Feeling lost, in a productivity lull, blocked, bored, disheartened and lacking motivation? Call it what you wish but we all know the apathy of those gloomy days when everything goes wrong and you are overwhelmed by the negative taste of despair. Those down periods when you are not in your element and feel listless, stuck and discouraged.
Here are my four self-motivation accelerators that have always made the difference for me whenever I feel discouraged.
# 1. Fire yourself up
Develop a “no matter what” positive attitude. Realise that the secret to self-motivation lies in your inner perception of the outer world. Here are few tricks to help you do that:
- Find your reason to smile. Look for inspiration in everyday life. Sometimes small things take up most of the room in our hearts. Become fascinated by the magic of a sunset, cherish the beauty of nature, sink in the whisper of the sea or simply indulge yourself in an enjoyable talk or a glass of fine wine.
- Be friendly and upbeat and don’t let others drag you down. Surround yourself with people who brighten your day and fill you with positive emotions.
- Always look on the bright side. You know what they say about the glass – it is always half full, right? Try to stick to this principle in everything you do. Accept failure and move on fast. Focus on the positive aspects in every situation and extract lessons from the negatives.
- Don’t be afraid to dream. Dreams are the most powerful weapons to aid progress. Dreams inspire, shape goals and give meaning and color to actions. Walt Disney said, “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them”.
- Go through those famous quotes about life and success. Follow the guidelines of the Great Minds to help you along the way. Adapt their wisdom through your own interpretation.
- Collect good books or listen to inspiring tapes. There are tons of materials on the web to help you learn plenty of useful tips and tricks from the gurus. This is a good move to not only get an extra dose of motivation but also to gain knowledge on self-control and discipline. Choose from a wide range of free motivational webinars or attend presentations by famous personal growth lecturers.
- Discover exciting success stories to take your motivation even higher. It is encouraging to know what ordinary people have experienced in order to succeed. That makes you believe that nothing is impossible and efforts pay off provided you are patient and persistent. One of my favorite sources in relation to this has always been Entrepreneur Magazine which highlights some truly inspiring success stories.
# 2. Boost your Can-Do Approach
Believe in yourself. The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. Never underestimate your potential, or compare yourself with others but rather learn how to respect you. Take advantage of all the great personal traits you process but also work on those that need to be refined. Don’t underestimate the smaller battles and turn them into motivators for the big triumphs.
- Believe in yourself and your abilities. You are as capable of succeeding as much as you believe you are. Remember the wisdom of Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t – you are right.“ As long as you believe you can do it, you can achieve it.
- Be willing to leave your comfort zone. The greatest barrier to achieving your potential has always been your comfort zone. Keep in mind: “When you do what you fear most, then you can do anything.” Steven Richards. Take risks, dip into new challenges, overcome hurdles, go beyond the limits of ordinary and get ready to embrace the unknown- that’s the best way to become self-confident and prove you can do whatever you wish.
- Invest time to build your skills, working on self-improvement and pushing your self-motivation to the limit. Get better at managing your time and spend some time every day on your self-development. You will feel so much better.
The world is full of opportunities and you will never be able to exhaust your potential. Keep learning, stay curious, broaden your horizons – that is the ultimate way to feel motivated and truly alive.
# 3. Stop being such a perfectionist
Strive for accomplishment, not perfection. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes. Realize that eagerness for perfection is the worst enemy when it comes to self-motivation. It is quite disheartening and often leads to procrastination.
Self-criticism is constructive but only when limited. There will always be more successful people than you and you will always strive for more. Undoubtedly, it runs in your human nature. Turn your discontent for what you haven’t done into a powerful motivation for what you would like to do better. It’s all about having the right mindset in terms of your success.
# 4. Set Goals and Track Your Progress
Set a list of new goals to pursue. Is there a better fire-starter to self-motivation? Once you have a clear vision of what your goals are (whether trying a new business venture, personal development or career achievements) you will then have a light to guide your actions. This is the point when your intrinsic motivation mechanism is going to switch on.
- Focus on the essence. Concentrate on what truly matters and be ignorant about all the rest. The objective is not bothering with irrelevant stuff, then you will be able to unleash your full potential and accomplish prompt results.
- Don’t leave your tasks undone. Nothing can kill self-motivation like derailing half way to your destination. Driven by the idea of reaching new targets, you will easily find your reasons to self-motivate and get inspired. Keeping a track of your progress for every ongoing project is a great way to celebrate your achievements and keep your motivation up.
The bottom line:
Self-motivation is not your daily challenge but a constant state of mind.
Find your own mechanism to handle distress and demotivation. Stay positive, be persistent with your goals and chase after your aspirations. Believe in yourself; be ready to get out of your comfort zone. Think of impediments as your stepping stones on the way to progress. Estimate failure as the “necessary evil” that brings life experience and lessons.
Dare to risk. Dare to dream big. Success could be just around the corner should you have the right self-motivation to go for it!
Images: ”business man hand made motivation word buttons on green grass meadow /Shutterstock.com“
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