I remember sitting at my desk, staring at a blank, white screen. The cursor was blinking. My brain, slightly twitching with each blink, felt numb and worn down. I’d been in 7 weeks of classes, written at least 10 essays (12-pages each), and took numerous tests, discussion posts, and so forth. Here, one week left of the term and my final was only a blinking cursor. Where will I get the motivation to write? Why do I have to write? What is the point of this topic? Grade? Class? Who am I!?
The questions made the experience worse. So, I got up and walked around the block. I came back in, made a cup of coffee, and looked at my requirements for the final. I had prepared for this final for weeks. What was lacking? Motivation. I called it the 7th week slump. How I got out and out of it? I just started typing whatever came to mind. After about five minutes, my brain clicked into gear, and I was off to the races. In five hours I had my final ready to edit.
…
Whether you want to lose weight, trying to land a new dream job, or writing an essay, being motivated can make all the difference between success and defeat. Preparation for success often requires hard work, though, and this isn’t always easy. Sometimes, you might feel like the only way to reach your goal is with unlimited amounts of motivation.
If you are exhausted and worn down, motivation will seem elusive. So, by now you’re probably wondering, “Where can I find my motivation?”
Try these techniques to spur you on:
Step One
Find motivation from those around you. The world is filled with those who could have made it, yet didn’t for any number of reasons. It is also filled with many successful people who are motivating themselves each day to reach higher and achieve more.
The great news is that you can draw lots of motivation from both types of people. Those who haven’t achieved much can serve as reminder of where you probably don’t want to be and why you’re working so hard to reach success. People who are enjoying great amounts of success can give you a concrete vision of where you want to head.
In addition, seeing others like you becoming successful reinforces the concept of possibilities. You’ll begin to believe it is indeed possible to turn your own dream into a reality. If others can be successful, then why can’t you? Rather than coming up with reasons why you can’t reach success, focus on discovering all the reasons why you can. Mindset makes all the difference in the world.
…
Step 2:
Stay focused on the purpose. If you’re training to run a marathon, you’ll probably wind up spending significant amounts of time running every day. If you’re waking up every morning and subjecting your body to intense levels of physical exertion with no meaning behind it, you’ll be more likely to lose interest.
A major part of being successful is reminding yourself why you’re doing all these preparations. When you remember your “why,” you’ll devote more focused energy into your preparation to achieve outstanding results.
It’s important to stay centered on the reason you’re doing something, and if you’re unable to come up with a reason, perhaps you may want to be doing something else.
…
Step 3:
Believe in yourself. When you’re in the trenches, working hard each day to grind your way to victory, it can be easy to question yourself and your abilities. Even when we might share with others about how much we get done, and they in turn feel like they don’t do anything, we may still feel empty of self-belief. Acknowledging our struggle is half of the battle. We own our feelings, and with the empowerment of radical acceptance, we can look at the unbelief as a step toward full understanding.
Rather than remain in a negative state of mind, find reasons to stay positive. Have faith in your skills and hard work. If you allow negativity to rule, you’ll plant a seed of doubt in each activity. You can remain optimistic even when life sends setbacks. Remaining positive is a challenge. Part of the entire idea of having faith in yourself has much to do with continuing to move forward even when you’re not clear where your steps will take you.
If you are unsure how to achieve a goal, there are steps to take, which point you in the direction you wanted to go. The confidence you feel in your heart propels you forward. The tiny goals empower you to success. Each bridge which arrives becomes one to cross over instead of one to hide below.
…
Motivation presents itself in incremental stages. Each time you practice the steps above, you’ll see your motivation spike. Soon, the act of motivating yourself will become second nature. You will look on your past efforts, where you felt zero movement toward dreams or goals, and see how they were beneficial for the time. Each time you conquer your lackluster efforts, you’ll boldly embrace the success of tomorrow.
~Just a thought by Pamela
—
This post was previously published on medium.com.
***
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project and want a deeper connection with our community, please join us as a Premium Member today.
Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS. Need more info?
A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com