Motivation is complicated. Some days we feel it. Others it’s pretty meh. We all have different experiences with personal motivation, depending on external and internal forces that affect our day-to-day, and long term drive and success. Though there seems to be a lot of discussion surrounding motivation, the “how” always seems to be less clear than the “what”. Obviously, we all agree that happiness, purpose, and success are goals. How we achieve them is less obvious and idiosyncratic to every one of us. We’re going to give you a simple handbook – 4 short steps you can use again and again to find and lean into your motivation.
Before we go over the 4 steps that will help you find, re-find, strengthen or perpetuate your motivation, it’s important to understand that there is no one right path to engage with those 4 steps. You’ll discover your own method of how best to follow them. And pssst, it’s ok if you’re not feeling it right now, lots of us are struggling with motivation. But uncertainty surrounds us and is inevitable.
Here are the 4 steps to find and keep up your motivation.
- Show up
- Work hard
- Focus on the positive
- Set yourself a mini goal
The focus on these micro steps is like a personal outline, with realistic, bite-sized achievable steps.
Just as important, diagnose what demotivates you. Gauging your past responses to adversity and how it affected your motivation can help you craft your most proactive response.
During this challenging time when uncertainty is a source of utter frustration, the conclusions are clear. Show up for yourself every day. Work earnestly. Focus on the positive moments, particularly when you’re surrounded by the negative. Have achievable mini-goals. The word achievable is vital: setting yourself unrealistic goals is a recipe for certain failure.
Motivation processes look different for everyone. Find your version of the 4 step process.
Sideline the daily frustrations. Feel it again. The 4 steps are your power. You can do it.
If you like this article, check out our podcast episodes: Simon Huck – Monetize Your Celebrity and Nona Lim – How to Scale a Food Business
