Ten Ways to Stay Motivated

In a world that feels increasingly uncertain, there are days where you may wake up and instantly just want to stay in bed. I get it; it can just be too much. So here are some tips to help you stay motivated.

Chances are you have obligations to take care of, such as family, work, friends, or other commitments. One of the hardest things to do is to stay motivated when it all seems like it doesn’t matter or is too overwhelming. But staying motivated is the exact way to get yourself out of that funk.

The first thing you can do is identify which things are bringing you down and whether they require positive or negative motivation. You often read a lot about the first one, but the second one is also common – people just don’t think of it that way.

Negative motivation is when something bad will happen if you don’t stay motivated to get something done. A drastic example is having challenging issues at work that are difficult to face…but you have to deal with them or else you might lose your job.

Obviously, negative motivation can be motivating, but it is still negative. So, flipping the problem and figuring out how to make that situation into a positive motivator can be a great first step. As I have said several times before, the right mindset can go a long way to keeping you on track.

If you still need some guidance, here are 10 ways to stay motivated.

1. Set goals.

Sometimes going with the flow is great because it takes the pressure off, but it can also be difficult to channel any motivation with a “whatever” attitude. Set some goals that you can work towards, whether it’s beating a deadline at work or planning a family vacation. Having something to look forward to that is a positive reward can be a great motivator.

2. Stick to them.

When things become challenging, don’t let yourself get derailed. It’s easy to allow distractions to take over – mainly because it means you’re willing to abandon responsibility. While emergencies may occur, most of the failure to achieve goals is the result of losing focus. If a snag in the plan appears, don’t give up, just adapt, refocus, and keep moving.

3. Break them down.

One of the reasons we become unmotivated is because tasks or projects seem to become overwhelming. For example, you volunteered to run a fundraiser for your kid’s school (or team, or youth group), but now that everything is being planned, you feel like you bit off more than you can chew.

Of course, that can lead to being unmotivated, because you may figure that it won’t all be successful anyway, so why bother? Because the original goal matters. Break those bigger tasks into smaller, easy-to-do tasks. Being able to see the little successes pile up is a great motivator to push toward the result.

4. Stay organized.

If you have a lot going on, it’s not always easy to see what needs to be done. That leads to feeling overwhelmed, which leads to being unmotivated…see the pattern here? Keep yourself on track by being organized. Create bullet lists, keep a calendar, schedule even the littlest things. Do whatever you can to keep things clear in front of you so you can move through them methodically.

Again, taking those steps forward can be highly motivating to keep going.

5. Change your perspective.

If you’ve been trying to achieve a goal for a while and you don’t seem to be getting anywhere, you can become unmotivated because nothing seems to be working. Take a moment, step back, and see if you can come at the problem from a different point of view. Sometimes just taking a break for a day or two where you don’t think about it at all can result in a fresh perspective.

6. Build your support base.

Stop trying to do everything on your own. Seriously, just stop. Rely on family or friends to help you out. Maybe they can help with the tasks at hand. Or maybe they can pick up the slack on other things that need to get done. Frankly, even a friend that says, “Hey, it’s time for a coffee (or wine) break!” can be a huge blessing. Cultivate and reciprocate support with people who get you.

7. Cut out the noise.

If you allow yourself to be swayed by what you see on the news or read on social media, it will be even easier to give up and become unmotivated. Seriously, there is a steady stream of negativity that is always swirling. Remove yourself from it. Stick to groups, pages, or accounts that make you happy or bring you comfort. Ignore the rest of the you-know-what that is out there.

8. Treat yourself.

Whether it’s taking a break for some retail therapy, rewarding yourself for each goal you reach, or just taking a few minutes to meditate (or read, or listen to music…), being good to yourself will help keep you in a better frame of mind to stay motivated.

9. Have faith.

Honestly, this can be anything you want it to be. Spiritual, religious, or just faith in yourself that you can achieve your goals, believing in something gives you hope. Where there is hope, there is motivation to achieve greatness.

10. Do you.

Faced with negativity or naysayers? Second-guessing yourself because a friend questioned you? Ignore it all. Be comfortable with who you are and what you are doing. You can most likely do without anyone who can’t get behind that. If you’re being true to yourself, you’ll know in your heart that you’re reaching for those goals.

Motivation is a tricky thing to maneuver. It can provide great energy while also produce crippling anxiety. But remaining positive and being true to yourself will guide you through the worst of it.

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