Be Motivated

Everyone talks about being motivated. We all know how important it is to have the ambition to put forth effort to get things done. But did you ever wonder where your motivational energy comes from? It doesn’t just show up, unannounced, out of the blue, whenever it wills. No, you have to feed your motivation drivers for them to come alive and thrive.

Your motivation is energy that you generate. Sometimes you rely on something external to get you going, like an expectation you agreed to, a deadline or some other influence or pressure that prompts you to action.

Other times, you create it internally, usually something you are interested in or curious about. In fact, curiosity is a trait that most achievers have and know how to direct their natural desire to action.

Either way, you should assume the responsibility of generating your motivational energy. The question is how to do it on demand—when you want it?

Get Motivated

In last week’s message, I shared with you 5 common motivation drivers that draw us to action. This Message describes the drivers and to determine which ones are especially important to you.

If you pay attention to your motivation drivers consistently, you will be surprised by how much your attitude improves, your work is less burdensome, and you feel that inner satisfaction with what you are doing. They will even carry you through the difficult and challenging times.

Rather than bore you with the neuro-psychology involved, let’s cut to the chase. Here are six practices that you can use to active your motivational energy. Some you already know about; some you use. All of them are effective to feed your motivation.

1. Connect your work to your natural drivers. Using the drivers described in last week’s Message, see how you can connect the work to at least one of them. Then the task at hand is experienced as satisfying something that is important to you, instead of doing it just because.
2. Regularly review your “why:” If your work moves you to achieve your goals, purpose, and beliefs, it will naturally stimulate your neuro chemistry. But you have to remember. Create a reminder in your calendar to regularly review where you are going or aspire to be so that you don’t forget what you are all about.
3. Get enough rest, diet and exercise. You don’t need to hear more about these. It’s no different than getting your car ready for a long trip. You will only go as far as your physical and mental state will provide. Don’t expect your “want to” to overcome an empty gas tank or flat tire.
4. Lighten your load by chunking your tasks. Feeling stressed and overwhelmed will erode your energy reserves quicker than anything. Your most daunting tasks require you to exert energy and time. Break up your project into smaller bites and spread them over time—throughout the day or week. It’s the “one bite at a time” plan. And it works.
5. “Have to” or “get to?” You may scoff at this, but it’s really a thing. When you HAVE to do something (against your preference), it evokes psychological discomfort, like dread, which you naturally avoid. When you think of that same activity as “wanting to,” a different part of your bran is stimulated, evoking anticipation and curiosity. Hard to believe, but just by restating something from “have to” to “get to,” makes all the difference.
6. Pre-Select your tasks. Composing a daily or weekly Task List from your overall to-do list is a powerful tool to get stuff done. Without a Task List, you are left to wander throughout your day, moving from one urgent matter to another, with little to show for your effort at the end of the day.

Stay Motivated

Each of these techniques has shown to be effective in the research. The point isn’t that you know them; you must do them—at least some of them. The next time you feel unmotivated, that’s an indication you need to take control of your motivation energy. So. Get. Moving. And feed your motivation drivers!!