Life is filled with challenges. No matter who you are, what you do, or how much money you have: at one point in your life, you will face a challenge. Some people are fully paralyzed and cannot leave their house while others are able to sip margaritas while basking in the Hawaiian sun at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. Regardless of who you are, each person will face some kind of obstacle that will impact their livelihood. The way you deal with an obstacle is what helps define you as an individual.
There are a lot of factors in how a person solves a challenge. I personally like to write everything down and evaluate how I will solve the problem that has fallen onto me. Physically seeing the issue written down is therapeutic to a lot of people, myself included, but that is for another article. There are a million ways to tackle a problem, but right now I am going to focus on motivation.
Motivation, as defined by Webster, is “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.”
Without motivation, the challenges of everyday life will pile up. Without the “willingness” to do something, nothing will get done. Motivation, as basic of a principle, is one of the most important steps in accomplishing the many challenges we, as humans, face.
Well.. What gives you the willingness to do something?
Here is a list of 7 ways for finding the “will” to get motivated:
1. Goal Setting.
Goals are an important motivation tool, it is something that you can tangibly see and lets you know that you have something to accomplish. Humans are naturally competitive (not everyone), setting a goal gives you something to work for. Not only that, setting a goal is a way of making you self-aware that there is something you want to do.
2. Positive Encouragement.
One issue that eats at people motivation is negativity. Negativity, whether created by another or yourself, is like a parasite on self-development. You need to get away from negativity and surround yourself with positive encouragement. Positivity not only makes you a happier person, but it allows you to stay motivated. You can ask other people to try and encourage you, you can pat yourself on the back when you do something good, or you can write yourself happy notes. Just avoid anything negative.
3. Believing in something greater than yourself
Motivation can be derived from the will to help others. Whether the “something greater than yourself” is family, your basketball team, your job, or a higher power; striving to satisfy that entity gives you a motivation to succeed..
4. Surrounding yourself with motivated people
“If you run with dogs, you’re going to catch fleas.” This old saying is just a fact. If you are constantly surrounded by motivated people, that motivation is going to rub off on you. Whether you are a loner, a leader, or a follower: you are like the people you hang around with. Try and surround yourself with motivated people!
5. Getting out of your comfort zone
You can easily learn motivation if you stay in the same routine consistently, and that routine also happens to fail. Sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone. A change in environment will lead to a more motivated outlook.
6. Acknowledging accomplishments, no matter the size.
How can you stay motivated if you don’t appreciate the things you have accomplished? Pat yourself on the back every once in a while, you deserve it.
7. Inspiration
Find a motivational speaker, an excellent podcast, read more articles on Do Not Be Discouraged: find something that inspires you to improve yourself and motivates you. It doesn’t have to be one thing, but strive to find things that inspire and motivate you.
Find your desire and will to stay motivated. Every person is unique and needs to find and understand their set of strengths and weaknesses. In order to over-come the challenges and obstacles you face, find your motivation. Do not let you stop you from achieving what you want out of life.
“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”
-Ralph Marston
Let me know how you stay motivated, obstacles that prevent you from staying motivated, or something that you would like to be discussed more!
Thank you for reading & have an amazing day!
-Joshua