Motivation is the essence of all actions, the very structure of the word shows us its meaning: having reasons that lead us to act. Whether a person is successful or not is often closely related to their degree of motivation. Knowing what makes you motivated can have multiple beneficial and lasting effects. By recognizing what motivates you and acting accordingly, you will be much more likely to be able to live a healthy and happy life.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Setting and Achieving Goals
Step 1. Create a list of goals
Motivation requires an end. When the goal is vague, being motivated becomes complicated and as a result goals become impossible to achieve. Giving yourself clear goals and breaking them down into smaller goals that allow you to achieve regular results will allow you to increase your motivation. To this end, make sure that even the smallest goals are relevant to you and make sure that each goal is truly achievable; otherwise it will be difficult to stay motivated.
- For example, if you are struggling to find the motivation to go to law school, remember that this goal is the overall goal. To be able to stay motivated and to cross the finish line, it will be advantageous to break it down into smaller actions and goals.
- So, if your goal is to be able to enter and attend law faculty, the first thing to do will be to set ad hoc goals, that is to select a series of universities and be able to pass the admission test.
- "Passing the admission test" can be further broken down into minor actions, including, for example, finding the books needed for preparation and inquiring about any costs and exam locations. A further example of a sub-goal might require you to establish a series of criteria to select the faculty that best suits your needs (ask yourself, for example, if you give more importance to the prestige or location of the university).
Step 2. Plan your goals
Find out which goals you think are most important. What starting goals would make you more motivated? Be realistic in defining the feasibility of each milestone, based on your current availability of time, money and other resources. Sometimes, for it to make sense to dedicate oneself to a certain action, it is essential to carry out another one first (for example in the case of linked objectives). Committing to work on no more than one or two aspects of the journey will allow you not to feel overwhelmed by responsibilities and risk losing your motivation. When we feel overwhelmed by circumstances, we are tempted to stop pursuing our goals because we begin to feel that they are unattainable.
- In some cases the possibility of pursuing a goal will be subordinated to the achievement of a previous goal. Since it is essential to pass the entrance exam to attend law school, you will need to prepare and take it before you can begin your studies.
- Start with an easily achievable goal so that success allows you to stay motivated along the way.
Step 3. Create a list of actionable goals
After organizing them by importance, choose the two or three most relevant and create a list of daily actions or sub-goals that, over time, will allow you to reach the main goals. An example would be studying the first chapter of an entrance test preparation book.
- Make sure you don't overdo it by wanting to pursue too many goals simultaneously, otherwise some actions will conflict with others, sometimes competing for your time. The only result you would get would be to be less productive and motivated.
- Break down your goals into secondary tasks, that is, into simple and specific actions aimed at allowing you to reach your main goal. For example, a secondary assignment might be to prepare for the entrance exam by studying each day for an hour or learning the concepts contained in 10 pages or a chapter.
Step 4. Achieve your goals
In order to stay motivated, write down your daily tasks and review your list in the evening to see how well you are progressing. Recognizing that you have been productive positively affects mood. Repeat the process until the current goal is achieved, then move on to the next.
For example, at the end of the day draw a line on the sub-goal of studying a certain number of pages, or for a certain amount of time, to prepare for the entrance exam. Once you reach the end of the current chapter, move on to the next
Part 2 of 4: Changing Your Way of Thinking
Step 1. Think positive
A negative attitude can make your goals seem difficult to reach, turning them into mountains to climb; on the contrary, thanks to a positive mentality, the same goals can seem much more achievable. A scientific study has shown that a negative mood can literally alter our ability to evaluate, for example by making us consider a hill to overcome much higher than it actually is.
- If you find yourself having negative thoughts, try interrupting them by directing your attention elsewhere or trying to reframe them in a more positive key. For example, if not feeling motivated to write leads you to think "I'll never be able to finish my book, after a year I'm still stuck in the third chapter", try rephrasing the thought in more positive terms, such as "I have written three chapters of my book, continuing to write I will be able to double the material to be submitted to the publisher and soon I will have completed my work! ".
