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Although there are many tips on how to be "super productive", how to make a plan to achieve our goals; Many people forget the "elephant in the room": how to stay motivated. The motivation for me is that internal fire that ignites our little body. But ... many of us make the mistake of thinking that we motivate ourselves first and then act. When the reality is that motivation is the result of taking action.
Let me paint a picture for you:
We cross a mental line, usually, this comes after long periods of procrastination, sensing the approach of an inevitable deadline, a deadline. And boom! We take action. And what about that action? It energizes us, it motivates us.
Inevitably, like every flame, it gets a point when it starts to become smaller and colder, shrinking little by little…. and eventually, we find ourselves back in that inactive state, of procrastinating, of putting things in for when "we feel the winds of our muse."
But then ... what can we do? How can we be more likely to cross this mental or physical line faster? How can we reach our breaking point, feel consistently and sustainably motivated?
Active inspiration is THE key. In other words: TAKE ACTION!
Some of us are convinced that motivating ourself is not so simple, cultivating it even harder. The truth is that we make the choice to enter in that state ... that's why I want to share with you 7 things that work for me and my clients to elevate my mindset of motivation:
- Set goals aligned with your wishes and purpose
If your desired outcome is not aligned with what you REALLY WANT, with your values and with your purpose then you will continue looking for ways to avoid taking action. The best way to ensure that you are putting yourself in a position of success is to evaluate your goal, especially to evaluate The Big Picture.
I recommend that you sit down and make a list of your values and compare them with what you want. Be honest with yourself, even if it feels uncomfortable. Trust that if you focus in what truly matters for you, you will find not only the answers but get into the right path.
- Start your day visualizing reaching your goal
The way we start our day can determine how we end it. For me and hundreds of professionals, visualization practices are highly effective. Imagine achieving what you want, your goal. What are you wearing? who is with you? How do you feel? What does it smell like? Use your imagination to your advantage and let yourself be carried away by this experience that will undoubtedly be part of the fuel that will help you make this mental exercise a reality.
- Create a morning ritual
Although this that I mentioned above about visualization enters the morning rituals. It seems appropriate to discuss the subject of rituals separately. A ritual is a simple but meaningful action that guides you to a state of movement. It can be as simple as putting on your training shoes, riding the elevator with your gym accessories, getting up at 4 in the morning to write for 2 hours ... Get creative!
- Work intelligently
There is a workshop that I love to share and it is about SMARTER goals. This term comes from the better known "SMART goals" and this process is often used to create effective (and smart!) goals. But this same approach can be used to create work processes and systems.
1. Be specific with what you are going to do (no multi-tasking please).
2. Look for ways to measure your process and your progress (this intersects with what I mentioned above).
3. Ask yourself the question: Do you agree with the job? Is it realistic? If both answers are yes continue to the next step and if one or both questions are no, take a few minutes to dig into yourself and think about how you can transform that no into a yes.
4. Make sure what you are doing is relevant.
5. Put a deadline to the result you are looking for.
6. Evaluate your work.
7. Review and readjust for the future.
- Use a reward system
Sometimes we need to seduce our reptilian brain. Use the power of stimuli, rewards, dopamine to motivate yourself to complete what you want. When I talk about rewards I don't mean big prizes that will cost you an arm and a leg. These are a few examples of rewards:
An evening of “me time”
“I used to treat myself to a shopping trip after a big win. I’d update my wardrobe to feel and look more successful. But after a while, I realized that the clothes didn’t cheer me up. What did was the attention that I gave myself, so instead, I started to reward myself with more ‘me time’ — moments where I’d shut off my phone and focus on little things that bring me joy, like reading a fashion magazine cover to cover, or eating expensive, out-of-season raspberries.”
—Christine Hourd, success coach, Calgary, AB, Canada
A celebratory call to a loved one
“I reward myself with a call to someone I love. I like to process my progress out loud and I’m fortunate to have good friends and family who genuinely enjoy celebrating my wins with me. These conversations always spur me to reach greater heights and foster even more positive momentum.”
—Heather Aardema, functional medicine certified health coach, Wheat Ridge, CO
An extra hour of zzz’s
“At the start of the week, I set two weekly goals related to habits such as exercise or healthy eating, and I like to reward myself with sleep. If I hit the first goal, I give myself an extra 30 minutes of sleep, with my husband covering parenting duties to let me sleep in on the weekends. If I hit my second, a ‘stretch’ goal, I get a full hour!”
—Suzy Goodwin, podcast host and mom, Fayetteville, NC
A happy dance — plus presents
“My personal rewarding system started when I was trying to write my second book, as the first had taken me seven long years. Now, I do a writing sprint for 15 minutes, and then do a happy dance to stretch. And to reward myself, I wrap up gifts for myself, which get progressively more exciting with bigger milestones — a glass of wine, cinema vouchers, or a spa day. I recommend this to all my author clients now!”
—Kirsten Rees, book editor and author coach, Glasgow, U.K.
On the other hand, there are also some experts who, instead of being moved by prizes and the desire to obtain a reward, sometimes using an opposite feeling can motivate you even more. Like denying yourself of the internet, until you do your task of the day or paying someone money if you don't complete your goal, or posting something shameful on social media, or donating money to a cause you don't agree with. I recommend a website called StickK.
- Make your goal a public event
By making your goal a "public event" or public announcement you are involving other people in the process. What happens when this happens is that the idea that someone else outside of us begins to have expectations about our process gives us a sense of company, of commitment. Also, by making your goals public knowledge, you expose yourself to potentially people who may have done what you are trying to come to advise you, share suggestions or anecdotes that will end up helping you to obtain your mission and keep you motivated.
- Find an accountability buddy
What is an accountability buddy? Nothing more and nothing less than someone to keep you aligned with your process. This accountability buddy is a person who guides or accompanies another person to maintain a commitment. Just as sometimes you ask your best friend to be your gym buddy, you can have friends who are your accountability buddy, however, it may not be the most effective solution. It usually helps to have someone outside of your network of friends who can impartially remove you and also has the studies and tools to share you on. This human can be a trainer, therapist, nutritionist or life coach depending on your goal.
Hope you find some clarity after reading today's article. Remember that evaluating and monitoring your progress will help you identify areas for improvement and eliminate limiting elements. By doing the same with your processes, you will also be able to adjust key points that will help you to work effectively.
Oh and remember to TAKE ACTION!
