Keeping motivation high with confidence when times are good is hard enough, but when times get tough with looming deadlines and not enough hours in the day, then staying motivated with confidence can seem near impossible. Unfortunately you can’t go out any buy a bottle of motivation, and despite the numerous self help videos and books that are available on the market, knowing how to maintain your motivation level is not easy. So, here is a list of five things that can help you to stay motivated in order to achieve success, whether you are trying to meet a deadline for work, finish a DIY project or keep up your fitness routine:
Devise a strategy. But, don’t be scared to change track if you need to.
With many things in life, if you have a strategy as to how you will complete your task you will be more likely to keep focused on track. However, if the strategy that you devise does not work the first time round, then don’t be afraid to change it. Remember that succeeding is often the result of trying just one more time.
Plan for flagging motivation.
As we all know that it is almost certain that at some point on our path to success we will hit a road block, and need a boost to stay motivated, we should plan for these melancholy moments and have ideas in mind for how we overcome them when they occur. Ideas could include: watching motivational videos, reading motivational quotes, or having a friend you can go and see to encourage you to continue. This is not defeatist thinking, but merely realistic foresight that will help us to successfully reach our targets.
Make a hand written list of reasons why you want to reach your target.
Our lives are hectic and so it is really easy to get off track if our goals aren’t clear. By writing down a list of reasons why the goal we are striving for is important, and putting it somewhere easy to see, it will increase our chances of success and help ground ourselves in our goals. Also, by writing down the list by hand, it can help to engage our brains more actively- helping to develop more motivation for the task ahead!
Visualize your goal.
Elite athletes will visualize their performances in a lot of detail before competition day- right down to the face they will pull as they cross the finish line and the shouts of applause they will hear. This visualization helps athletes to focus on the task in hand and has been found to increase the likelihood that they will achieve their goals. We can also use visualization to help us stay on track, and keep motivated. By seeing, feeling and hearing the sounds that accompany the end result of our goal, we will be encouraged to continue striving onwards. Visualization can be done at anytime, so try practicing it so you can easily focus on your goal when you feel your motivation is flagging.
Split your goal down into smaller chunks, and set yourself targets.
If we feel like we have too many things to do, or an impossible challenge to meet, then we will inevitably feel overwhelmed and lack motivation. By breaking our goals down into small, manageable chunks, we won’t feel like we have to tackle the whole thing all at once. Devising steps that we can achieve on the way to our ultimate goal will help to inspire us to continue and will keep us focused. When we reach and accomplish each step, we will feel good about ourselves and the challenge ahead. To add to this, why not give yourself small rewards like going to the cinema, ice skating or going out for dinner, when you accomplish each step?!
By following these steps, you will be more likely to stay motivated and achieve your goals!