Motivation Tips

Number One

You have zero connection to your goals have to be important to you. You'd be surprised how few people really relate to their goals. They set these lofty ambitions about becoming doctors or starting their own companies without asking themselves one simple question: Is that what I really want? People have to relate to something before it carries emotional weight. When we have that personal connection with a story or idea, we can insert ourselves into it and we care about what happens. It works the same way for your goals—you have to genuinely see yourself in them.

Otherwise, even if you tell people you have big dreams, you'll have a hard time staying motivated. If this sounds like you, take a hard look at where you're headed and reflect on the reasons why you do what you do. Try asking yourself more introspective questions like, "Did I choose my own goals, or is there something else I feel more connected to?" The answers to these questions will tell you if you're moving in the right direction or if you have a stronger connection with something else.

Number Two

You reward yourself for everything. Do you let yourself get away with everything? If you slack off or procrastinate, do you still reward your bad habits? Well, for many people, a typical afternoon goes something like this: In the morning, you decide that you want to take a step towards your goals. You're determined to get it done today because you've been putting it off for months. You tell yourself that you can't watch TV or play video games at all—not until you get this done.

But when you're sitting in front of the computer, you're completely unmotivated. All you want to do is go watch TV, so you say, "Oh well, I tried," and you let yourself watch TV anyway, even though you got nothing done. This is a classic example of misplaced reinforcement. Your original idea was good; it was. You set up a reward system, and that should have motivated you, but you're not being firm with yourself. You're not taking that reward system seriously. Your brain knows that it's going to get that reward either way, so it wants to avoid working and go straight to the fun part.

Instead of feeling motivated, your brain chooses to be lazy. So how should a good reward system work? There has to be positive rewards and negative consequences. If you do your work like you're supposed to, you should get a present—you should let yourself have some fun. But if you don't do your work, you should take that reward away. Otherwise, there's no real punishment for slacking off. This kind of reward system may be the real reason that you're not motivated. But if you keep yourself in check, you can use rewards and punishments to develop your motivation in no time.

Number Three

You lack independence. Many unmotivated people feel like they're not in the driver's seat, like their future wasn't their idea or that they didn't have the freedom to pursue their passions. If this sounds like you, your lack of independence might be destroying your motivation. There are all kinds of ways you could have lost your freedom. You might have been forced into a job that you hate; your boss might not give you an inch of breathing room, or you might spend every day doing errands for people instead of pushing or challenging yourself.

If you struggle with these things every day, it leaves you feeling beaten down, and you start dreading your work. You wake up each morning, and all you want to do is quit. How are you supposed to feel motivated when you don't even want to be there? Freedom of choice plays a major role in building your motivation. It's empowering to know that you chose your own path in life, that you're chasing your own goals instead of someone else's. In the same vein, you need agency, independence, and responsibility. All of these make you more enthusiastic and stimulated by your work. So if you're struggling with motivation, it may be because you're constantly being told what to do.

Number Four

You stay in bed. How much time do you spend in bed each day? Because lying down too much may be ruining your motivation. This comes from a 1994 study from the University of Tokyo. Lying in bed can worsen everything from your mood to your well-being. But one thing suffers more than anything else, and that's your motivation. Over the course of 20 days, people who spent more time in bed saw a significant decline in productivity and performance. So the next time you want to work in bed or just rest for a few minutes, think about how much lying down can hurt your motivation.

Number Five

You're indecisive about the future. Can you envision your future? Do you have clear-cut goals? Most people don't. In fact, most people walk into their futures completely blind. But if you don't know where you're headed, how in the world are you supposed to get excited about it? It's a scary feeling when your entire future is up in the air. It's like jumping straight into the unknown, hoping that something or someone is there to catch you.

So do yourself a favor—define your goals. Your indecisiveness might be the real reason that you're not motivated. By laying out a plan for your future, you can open up a clear path toward your definition of success. And you'll finally feel motivated to make that specific dream a reality.

Number Six

You repeat past mistakes. Are you running into the same roadblocks over and over again? You might be losing motivation because you feel like you're not making any progress. You keep hitting the same walls and struggling with the same problems. You feel like you're stagnating, and that makes it really hard to get inspired. Just imagine you're trying to be an artist, but you aren't feeling motivated to sketch or paint. You might be struggling because you don't feel like you're improving. You look back at your art from a few months ago, and nothing's changed.

If you're stuck in this situation, the solution is pretty simple: change your perspective. Renew your motivation by trying something different. This new approach will help you avoid past mistakes, open up exciting new doors, and give you some perspective on the problems that you had before. Just because you've hit a wall doesn't mean you have to keep climbing it over and over again. Sometimes the best way to get over a wall is to find another way around it.

Number Seven

You're exclusively extrinsic. The most powerful kind of motivation comes directly from you—it's called intrinsic motivation. It stems from your inner passions, beliefs, and values. It's the kind of motivation you cultivate on your own throughout your life. And if you stay disciplined, it can fuel you for years and years to come.

But the problem is most people don't have that kind of motivation. Instead, they're more motivated by extrinsic rewards. These are temporary motivators that come from the world around you. Compliments are a good example. You might be motivated to work just to get a compliment from your boss. But once that reward passes, you don't feel motivated anymore, and you have to rely on other extrinsic rewards to get you up and going again. Far too many people rely on praise and admiration to get them started. But that bad habit is holding them back.

So ask yourself: what motivates you? What inspires you to work harder and longer than everyone else? If you can't think of something, you may be relying too much on external rewards.

Number Eight

You're not competitive. Competition is another natural motivator. Whether you're racing against the clock or competing with a co-worker, competition lights a fire under you. It drives you, and it pushes you to your limit. But if you're not a competitive person, this can be a hard thing to wrap your head around. You might see other people succeeding and think, "Their goals have nothing to do with me."

But even if you're not competitive with other people, there are still ways that you can motivate yourself. For example, you can compete against your own personal bests. Many people try to outdo themselves day after day. That competitive urge helps them make continuous progress and stay productive even when they're feeling lazy. So whether you're competitive or not, create a little competition in your life because it'll be a powerful motivator on your road toward success.

Number Nine

You're inconsistent. Maybe none of these apply to you. Maybe you're in the perfect field, you love your job, and you know exactly where you're headed. On paper, you should be inspired every single day. You should be waking up full of energy, ready to tackle your dreams. But for some reason, that's still not happening. So why aren't you motivated?

The simple fact is motivation—even in the perfect situation—takes a lot of practice. You have to hone that skill set like a habit or a talent. Imagine you're learning how to play a sport like tennis. Even if you love to play tennis, you won't automatically be good at it. You still have to play on a regular basis. You still have to practice serving or volleying back and forth.

Many people struggle to keep their motivation alive because they're way too inconsistent. They rely on bursts of inspiration or productivity to get them started. While those empowering moments may remind you how much you love what you do, it's not enough to keep your motivation alive. You need to have enough self-discipline to be consistent and incorporate your practice into your routine. That way, motivation becomes something you have on a daily basis, not just something you feel every once in a while.

Conclusion

In conclusion, motivation is a multifaceted concept that requires introspection, discipline, and a clear understanding of personal goals and desires. By identifying the barriers to motivation and implementing strategies to overcome them, individuals can cultivate a consistent drive towards their aspirations.

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