Have you every asked yourself – ‘what is motivation?’. Life has a way of interfering us while we are working on manifesting dreams. It distracts us from pursuing things that really matter and even convinces us that nothing really matters. It can even distract us into adopting a defeatist attitude – lacking enthusiasm and interest – ultimately depleting our sense of purpose.
The good news however, is that there are ways to stay motivated! No matter how you feel about everything around you – it is possible to stay on track. These steps are not necessarily easy, however, they are very helpful in keeping yourself fired up with motivation.
Develop an attitude of interest. Find the thing you are most passionate about. The happiest people are those people who do the things they love the most. It is not a coincidence that these people are the most motivated as well. After all, passion and motivation go hand in hand.
Find the things that can spark and sustain your enthusiasm. Then channel all your energies towards those things. This sparks motivation, productivity and satisfaction.
What do you do when you are stuck with doing things that you are not truly passionate about? When passion is lacking and your motivation is at its lowest, interest will suffice.
Be interested in everything you do, no matter how boring, tedious or nonsensical it may seem. Find meaning in everything. Take the time to be engrossed, to be interested. Otherwise, your life will seem like and feel like a burdensome ordeal.
Having said that, always look for reasons to be happy about the things you do, the goals you are pursuing, the dreams you are working towards, and the life you are working on living. Never lose sight of happiness and never let it slip away.
Maintain an elevated level of energy. Even just smiling at yourself can recharge your energy. Having low energy almost always ensures that you won’t feel as motivated as you’d like to be. Always take the time to recharge yourself – sleep, eat, breathe, relax, and rest. Do whatever it takes to always keep your energy levels high and recharged.
Act as if it’s already happened. Translate positive emotions into actions. If you are not feeling positive, try to act like it. Sometimes, despite lacking in motivation, you can still feel motivated when you deliberately act with enthusiasm.
To help you figure out what is motivation and create the necessary motivational standards for yourself… this program will help you get on track! Details are at www.YouUnstuck.net
Oh, you do like the hard ones doncha Moira? Smile. Be interested in everything you do, no matter what…excellent advice and one I believe in … AND it can be a tuffie!
Thanks MamaRed… Yes I do like to take on the *tough* things :). My goal is to help people realize that it may be not quite as difficult as they first think to take on some of these habits!
Excellent post and tips, Moira! I especially like “Act as if it’s already happened.” Thank you! I have some work to do now… 🙂
Thanks Alexandra! We all need to keep working on that one ;).
Great tips Moira – thanks!!!
Thanks Elizabeth ;).
I especially like the advice to “act as if it’s already happened.” Great tips, Moira!
It’s one of my favorites too Shari! In fact as a hypnotherapist I help people really get into those feelings!
“Be interesting in everything you do” love this and it is the key to the art of small talk and engaging new friends
Thanks for that Tom – it’s absolutely true! Small talk is so much more meaningful when backed by a genuine interest!
I love the positivity of this post! You bring up many good points. This is one I should print out to show to my high school students. Motivation has to come from within:)
I totally agree Daniele – any motivation that does not come from within will certainly prove to be short lived.
Life does have a way of interfering! LOL….but I really love your strategy of developing an attitude of interest. Yes!!
Thanks Sherie – yes, life does interfere but sometimes even that can be in interesting ways!
I especially love about finding interest in everything you do. I think it is the toughest but the most rewarding. I once was hitchhiking in New Zealand and got a lift from a guy who was an engineer for asphalt. I decided to learn all that I could, and it was actually interesting. I was young then but the lesson stuck with me, there is always something interesting!
Excellent story Aimee – it’s so true… sometimes we just have to shut the inner voice up for a moment and open up to new realities!
Sometimes finding interest in things is not easy, I try to make everything as fun as possible because if it is not fun I lose interest fast. I usually play little games in my head that answer the question how can I make this interesting and fun. That got me through the boring times at school : )
I agree Karla – I like to make things feel fun too… especially when doing something that tends to bore me :).
Thanks for MOTIVATING us. Sometimes it is good to just concentrate on what this means – to understand how to get ourselves up and GOING.
Thank you Barbara! Yes – often just getting into motion can be the catalyst we need to get going!
Act as if it’s already happened. Like that… 🙂 Thanks.
Thank YOU Norma!
Thanks for this list. I remember in college that right when it was time to do a paper I would get hit with an urge to clean. A list like this would have helped me stay motivated by the task at hand…
Oh I have enough attitude….now I just have to put it to work 😉
“Be interested in everything you do, no matter how boring, tedious or nonsensical it may seem.” I especially loved this one, and when I do it (not always to be sure), it makes a world of difference. Thanks for this post!
Motivation is can make or break you when trying to complete a task. Maintaining a happy and interested focus is a great idea to help when motivation wanes. Thanks for sharing!
Your article makes me think of a Biblical teaching.. do all things as though you are doing them for God. Embracing this helps me keep interested and stay motivated.
Great tips Moira! I seem to be doing a lot of acting as if it’s already happened these days. 🙂
Staying engaged, or interested, is a whole lot easier if you can choose how you spend your time. Oh, the joys of entrepreneurship! Thanks for reminding me, Moira!