Create your motivation! It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking. Our brains are just wired to be in think mode, so you can see how easy it is to procrastinate. Sometimes preparing too much leads to being overwhelmed and confused. One of the most important things to realize when you are trying to develop motivation is to understand your ultimate goal. What is it that you seek? The reality is that if it’s something you truly want it will be much easier and much more fulfilling to accomplish. If your heart isn’t in it then you may just be spinning your wheels.
We discuss how to get your motivation going. Let’s look at motivation as a tool to get you where you need to go. Relating motivation to a turbocharger on a machine will be an example. Yep, I love machines and I hope you do as well. The turbocharger is related to our thoughts and reasons why we want to achieve something. In a turbocharger, you have stored exhaust (reasons) and fans (intentions) that will help propel you forward with that “oomph” needed to accomplish said goal. The byproduct will be the ultimate goal we seek. We will learn more about that in the “Action” section.
“Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.” -Brian Tracy
3 Simple Steps to Create Your Motivation
1. Uncover your why.
Discovering the reason why you want to accomplish something is paramount. Is your why deeply rooted in the past that made you feel a certain way? Perhaps you always wanted to get in shape and you just never got around to doing it. This one is big because it could have been certain negative habits that got you to the dissatisfaction in the first place. You feel overweight and unhealthy but you don’t know how it happened. Or lying to yourself. Stop for a moment and then rewind. Take a look at your path. It may reveal many nights after work where you stopped at that donut shop because they had an amazing and illuminated red neon sign that said, “FRESH, HOT, NOW!”
Your mind started thinking about those donuts coming down the conveyor belt and then going under the molten lava cream falls! YUM! Shame on you! Back up out of that parking lot and clear your head. I think I may be the one with the issue here. Moving on. On the other side of the spectrum, it may have been an uncontrollable disease that you were predisposed to have due to your bloodline. That one I am not able to help you with at this time, as I am not a clinician. Seriously dig into the reason why you want what you want for the purposes of creating that ultimate recipe, “Action.” Motivation will only get you but so far so understand that these are steps towards what you need.
2. Uncover your how.
Now we need to figure out how we are going to get the motivation we need. With the “why” figured out we can use it as fuel for creating a plan of action. We need to be realistic about how we go about the how, so that we don’t create another problem. For most people daily routines, schedules, work, and family are large portions of our time throughout the day, so let’s carve out some for our goal we are working on.
Understand where you are the most productive in your day and see if you can work it in there. If you aren’t able to during that time period then move on to a different one. This is where many people fall short and give up. Don’t give up. Don’t make any more excuses. Excuses serve no real purpose for goals so be mindful of that. You just have to be creative. This is a good time to think hard about the goal itself and how it would make you feel to accomplish it. Think of it as a beautiful trophy shining bright!
3. Just GO!!!
This process should be made as simple to start as possible. Why? Because we sabotage our minds with procrastination if it seems like the task is going to be a big undertaking. It is way harder to start than to keep working on whatever it is. Create a small action to get it going. If you are an artist, for example, grab an art pad and some pencils. Now it’s in line of sight, what next? Go ahead and throw down a line. By this point, you may already feel yourself drawing something cool. Draw and enjoy!
Bonus:
- A great tool to help you get things going is perhaps my favorite thus far. It’s the “Two Minute Rule” by David Allen. If a task takes two minutes or less then do it now. It is absolutely amazing how many things I accomplish with this. I no longer have to jot these things down on my to-do list. Time-saving is all on how you prioritize your action items. Be proactive as much as you can in hopes of reducing your reactions. Get in this habit because once you get the hang of it your day can potentially start getting smoother with less unnecessary headaches. Believe it or not, you can accomplish many things in less than two minutes.
- Isolate a regular time slot to work on your goal daily. It’s easier to have a time frame that’s been predetermined than to guess when you will be able to get to it. Make this a habit and go with it.
How long has it taken you to find your motivation and what was the milestone that caused it?
******Please respond to the questions here with us so we can learn and grow. The good and the bad will help others recognize successes and failures in our own lives. Thank you so very much!********
