Recently, I had a hard time staying motivated towards my goals. I realized that I am human,which means bad days are only natural! Sometimes it is not a bad thing to stand back and take a breather. This is exactly what I did and it helped me understand how I can not only maintain my motivation but increase it!
Things worth having take time and a lot of patience. Whether that’s your dream job or those top marks you want to graduate with.
While aiming for your goals, the ultimate question you need to ask yourself is why you are going towards the goal you have and how much you really want it. If it isn’t an important goal, chances are you will eventually become demotivated in pursuing it.
I do get demotivated at times, for me it is usually due to the fact that my hard work is not being fruitful. I have to remind myself numerous times that achieving your goals takes time, and if it was easy, everyone would be able to do it!
So here are few quick tips on how to pick yourself up when you feel that things are not working your way!
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Take a break from over-analyzing the situation
Just because you aren’t getting accepted to the universities you want to go to, or you’re not being approached by the companies you want to work for doesn’t mean it wont happen. All you can do is try your best. Put in an application, get in contact with people and call to follow-up. If nothing comes from this continued effort don’t beat yourself up about it. Stand back and take a break. The mind can get frustrated and become demotivated toward going for your end goal. These are the moments where you should sit back and reflect on your want for that particular goal. How badly do you REALLY want it?
For me, I take my mind away from the cause of my frustration until I have a chance to reflect and calm down. So close your laptop, head outside or take up a hobby. One way or another, just enjoy yourself, your mind will appreciate it.
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Visualize your success
Have positive images in your mind. Visualize your goal and where you want to be, whether that’s in a few months or a few years time. Wake up every morning and REALLY visualize where you want to be.
This is a very handy tip for those tough days where all we seem to think of is the worst case in every scenario. By forcing your mind to imagine what success is to you, you bring it one step closer to keeping motivated and uplifted.
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Surround yourself with motivation
I believe that you become like those who you surround yourself with. If for example your friends are motivated people, it doesn’t hurt to have a chat with them. Go for a coffee and listen to how someone else’s days are going and how they are achieving their goals. It will surely get you motivated in return.
I personally love to network with people in my field, usually those who have years of experience or those whose backgrounds I aspire to have. Professionals usually love to talk about their work, they take great pride in how far they have come, and rightly so. Don’t hesitate to network and go for a coffee with a person in your professional sphere.
Motivation doesn’t have to come directly from those in your life either, reading positive articles or watching encouraging videos can also make a difference.
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Stay positive
This is something I am constantly stressing over. When you go listen to a friend or a colleague about their aspirations and accomplishments, you should be a source of encouragement for those people as well. Not only are you creating a positive vibe around yourself and to others, you are indirectly creating a positive energy for yourself that will also elevate your mood and motivation.
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Take it step by step
If you have an important goal, you are likely to strive for it time and time again. But these important goals can sometimes be enormous and out of reach from where we are standing now. It is essential to realize the cause of your motivation, and then work through it in small steps. If you want that dream job for example, start making contacts with professionals in those field or begin gaining experience in skills that you may need for it.
Always keep the vision in your mind. Work on how you want to get to that vision through a serious of steps (or short-term goals). This will make it much easier for you to accomplish your short-term goals and thus stay motivated.
Remember – The real failure isn’t in losing your motivation but in the inability to pick yourself up after you do.
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