These last few weeks, a few people asked me: how do you stay motivated in this period? You’ve been posting and staying positive, I don’t know how you do it…
With the Prospective Force team (Anton, Kevin and Juliet), we’ve discussed motivation last week. Everybody deals with motivation differently. Am I motivated all the time? Of course not. I also have my ups and downs. However, there are a few things that can bring back motivation.
Extrinsic motivation
Whether we are aware of it or not, we do get motivated by external circumstances. Sometimes we hear a story: someone we know has done something unexpected. They recovered from a serious disease or accident; they’ve lost lots of weight; they found another job after a long time; they left their corporate job to set up their own company. Or one of our friends or connections has overcome a very challenging and difficult situation, etc. The examples are numerous. Hearing all these stories are often very powerful, as it provides us inspiration and motivation so that we act to move forward.
Sometimes it’s a book or a movie that will motivate us to get into action. From time to time, it’s an upbeat song that will get us into action. That is why it’s very important, especially in the current times, to take some time for ourselves. We need to include some fun times, ideally every day, to lift ourselves up, to laugh, to forget about the situation and recharge our batteries. Nowadays with the internet, it’s never been easier to find all kinds of uplifting videos, movies or music to cheer us up.
We can also be motivated by those around us who comment about us. Some people will give you direct compliments and tell you they admire you for x or y reason. Whether they tell you this personally, send a direct message or even tag you in some posts, all of these are signs that people respect and appreciate you. These signs can give you a boost and get you re-motivated if you are feeling down. At work, it can be a pay rise, getting the opportunity to work on a special project or getting additional responsibilities. It can also be as simple as getting a ‘thank you’ or ‘well done for a great job’.
Intrinsic motivation
Extrinsic motivation is very important, however, it has to start with ourselves. We need to focus on our thoughts, our body and make sure we are in the best health we can. To motivate oneself, you can do a few things; meditate or pray, even if it’s just a few minutes per day. You can also take a break. Make sure you also have a hobby or passion that you can do on a regular basis, to release stress, focus on the moment and re-energize yourself.
Practice gratefulness on a regular basis. As human beings, we often have a tendency to focus on the negatives. When we shift our mindset and look at all the things that we have, starting with being alive, having a roof over our head and food on the table, it helps us put things into perspective and (re)motivates us.
One thing you also should not forget is to have a long term goal in mind. Circumstances will never be perfect. Unexpected (challenging) things will always happen. However, when you keep on remembering your goal and thinking on how it will make you feel when you will achieve it, you’ll probably want to go and work on it.
Conclusion
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation play a big role in our life. This is how we take action and move forward. However, you can be 100% motivated but if you do not act – consistently – you will never achieve anything. It’s not all about motivation. It’s about discipline.
Jim Ryun said it well: “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
#vlvcoach #motivation #mindset
This blog was also shared on Linkedin.
Superb article, Virginie! ??
Thank you very much Andrada!