You have set a goal for yourself and you want to achieve that. In good spirits you start and yet it happens to all of us that the motivation sometimes fades and it is difficult to keep going. Sounds familiar? In this article you will read everything about motivation and what you can do to stay motivated and achieve your goals with more ease.
What is Motivation?
Motivation is what drives an individual to certain behaviour. It is a mix of personality, culture and environment. Motivation makes you move and act accordingly. The numerous temptations in your environment make it a challenge to remain motivated until you start thinking differently.
Reset the Mind
To achieve your goals it is of extreme importance to take on your own responsibility. If you are dieting for example you don’t want to be bombarder with unhealthy food so it would be perfect if the supermarket suddenly stopped selling unhealthy food but that is never going to happen. External factors will never completely disappear and pave the way, so that you can achieve your goals without any temptation or setback. By realising this, you prevent disappointments and you are already a step closer to your goal.
Focus
Achieving your goals is not easy and that is okay. But by emphasising that it is difficult, you will make it even more difficult. By thinking of the word ‘difficult’, your motivation (and therefore energy) disappears magically. Words have a lot of influence on our thoughts and thoughts that predominate in the head determine our behaviour. Now you do not have to fool yourself by saying that all of a sudden it’s all easy, because that also does not work. What does work is to shift the focus from “I find it difficult” to “I like this because it brings me closer to my goal”. It is simple, but very effective to think like that. The reason why this works is because by using other words you do not experience obstacles that stop or slow you down. This makes it easy to deal with temptations and you get pleasure from what you do. And everything you do with more pleasure will bring more results. The following seven tips will help you to have a positive focus and stay motivated.
7 Motivation Tips
These tips ensure that you remain motivated. It will you help you to set realistic goals and get more enjoyment from them.
1. Choose a goal that is worthwhile
Every goal that you find worthwhile gives you positive energy. If the goal does not inspire you, you will simply not realize it. Motivation and positive thinking naturally take place when you have something to look forward to. So choose a goal that really gets you excited and formulate it clearly.
2. Focus on the good
When the motivation fades away, ask yourself the following question: “What is good?” Almost every situation has an advantage and the ability to see it will help you stay motivated. Now it is certainly an art to see something positive in everything, but with some training you will mastered it. The more often you ask yourself this question, the easier it will become and the easier it is to remain motivated.
3. Celebrate your successes
No matter how small your success is, celebrate it! After all, it is another step in the right direction. Compliment or reward yourself with a gift. Because no matter how small the step is, it is something you have achieved and that is worth celebrating.
4. Ask for support
There is nothing wrong with expressing that you have a temporary motivational dip and asking help from others to get out of it. Do not complain, but indicate that you are not so motivated at the moment and ask the other person to tell you what you are doing good. Listen to the other person, because that will give you a nice feeling that makes the motivation dip disappear.
5. Keep it compact
Taking big steps towards your goal will not help to achieving them and is disastrous for motivation. If you want to run a marathon, you will first have to start running a few kilometers and then build it up. The same principle applies to the realization of your goals: set clear steps, take them one by one and your motivation will remain. One small step forward is a step forward!
6. Prevent yourself from negative thinking
Sometimes things just don’t work out and negative thought pops inside your head. It can happen and nothing is wrong with that. But do not focus on it. If you believe the negative thoughts the problems will accumulate and your motivation will disappear. When you are in such a moment, let your thoughts rest for a while. Take a walk, listen to music and then focus on what does works.
7. Charge yourself
Having motivation and holding on to that takes energy. The less energy you have, the less motivation. Prevent the energy supply from running out and take the time for fun things: a good conversation, exercise, eating your favorite dish, etc. Doing things that you like will give you energy and ensure that the motivation engine can keep running at full speed.
Motivation Boost
Do you have a mega off day and is your motivation hard to find? Then watch my video “Yoga For More Motivation” and give yourself a motivational boost with these yoga exercises!
