actually quite vague. The key in motivating yourself is identifying the underlying desire. If what you really want to do is join some friends on a four-day backpacking trip, instead of get in shape, maybe your goal needs to be able to hike at least eight miles several days in a row. Instead of simply making more money, what you probably want to do is pay off some debt or save up for something important to you. Save up $30,000 for a down payment on a house gives you something concrete to aim for.
People often struggle with motivation when there is a gap between what they want and their understanding of how to get there. The key is breaking the big goal down into smaller steps. Even those smaller steps may have additional steps. For example, a vague goal of get a better job may have been made more concrete as to become a computer programmer. One of the main steps to achieve this might be getting a bachelor’s degree. This also requires a series of actions, such as choosing a school and figuring out how to pay for the degree. For the latter action, you could start by researching your options for scholarships, grants and loans. In addition to federal student loans, you may be able to take out private loans. Traditional brick-and-mortar banks and credit unions as well as less traditional online lenders can offer loans that help make up the gap left by other funding sources.
Sometimes, when you read articles from business leaders, entrepreneurs or other successful types, you get the impression that they are busy from the moment they open their eyes in the morning to the time they crawl back into bed at the end of the day. If that’s the impression you’ve been given, it’s very likely that it isn’t the whole story, and if it is, those same success stories are probably headed for burnout. In fact, if you are normally a motivated person who has found that motivation flagging, this could be why. It’s good to use your time efficiently, but it’s just as important to schedule some time in which you’re allowed to do whatever you want or nothing at all. Alongside this, you also need to build in rewards. You’d think that reaching your smaller goals along the way would be a reward in itself, but you do need to treat yourself from time to time as well.
