Here’s how to Stay on Track with
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| "Some people say motivation doesn’t stick. Well, neither does a shower - that’s why we advise you to take one every day." Zig Ziglar |
You are raring to go, you know how to make a difference, you are burning with enthusiasm, and then... the energy starts to flag. To get you back on track, we have come up with some self motivation tips to help you create supportive behaviors and habits.
First, it’s useful to establish what you are motivated by, or what types of motivation work for you.
Do you define motivation as being compelled to do something to avoid the consequences?
If so, you are engaged in fear-based motivation, which many people seem to live their lives by.
You probably know many people who stick to jobs they dislike because they fear there are no other better opportunities. Others settle for unhappy relationships because they fear being alone.
But let’s talk about you.
What motivates you? Fear of consequences or the purposeful drive of moving forward?
Self Motivation Tips:
Fear or Purpose - it’s Your Choice
Did you know that fear-based motivation creates tremendous stress? It’s true! Scientific studies have shown that a strategy of avoidance of a worse state greatly affects your physical and mental health in a negative way.
How about shifting to another, more effective type of motivation, purpose-based motivation? If you've taken the time to find your life purpose, you know what we're talking about.
Do you remember times in your life when you were having such a good time that you were so in the moment and nothing else mattered, other than sheer enjoyment of the activity you were engaged in? Knowing your life purpose is one of the most potent of self motivation tips - that is, having a purpose for what you are doing, completely focusing on the goal you want to achieve.
From this state, everything seems effortless, doors to new opportunities open and you are having a blast, right?
Four Useful Self Motivation Tips:
- Use your personal core values to create a mission statement for your life or business that affirms how you are going to live your life, what’s important to you, and why.
- Clearly define your goals. Always state your goals in the positive and in the "now". Break down your goals into little achievable steps, even micro-goals. Remember, even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
- Reward yourself often when you have accomplished each micro-goal. This is a very important feedback mechanism. It has to be rewards that make sense to you. Gold stars may not work for you, but taking ten minutes off between little tasks to relax to music might.
- Be fully engaged in what you are doing, i.e. work when you work. Do you find that when you are involved in something, your mind is thinking about the next task or the ones after that? This creates a mental tension that’s exhausting and weakens your motivation.
Tools to Boost Your Self Motivation Skills
If you want to make a difference with a goal that feels so big, it can sometimes feel lonely. This is often the case if you are an artist, an entrepreneur, or a visionary because you are imagining a future that others have not seen before.
There are many self motivation tips and tools available to keep you on track. One of the best motivational activities is to work with a personal life coach. These are highly experienced professionals who will give you a fresh perspective, help you regain control of your life, empower you to stay motivated and create effective action plans to achieve your goals.
In essence, you should have a burning desire to achieve something so that you can get busy motivating yourself in the pursuit of this desire.
Think that a personal coach is too expensive?
You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that many offer free weekend seminars, teleclasses where you phone in to a conference call, or webinars - if you prefer to join online. This way, you can connect with a community of like-minded participants with whom you can share ideas, motivational strategies, advice and support.
One of the best self motivation tips is to join or start a support group. Consider meeting fortnightly with your peers and account to each other what you have accomplished. This keeps you accountable, motivated and on track!
Listen to motivation audio programs - while commuting to work or while you are running errands. Make the best of your time; pop in a CD to listen to famous motivational speakers like Tony Robbins, Chris Howard, Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy - to name just a few. This will keep you positive, charged, and infuse you with a lasting, can-do attitude. You can even subscribe to their motivational Ezines, which email you self motivation tips.
Subscribe to our complimentary Living On Purpose Ezine for motivation tips and get also our complete collection of FREE goal setting forms, values list, worksheets and more:
