How can I motivate myself?
Motivation is intrinsic, it's about having something to look forward to.
Each of us is different in our desires, and it is about finding the desire, or goal if you prefer, that motivates us enough to produce a shot of dopamine. Dopamine is a powerful positive neurotransmitter that rewards us, motivates us, and is highly addictive. Rather than looking to the future to what we can’t see, if we were to put something there to focus on each day will provide us with ample motivation.
Setting goals and working towards them provides us with the necessary motivation to get up, dress up, and front up. How you find that goal is up to you. Here are a few options you might want to consider:
Is there something that you have always wanted to do and found a way of not doing it?
Has there been something in the back of your mind that says to you “As soon as I have this, I will do such and such?”
Have you ever sat watching TV or reading a magazine and said to yourself “I would love to have a go at that”, or “I would love to visit there?”
Do you find yourself in a bit of a rut that you can’t seem to get out of and wish that there was a way to move forward and change your life for the better?
Is there an organisation that you want to support, or a company that you’ve always wanted to work for, or something that you wanted to build, or perhaps a challenge that seemed out of your reach?
The key to motivation is having the desire to get out of bed in the morning and achieve something. That desire comes from within us but can be something external to focus on. More importantly, that something needs to come from within our hearts to truly inspire us. So, what does your heart tell you?
We tend to hold ourselves back because of fear, subconsciously mostly, fear of what could go wrong rather than what could go right. What if we can swap that negative fear around and use it to encourage us, to see what could actually happen when we succeed?
If your plan doesn't work out the way you thought it might, you haven't failed. What did you learn along the way that you can use again for your next goal? It is far better to say “At least I gave it a go” rather than not trying at all because regret for not doing something can be terribly demotivating.
There is a saying that goes - 'If you do something you’re passionate about you’ll never work a day in your life'. That's not quite true because you will have to work hard towards your goal, and we do all have to work. The harder we work the luckier that we get. And, the work that we find a passion for provides us with enthusiasm, inspiration, and motivation.
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How Can I Motivate Myself?