How To Stay Motivated

10 Ways To Keep Your Motivation Level High

Five of the worst feelings anyone can endure are; (in no particular order) Sorrow, Regret, Heartbreak, Dejection and that feeling of emptiness you have when you lack motivation.

Have you ever had a string of those days when you neither have the excited, zeal nor drive to fulfill your targets? A feeling when you are "Just not up for it" and at the same time when you are not comfortable being idle because you feel a certain void that has to be filled within you. It is not depression but at the same time it feels like it.

The conundrum is that you do not want to be idle because you can feel the wasted time sapping out more energy from your bones by the minute but at the same time you lack the energy, drive and enthusiasm you usually have.

A common example is that of visiting the gym. At first, you are psyched by the thought of getting into shape and living healthy. You become so excited that you may purchase some additional equipment for home use and you are always the first person at the gym in the morning. However, as time goes on, that excitement seems to wear away and it begins to seem more like a burden than it is a joy to stay in shape and live healthy. 

With time you find yourself skipping a couple of days a week. The ugly feeling develops into a string of days where you completely feel like you are at ground zero and your light of joy has been blown off. At the same time you are not at peace with the lifestyle of being idle whilst stress eating and watching yourself gain excess weight in the process. Yet still... you feel like you are helplessly stuck in a pit and you need someone, or something to pull you out.

That one thing is motivation. A lack of motivation is the reason you lack energy and enthusiasm. It is makes everything seem so dull and drives you to ground zero.

As an entrepreneur myself, I have discovered that a lack of motivation is one of the biggest threats to to entrepreneurship and progressive innovation.

If ever you are going to keep upward and forward momentum, you have to keep yourself motivated. Here are ten ways to keep yourself motivated:

1. Indulge your interests

One of the obvious (yet notoriously common) reasons why people find themselves losing motivation after a certain period is that they choose to follow paths that neither excite them nor genuinely interest them.

Many times our reasons for taking certain actions are not pure. One may take a certain action only because of how it would make them look to their associates or neighbors. Another may take an action only because they saw their role model doing the same and are subconsciously trying to be someone they are not.

Resultantly, over a few months, keeping up with such a regiment starts becoming more burdensome than it is helpful.

When you do decide to drop it, it leaves you in a pit where you need help just to get out of. It leaves you with that same feeling of emptiness and a lack of joy yet you still feel like you are letting yourself down by not keeping up. It's a real pickle.

To safeguard your motivation, choose to pursue the things in which you are genuinely interested in. It will take a lot for your own interests to feel like burdens.

2. Set goals on goals

Another reason why many people find themselves in a rut of motivation is because they feel "They have made it."

It is much easier for someone whose career is on the line to sleep only four hours a night if that is what it takes to get their house in order. On the other hand when you seemingly have everything you need it also becomes harder to not to take longer breaks. You then can be easily sucked into a lack of drive because you really don't have much to aim for ahead. 

It's funny how one of the biggest threats to success can be success itself.

One of the biggest threats to success is success itself. When you get a little bit ahead, its all too easy to become complacent and to quickly lose what you have gained - Ralph Marston

The best way to overcome this problem is to continuously set goals for yourself. When you achieve one, set yourself another one to continuously build on your success.

3. Celebrate milestones

Everyone needs a pat on the back for a job well done. Never withhold credit where it is due; Especially to yourself.

Celebration provides a sense of pride of achievement. It is one way of constantly fueling desire and verve. This is why high achievers are often celebrated with medals and accolades. It not only acknowledges their achievements, it also gives them the drive to push further and provides that same positive energy to others so that they also strive to achieve the same (if not better) results.

4. Do not overexert yourself

At times a lack of motivation is caused by simply overheating your engine into knocking and deformation.

More often than not, stress is the result of an inbalance between work load and how much the body or mind is capable of handling at a particular moment. In as much as it is important to eat healthy, it is critical that the body is periodically refreshed by either resting or simply taking some time out to recuperate and enjoy the gifts life has to offer.

5. Give yourself time to do something that gives you joy

One way to maximise on recuperation periods is allowing yourself to do something that makes you smile. Take some time periodically to enjoy your favorite hobbies.

This not only relieves the deadline related tension, it also helps with stress management. Above all, it is a way to reboot your energy level such that when you dig back into the fray you are much more invigorated than you were before taking a break.

6. Surround yourself with positive influence

It is much easier to stay motivated when those around you are uttering nothing but words of encouragement. We are social beings, meaning that the verbal input of those around us weighs a certain value to either how we feel or the actions we take. It could either be conscious or subconsciously, but the people around you play an important role with regards to your motivation.

To stay motivated, keep within your close circle those individuals that push, encourage and challenge you to be a better individual. You will be surprised by how much further simple positive reinforcement can aid your momentum.

Likewise, pessimistic and gloomy individuals spell doom to your motivation.

7. Read/listen to other people's motivational stories

One of the easiest ways to trigger motivation is to listen to people whose stories resemble yours.

They act as pillars of hope and reminders that indeed it is possible.

When it is evident that someone else managed to achieve a similar feat to the one you are pursuing then the dream will seem much more possible and realistic than it is an imagination. This fuels the fire of hope within you and your motivation will be continuously replenished.

8. Exercise and stay healthy

It's no gimmick when the issue of exercising and staying healthy is stressed.

Research has established that exercise improves the mood as it naturally increases the endorphin level. 

Endorphins are hormones produced by the central nervous system and pituitary glands. They are released by the body as natural pain relief mechanism. The release of endorphins in turn increases the release of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with pleasure.

Therefore, as you exercise regularly, you are better positioned mentally and physically to embrace motivation.

9. Avoid being stuck in a routine

One of the notoriously common reasons for a rut is monotony. Doing the same thing over and over again day after day will inevitably get you bored at some point. 

Humans are dynamic beings. We live to grow and learn. 

Once you get stuck in a routine there is not much space to grow or learn anymore, hence a rut.

Even in romantic relationships, people do all they can to spice things up just to avoid that dreaded rut. Every relationship blossoms in adventure, including the one you have with motivation. When there are no longer any avenues to explore it becomes an uphill task finding any sort of motivation.

Spice up your routines, explore new avenues within your project and be open to continuously learning and growing.

10. Constantly challenge yourself to change

Motivation is a fuel for desire to go beyond what you already have. Therefore if you are ever going to stay motivated you have to continuously challenge yourself to be a step above where you were yesterday.