Finding your motivation is something personal. The best way to find it is to explore your wants, desires and dreams. It should come from within in order to be lasting.
You may already know that motivation (motive – action) is one of the keys that determine success or failure. If you feel that you’re having trouble properly motivating yourself, it’s time for you to act. Not tomorrow, but today.
Consider the following ways to motivate yourself today:
Get spiritual. Don’t be afraid to get in touch with your spiritual side. When you discover some answers to life’s tough questions, it brings you clarity, and you may be more likely to work harder to achieve your desires.
An important part of spirituality is your life purpose. Discovering your life purpose is the best thing you can do!
Set goals. Which are your dreams? You might lack drive because you don’t have a goal. If you aren’t even sure what you’re working towards, you’ll have difficulty taking action.
If you have a large goal, break up the goal into a series of small, achievable tasks and set each task as a separate goal. This helps you maintain impulse because you’re constantly achieving your goals. You can see the results of your hard work!
Hold yourself accountable. In order to ensure that you don’t stray from your chosen path, evaluate your progress every week. Determine how you can do better the next week.
If you find that it’s difficult to keep yourself accountable, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You may enjoy having others check up on you to make sure you stay on task. A life coach will be of great help.
Think positive thoughts. Negative thinking and lack of motivation go hand in hand. You can increase your enthusiasm by concentrating on replacing your negative thinking patterns. Replace negative feelings with optimism and positive thoughts and images.
When you catch yourself feeling down, make an extra effort to seek the silver lining. It’s always there. If you take the time to look hard enough, you’ll find it.
Make a change. If you think you’ve tried everything without results, perhaps you should consider a life change. Maybe there’s a reason why you’re feeling this way.
If you don’t feel inspired to work toward your major life goals, consider some alternatives that may be more in line with your true desires. If you’re having trouble taking action toward everyday chores, see if you can find a way to hire some help.
Always keep in mind that “the time is now”. Put procrastination into your past and you’ll feel happy and accomplished at the end of the day, instead of stressed out or regretful.
When you’re motivated, life is more fulfilling. Use these strategies to wake up your motivation and enjoy the difference!
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Melvin,
Thank you for sharing this great list! I like how you incorporate the spiritual side to the list. For me personally that is the most important factor for my own motivation and personal growth, it’s the foundation that everything else is built upon.
Moving to a positive mindset has had a huge impact on me as well. It has made a huge difference in my life as a whole. With positive thoughts so much more can be done and it really is a big motivator!
Stacy
Stacy recently posted..How to Become More Productive- Part Three
I totally agree with you that the spiritual dimension is the most important factor. I would say it is the determinant factor, like Saint Augustine said in order to growth upside you need to growth inside.
Blessings and Success,
Melvin Ramos
Hi Melvin,
I really enjoyed reading this article. Personally, I always ask myself the reason why I am doing something. When your “why” is strong enough the how will seem to fall into place and motivation becomes less of a barrier.
I also use pictures as motivation as well. I find it motivates me a lot when I put an image of something I really want on my desktop where I can see it frequently.
Once again, great article!
Randy
Randy recently posted..How to Reduce Stress and Get More Done
Hi Randy,
Having a why and an image in front of you is a great strategy for achieving your goal. It combines two powerful principles 1) Know exactly what you want and 2) Have a constant focus on it. After that add a constant action toward you goal and you are on your why to success.
Blessings and Success,
Melvin Ramos
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
Great job Melvin.
Hope your work gets all the attention it deserves. I think it would be fun to add not only hold yourself accountable but make yourself accountable to someone else.
I know it is easier to let ourselves down then it is to let down a close loved one. If you have something that you could use a bit more motivation for, than you should bring it up to those close to you.
If they know it’s something that’s important to you, their added support and reminders will help you follow through.
Bryce Christiansen recently posted..Personal Growth Lesson 3- Why Cancer is Not All Bad
Hi Bryce,
Yes it will be fun and highly effective to be accountable to oneself and to another person you like and respect. That’s the importance of having a coach. You are right it is harder to let another one down than it is to let down your self. But combining both will help you give more importance to be accountable to your self.