- Try to smile even when you don't feel motivated to do so. Research on the facial feedback hypothesis suggests that there is a two-way connection between facial muscles and emotions. In fact, although we usually smile because we are happy, by smiling for no reason we can immediately feel better.
- Try listening to "positive" music. Music can help us improve our mood and increase our positive feelings.
Step 2. Feel proud
If you are currently struggling to find the motivation to pursue your goals, but in this regard you can include some past successes, stop and encourage yourself to feel proud of your achievements. Even if you haven't achieved any specific results in the area where you are trying to become more motivated, you have certainly done something in the past that you can be proud of. Feeling proud of yourself increases your chances of being able to stay motivated, especially during difficult times.
- For example, you may have helped someone achieve one of their goals by offering to advise them or do something for them.
- Don't feel embarrassed to take your credit. When you know you've worked hard, praise from others can help you find the determination to move forward.
- Highlighting how your actions contributed to a positive outcome will help you feel proud of yourself. For example, if you are part of a charity that donates free meals to the hungry, think about your specific role in the project and the positive outcomes it has achieved. Perhaps you washed the dishes to allow you to feed as many people as possible, so your role was a necessary element that guaranteed food and a healthy plate to many people in need.
Step 3. Be enthusiastic
Keeping enthusiasm about your goals high will act as a fire that fuels your energy and motivation. Being passionate about your goals will also help you to persevere during tough times, when the urge to give up tries to make its way.
- When you feel that passion and motivation fade, remind yourself of the importance of the goals you are trying to achieve and the reasons why they have blown your enthusiasm in the past. Ask yourself what positive outcomes you could guarantee for yourself and others by making your dreams come true.
- For example, perhaps you want to go to law school to help people in need or perhaps to achieve financial independence. Visualize the consequences of your dream of becoming a lawyer and use that vision to rekindle your passion!
- If what drives you to pursue a goal is not passion, but another reason, for example if you want to lose weight for health reasons or to like yourself more, keep the final goal in mind. Think about what it would be like to be healthier: you would have more energy, you would most likely live longer, and you could feel proud of your achievements.
Step 4. Fuel your intrinsic motivation
Value the effort you put into learning, taking action and pursuing your goals rather than focusing on factors external to you, including what others will think if you succeed in making your dreams come true.
- What is called intrinsic motivation is a behavior that allows us to keep our level of enthusiasm high independently of other people; with the power of your mind alone you can start a fire that can sustain you throughout the entire process that will lead you to achieve your goals.
- To promote your intrinsic motivation, think about the aspects of your goal that excite you. Think about the way it mentally stimulates you and the perception of control that comes with it; the fact that you are sure of its feasibility should make you feel that the goal is within your reach. Each of these factors can help fuel your intrinsic motivation.
Step 5. Fight the fear
Don't worry too much about the possibility of things going wrong. When people think of "failure" they tend implicitly to assume that a failure to conquer leads to permanent failure and that it somehow defines a person's worth. This is a false belief! Embrace the idea that it is always possible to learn from your mistakes.
- After all, often the only way to achieve success is to try, fail and try again, even several times. Sometimes even the tenth, twentieth or fiftieth attempt will not be the successful one. So remember that many times failure is inevitable, and is an integral part of the recipe for success, this thought will help you stay motivated all the way, even after a fall.
- Think about the worst case scenario that could come true if you fail to make your dreams come true. Most likely, if you keep a realistic view, you will realize that it would not be the end of the world. What are you afraid of then? Often when we think about how we would feel in the event of failure, we tend to overestimate possible negative emotions; keep this in mind in case your lack of motivation is related to the fear of failure.
Part 3 of 4: Be Motivated
Step 1. Think about your past successes
If you are struggling to find the motivation to act, think about the times you have been able to be determined and achieve the desired results. Reflect on the feelings and effects associated with your successes.
