5 things I have learnt about motivating myself

Motivation is a key skill for unlocking your best future and the tipping point for reaching your goals. 

Motivation is the x factor to turn dreams into reality. Inspiration provides the pull, and motivation gives you the push.

Motivation is the core of all you do, all you want to do, its gets you jumping out of  bed, creating your day, energised, excited, urging you to give it another go.

What 5 Things have I  learnt about motivating myself, the things I know that stir me to provide direction and action to be better and thankful for what is on offer?

The first one would have to be, for me, about what I want from life.  

What am I willing to put in place for my desires and dreams.

If it is not clear to me, if I have not made it crystal clear what it is that I am after, what I want to achieve then I get very despondent about it all.

I know that when I am not clear on what I want from my life, it touches other aspects of my life, I become critical of little things; doubt my relationships, my abilities, my skills.  I have learnt that the fog in my brain gets thicker when I have lost the trail to my purpose and my beliefs.  

My mojo or motivation just gets harder to pick up and force. 

What I have learnt about motivating myself is to write it down and write it in many different ways and that provides me a way of really giving me definition.  

I also use drawing, music and long conversations with friends to give my dreams a really tangible shape and once I do this, my motivation gets a kick start to make it happen.

When I am clear on what I want from life, who I want to be with, the vision I have for what I want to do or see in my life, that is when motivation stirs, energy multiplies and that is a great feeling.

Whatever you vividly imagine

Ardently desire

Sincerely believe and

Enthusiastically act upon must inevitably come to pass!

Paul. J Meyer

The second lesson for me, would be putting my goals in motion. 

I start with the big plan but look for the small wins.  This is obvious to me now, but not always.          I have jumped ahead as it was all about the big plan, things didn’t always come together straight away and I would find it harder to get motivated.  All I could see were the difficulties and the obstacles.

I have learnt that when I have big plans I look to the small things to fall into place and my intention gains strength and I am motivated to keep going.  

Those big plans look awesome and the small wins along the way help to overcome the failures I may have, and yes the setbacks are there, as well.

So, I look for the small wins.   I always take heart from that old saying about how you eat an elephant…one bite at a time.   I know that I can achieve what I set out to do, when I look at it one step at a time. 

One thing that kills my motivation is when I want to get it all done sooner rather than later, I can get frustrated and lose the plot.  

Motivation is built on momentum and I am ready and alert to what I do and what comes into my life that builds on my purpose.  

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step” Lao Tzu

I am motivated because I know that my success has the potential of helping so many people.

Always follow your passion

Let it lead you

It will always lead you to a successful interesting life.

John Keogh

The third lesson about motivating myself is how I am making decisions.  

The moment I hear myself saying, “I don’t know what to do”, or “I can’t decide” is a warning bell ringing for me that my motivation is low.  I find myself sitting on the fence about what to do next, I listen to others about what I should or shouldn’t do and I can feel myself getting confused.

How I am making decisions shows me how motivated I am towards my goals.  Decisions that are clear, exact, you understand the risks and the consequences, informed, sit well with you, this style of decision making shows you are motivated….and it also fuels your motivation.

My decisions are based on my values and when I find myself in a place of being indecisive, its time to revisit what I value and what is most important and listen carefully to my inner voice.  

I have learnt to trust my inner voice. 

The fourth lesson I have learnt about motivating myself is about knowing what are my weaknesses.  

What are the “traps” that can hold me back or suck all the motivation from me?  Time to be really, really honest with myself, no delusions or excuses here and my biggest weakness would be distractions and time wasting.  

The TV, the latest movies, advertising, or any screens can turn me into a coach potato real quick. It is an easy one to slip into, every night there maybe a favourite show and that can take me away from what I really need to do.  Time just goes when I am web surfing and losing motivation creeps up on me.

How I motivate myself and use my time better is to check my habits of how many distractions I have in my day.   I use Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix to help me work out how much time I am spending in each of the areas of Urgent, Not Urgent, Important, Not Important.    I find doing this, how much time am I spending in each area is a great motivator to lift my game and work on my tactics to keep me on track and juice up the motivation.

The fifth lesson I have learnt about motivating myself is that I am in a competition of one.  

The only competition that I am in, is the one with myself. My actions come from wanting to be better at what I do and what I value and what I have decided is important for me.   

When I start looking at others and how better they are, or I start competing with them, then my motivation gets harder to do, it now becomes a grind and my confidence and self belief needs propping up.  

I certainly learn from others, I choose role models, coaches and mentors who help me, but my success is my responsibility.  To motivate myself does not come from a place to be better than someone else or to keep up with someone else.  

My motivation comes from wanting to keep striving for the best me, the unique me, the creative, resourceful, spirited, fun filled me.

There are more lessons, but I am curious, what do you do to motivate yourself? 

I would love to hear and be inspired by you.