Thanks,
Melvin Ramos
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
I was looking for some self-motivation to start studying. This article is inspiring. Thanks a lot!
Thanks Jayasujatha, I’m happy you enjoy the article.
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
Hi Melvin,
Great post! I think spirituality can be the most crucial component to staying motivated. To me inspiration and motivation are very complimentary concepts. As well, finding purpose and intrinsic value are essential for lasting motivation. In this regard spirituality can be a very powerful part of finding inspiration and meaning in what we are doing. By feeling a purpose we are able to be more enthusiastic and experience more moments of joy in whatever are endeavor may be. This for me provides a lasting motivation. Thanks again for the post!
Joe Wilner recently posted..Part I- The What and How of Finding Your Passion with Mark Powers
Hi Joe,
I totally agree with you about the relation and benefits of spirituality, finding a purpose, inspiration and motivation. You have described perfectly this dynamic. Thanks for your contribution.
Blessings and Success,
Melvin Ramos
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
Hi Melvin,
Super advice here
Setting clear goals gives one a compass, keeping you on track whenever you stray.
Thanks for sharing!
Ryan Biddulph
Ryan Biddulph recently posted..So- How&8217s Your Energy RIGHT NOW
Great suggestions–I think the first, spiritual can actually get you slam dunk too and be all you need at times. When you get in tune with the inner part of you, the part that knows your value and knows where you want to go, you become almost free of a need to be motivated because you become guided to do this then this then this. It’s not a motivation process but an easy process of natural action. I think the best motivation is the not needing motivation because the action is just the natural “what comes next.”
Ande recently posted..The Cluster Theory Of How To Break Bad Habits
Hi Ande,
Spirituality is the key to be motivated. But motivation seen as having a motive(a goal, dream, purpose) to take action. Sometimes motivation it is understood as a feeling “being happy and desiring to do…”. But this feeling I think is another think and in this perspective I think like you that with a purpose and a sense of spirituality there is no need of being “motivated”. The key (again) is know your Why and take action…. then everything will take its place.
Thanks Ande, Blessings and Success to you…
Melvin Ramos
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
Sound advice, Melvin. Spirituality can often scare folks away… I like to remind people (and myself) that; if it ain’t practical, it ain’t spiritual. We can solve all our problems and daily difficulties through sound, pragmatic thinking and action.
rob white recently posted..We Know Not How to Think as We Ought!
Hi Rob and thanks…
I would said it the other way if it is spiritual it is practical. But there is a condition: take a concrete action at the same time.
One can decide/discover you passion and pray/meditate/visualize but you have to take action toward the thinks you control. And for the thinks one don’t let it go or influence over it.
Blessings and Success,
Melvin Ramos
Melvin recently posted..Welcome to the Redesigned Self Help 360
Hi Melvin,
Goal setting is something I believe is essential towards getting somewhere. But even before that, I believe asking the right questions to knowing where you gotta be is an important steeping stone for the goal setting process.
All in all, great advice!
Parker Lee recently posted..18 Ways To Love Again – from – Kids
This is a good list to start with Melvin.
For me it’s a combination of factors that do the job. Motivation is such a multi-faceted topic… but the two I feel have to be present for me to achieve anything are having a goal, and having a WHY. Spirituality for me is implied although as many people say here is not often spoken of.
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Hi, Melvin i agree with your list especially the point about evaluating our progress. Personally i keep track of the things that i did and after each accomplished task, set the next step/job to be done. I think that helps a lot in achieving our milestone goals and soon… our dream!
Melvin, I wanted to welcome you to CYT authors and thank you for writing a great post.
I think spirituality is key for me. A lot of people are put of by that word, but it can mean so many things to many people. For me, it’s about getting in touch with the heart of me and finding out what I really want.
Thanks again Melvin, and sorry it’s a bit late
Thank you for this blog. Connecting inside with our thoughts and feelings as well as quitting the still voice within can be a great jumpstart for motivation. That connection supports us in making any changes, thinking positively, setting goals and holding ourselves accountable for those goals are a great combination for success. Here’s to 2011 being our best year ever.
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