For example, if you don't feel motivated enough to exercise regularly, think back to times when you worked out at your best and how good you felt after doing it. Think about how you felt during training and how proud you ended up feeling that you didn't give up and that you successfully pursued such an important goal as getting back to health
Step 2. Simply take the first step
Even if you don't feel motivated to do it, start anyway. Sometimes we tend to fantasize excessively by imagining scenarios that are much worse than the real ones. In psychology, the ability to predict our emotional states in the future is termed "affective forecasting," and as human beings we are quite denied in the matter. In most cases, once you have taken the path, you will find that the circumstances are not that dire.
For example, if you can't find the motivation to continue your book, turn on your computer and just start writing. Tell yourself that you will just write for 5 minutes and that if you don't feel motivated to continue, you will stop. You may find that by using this little trick to get yourself started, you will be able to develop the motivation to move forward
Step 3. Eliminate distractions
Part of the difficulty of being able to stay motivated is due to the presence of apparently more interesting elements than what we need to do. By eliminating anything that might catch your attention, it will be easier to keep you on track.
- For example, if you are trying to find the motivation to finish your schoolwork but are constantly distracted by messages from friends or the urge to surf the web, turn off both your cell phone and your computer.
- Once turned off, place them out of your sight, for example at the bottom of a drawer or in another room. The best thing to do will be to store them in a place that is difficult to access.
- When you do not have easy access to the web and messages, you will find that the other alternatives available are not as stimulating and you will therefore be more inclined to develop the motivation necessary to dedicate yourself to study.
Step 4. Be competitive
Some people are highly motivated by the idea of competing. Reflect on your past and find out if there have been any occasions when you felt motivated to do something because you were measuring up with someone else (or yourself). In case of positive feedback, it feeds some healthy competition; for the experiment to be successful, the other person does not necessarily have to know that you are "competing" against them.
Step 5. Get help
You can get other people to help increase your level of motivation. Share your goals with friends and family and let them know what your challenges are. Simply talking about it will help you feel more motivated and keep negative feelings at bay that undermine your belief.
Surround yourself with positive people who are also motivated to make their dreams come true. Emotions are contagious and their positivity will help you feel more motivated
Part 4 of 4: Taking Care of Yourself
Step 1. Eat healthily
Like the mind, your body also has its needs, by deciding to ignore them you will force it to send you reminder messages. The resulting malaise will damage your motivation. If you want to be motivated, it is therefore important to eat healthily.
Among the most healthy foods we can include: fresh and dried fruit, vegetables and lean meats
Step 2. Exercise
When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, substances that stimulate well-being and help you feel more motivated. Exercising helps reduce stress levels, counteracting even the mildest states of depression. Stress and depression can cause an unwelcome feeling of fatigue and impair your ability to stay motivated.
During your workout, listen to music that can give you a lot of energy, motivating you to give your best
Step 3. Don't abuse caffeine
Although known for its stimulating properties, when consumed in excessive quantities, caffeine will make you anxious and agitated, fueling feelings of stress and nervousness, sometimes to the point of feeling overwhelmed.
Step 4. Get enough sleep
A lack of sleep can compromise mental health and cause feelings of fatigue, sadness and anxiety, thereby threatening your ability to stay motivated.
- If you suffer from sleep disorders, make sure your bedroom is completely dark and quiet during the night. Establish and stick to a sleep routine by going to sleep and waking up at the same time each day. Track your sensations and find out how many hours of sleep you need to feel fully rested. Respect your body's needs.
- For example, if you go to bed at 10:30 pm and read for half an hour before falling asleep, do what you can to stick to this routine every day. The human body tends to be habitual, so you will be able to fall asleep more easily.
Advice
- Stay positive. Negative thoughts can impair your skills. Believe in yourself and, in the event of a fall, remind yourself that failure is an essential part of the path to success. The best thing you can do is learn from your mistakes.
- Beware of troublemakers and those who don't like to see someone succeed; they will often try to matter their point of view and assert themselves in your attempts to make your dreams come true.
- Give up completely the pessimistic and defeatist mentality. Sometimes people tend to approach life with a renouncing attitude, justifying themselves with phrases such as "it is inevitable", "it is not worth trying" or "it is destiny".
