Are You Having Trouble Staying Motivated?

Many of us have an on-off relationship with motivation. We need to stay motivated all the time however we always find it difficult to move out of our comfort zones and start working. We enjoy being motivated and yet we hate the actual pushing ourselves into carrying out what we are supposed to be doing or completing tasks we have previously started.

Motivation is very difficult to pin down. Few people realize, while it could be often tricky to pin down, there are many of actions one can take to gather enough motivation to move yourself in the right direction.

Stop arguing with yourself. The war always begins in your mind. It starts five to ten minutes prior to the start of completing something you have to do. This could be a task, business strategizing or formulating a goal.

The scenario generally goes like this: You need to complete a task that you’re not 100% motivated to accomplish. One part of your mind nudges you into doing it. Then the thought comes to mind that tries to talk you out of it. These mind games play back and forth until you finally make a choice to follow one of the thoughts. If you don’t complete the task you have to live with that uneasy, guilty or “unfinished” feeling. If you finish the task you feel satisfied and peaceful. The correct choice is obvious if you want peace, but sometimes you refuse the obvious and not completing the task seems more enticing, even though you know the consequences.

Of course, it’s not a good idea to just sit in the debate of your opposing thoughts. The longer this goes on, it is difficult for you to even begin or finish your task and you will feel even less motivated than before. Monkey chatter of the mind is a complete motivation destroyer.

Find some inspiration to boost your motivation. Inspiration seems to appear out of nowhere. You can feel inspired by music, singing birds, listening to the rhythm of the falling rain or by simply observing children play. It is incredible how a humorous line from a poem can clear your mind and improve you mood.

It is not fully clear why this happens, but they do occur repeatedly. When deficient in inspired motivation to get off your hind quarters and accomplish your work, look in the most ordinary places and see if any emotions are stirred inside of you. However you can’t fake this. Inspiration is a swift event; it can never be contrived. It comes when you are open and ready.

Give yourself time out. Overtiredness can murder your frame of mind as well as decrease your motivation. The funny thing about motivation is the more you push yourself, the less you accomplish. Relax and take time give yourself some sunshine or perhaps a soapy warm bath. Take a walk out in nature and gather negative ions from trees. Take a nap. You will discover that after a refreshing break your mind and motivation are raring to be productive. Going with the flow and relaxing is so much easier than beating up on yourself when you’re tired.

Motivation is its own reward. If you’re not having fun in life, you’re doing it wrong! Find the intention and joy in all you do. Then motivation will follow.