HOW TO GET MOTIVATED

Have you ever sat down at your computer to work on a certain project only to find yourself getting lost in the caves of YouTube?

Of course you have, we all have…

Why? Because we are waiting for that spark of inspiration to appear out of nothing and motivate us. Motivation literally is the desire to do things. It’s the difference between waking up at the crack of dawn to pound the pavement and sitting on the couch all day. It is that crucial element that is needed to set and attain goals.

The good news is, you can influence your level of motivation and self-control and you don’t need Tony Robbins to do it. YOU have the power to motivate yourself and overcome the emotional hurdles to get things done when you’d rather sit on the couch doing nothing.

For those of you who have never distracted themselves or procrastinated or dragged your feet when you should be doing something important, this blog isn’t for you. But for the rest of us humans, we’ve found some simple and smart tips that work for us to get back into the right groove and find our motivation.

Here are our TOP 10 TIPS to get our motivation back and get things done.

#1 Remember Your Why
To keep a clear outlook, write down all the reasons why you want to achieve your goal. Rather than just aiming for an abstract goal, having concrete reasons as to why this goal is important to you will make it easier to track your progress and stay motivated. Keep your list of ‘Why’s’ where you can see it, we have ours on the fridge… Whenever you need a boost of motivation, read your list out loud.

#2 Do Something… Anything
Just begin. Get organized, get your brain into gear, make a list of smaller tasks that will help support your goal… Getting started is always the hardest part, so just get started and promise yourself that you can stop after 15 minutes if you want to. The truth is, by then you will most likely be on a roll and want to keep going until the job is done. So don’t wait for motivation to hit you out of thin air, do something and see how the ball keeps rolling once you started.

#3 Look Your Excuses in the Eye
Excuses are a man’s (and woman’s of course) best friend and greatest enemy. The trick is to look your excuses straight in the eye and take it from there. If you realize you are using excuses, correct yourself. You’ll probably have to do it again the next time an excuse pops up, but after a few times, you will stop. Don’t believe your own BS, you can only change your behavior if you are telling yourself the truth.

#4 Don’t Let Fear Stop You
Failure is a natural part of trying something new. Take away the power of the fear of failure and beat it by expecting failure and still jumping in. Be okay with failing and sometimes even losing face. Fear can be paralyzing and can stop us before we even start. You don’t have to be perfect when you start your new project, but you need to get started. Remember that being wiling to take the first step despite fear gets you one step closer to your eventual goal.

#5 Divide and Conquer
No one says that you have to finish it all in one sitting. Divide a big project into smaller tasks and focus on completing one at a time. Feel good about your accomplishments when finishing a smaller task. You will be surprised how motivating it can be to take it one step at a time.

 


 
#6 Fuel Your Body and Your Brain
An energy drink, four cups of coffee or a six pack of soda will definitely get you moving. But in order to get energy that lasts, exercise regularly, skip sugar and get lots of sleep. Nothing can kill a burst of motivation faster than a sugar or caffeine crash. So find ways to boost your energy naturally to sustain your motivation.

#7 Reward Yourself
You know you are going to feel amazing about yourself when you finally achieve what you’ve set out to do. But in the meantime, set some smaller, progressive goals and reward yourself when you get to each milestone. Make sure the reward is something you really enjoy. It doesn’t have to be huge, just big enough to keep you motivated to keep going in the right direction.

#8 Build on Success
Success creates success. When you just won, it is easy to feel motivated about almost anything. It’s important to keep in mind that emotions are not specific to a situation, so any small win, whether that’s finishing two thirds of your project before noon or a compliment from a co-worker can turn your motivation on. So structure your day, so that you will achieve small successes early on to stimulate your motivation later.

#9 Phone a Friend
You’ve heard it many times… Two heads are better than one. Well, it is actually true and maybe your friend can use a little more motivation as well. Sometimes it’s good to know that you are not in it alone. Knowing that there are others who are in the same boat can be a boost of motivation. We are lucky to work as a team. If one of us lacks motivation, usually the other one will get the motivation going for the both of us. This is true for so many areas of your life. Whether that’s work or working out…

#10 Visualize
We’ve been talking about visualization before, because it is such a great tool to get you motivated and achieve your goals. Imagine what will happen if you pursue your personal passion and achieve your goals. Visualize how you will feel and what you will gain from achieving your goal. While we stressed the importance of the journey towards the goal with its ups and downs before, remember the feeling of achievement and the benefits that come with it to get you motivated. We’ve done it so many times, we know exactly how we will feel when stepping off the stage after our first TED Talk.

Whether you have a secret passion you always wanted to pursue or you need a little nudge to tackle a challenging project at work or even chores at home, these motivational tips will help us to get moving and we know they will do the same for you.

What gets you motivated? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

STAY MOTIVATED!
Joschi & Monika
#BoldNaked