How do you keep on going when you’re not feeling motivated?

“A diamond is just a piece of charcoal that handled stress exceptionally well.” ~Unknown

There are moments when we lose motivation. In those times we need to remember a handful of things. In this blog I will mention some of the points that I have found that works really well for me.

Remind yourself that you’re in charge.

At times, when the going gets tough, we begin to feel like the choices we made are not our own. Maybe the career we went into or the people we choose to date. Sometimes a reminder to ourselves that we are the ones who originally set this goal is a good way to really get back on track.

Look back at all you’ve already achieved.

If you have been taking steps towards your goal for a while, then it can be great to take some time to consider all that you have already accomplished. All long haul goals take multiple, incremental steps to attain. Never forget to remind yourself of your past achievements.

It’s great to look back occasionally and remind ourselves what a big deal reaching that step really was at the time.

When frustration sets in, I sit down and make a list of the steps I have already enacted to reach it, and what the results of those steps have been. This clarity helps in releasing those feelings of frustration.

This leads nicely into celebrating your victory in advance. Always remind yourself that you are a winner, whether big or small, always reward yourself.

Set a goal and visualize it down to the minutest detail.

See it, feel it, breathe it in, hear the sounds that accompany the end result. Just like an elite athlete visualizes his/her performance ahead of time — right down to the smell of the sweat dripping down their face as they cross the finish line.

Have a strategy, but be prepared to change course.

I always find that quotes work really well in motivating me and reminding me that the road to success is never a straight on.

In the words of Thomas Edison “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.” “The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Pre-determine how you will deal with flagging motivation.
I always believe that it’s best to have a plan for the worst time. This is not defeatist thinking. It’s (almost) inevitable that at some point along the way, whether because of temporary setbacks or sheer exhaustion, you will need to reboot. I start to think of what others have endured to reach their targets and end any pity party that is sure to ensue.

Winston Churchill once uttered this immortal line “Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, give up.”

Continually check in with your reasons for carrying on.

Steve Jobs embodied this brilliantly. He once told an interviewer: “I think most people that are able to make a sustained contribution over time — rather than just a peak — are very internally driven. You have to be. Because, in the ebb and tide of people’s opinions and of fads, there are going to be times when you are criticized, and criticism’s very difficult. And so when you’re criticized, you learn to pull back a little and listen to your own drummer. And to some extent, that isolates you from the praise, if you eventually get it, too. The praise becomes a little less important to you and the criticism becomes a little less important to you, in the same measure. And you become more internally driven.”

Build a support team.

You need to have the right team in place, this is critical to your success. You will be amazed at what you and your team can accomplish when you are all motivated and working toward the same goal. Make a list of some winning people in your circle that you can partner with, exchange ideas with and who can help you get things done.

An infectious, positive attitude can shift your entire life. Infusing your mind with positive thoughts will cause you to produce more positive results in your life. Purposefully infusing your life with a positive perspective will keep you motivated and eliminate all negative sources out of your life.