Motivating yourself can be tricky, we get that. But, as we deal with so much negativity, comparison, jealousy, insecurity and mental health issues in society — especially males — it’s important to narrow your focus on what’s important, then go out and achieve it.
There are goals we all set for ourselves, but how motivated are you to actually accomplish them? What are you willing to sacrifice? Are you codependent and afraid of doing something on your own? What does it mean to be successful to you, and why? These are all things that you should be asking yourself, among other things, as you continue down your path in life.
Since motivating yourself is so difficult, we have ways in which you can do it the right way, on your schedule, and reach all those things you’ve set out to do. So follow these tips and see how much happier you’ll be with yourself.
Just get started and stop talking about it
All to often, we tell ourselves we want to do something rather than, you know, just rolling up our sleeves and actually doing it. Whether that’s because of the fear of failure, trying to compete with our friends by saying we’re more involved than we really are in things or something else, talking about something never got anyone anywhere. It’s good to set micro goals for yourself, which can motivate you to start a project first, then you can build off things from there.
Find a good mentor
There’s nothing better than having someone who can serve as a mentor in your quest for a goal. It can be someone from work, a group or otherwise, but it should be a person who will follow-up with you and help keep you in line with what you’ve been planning to do. They’ll hold you accountable and give you constructive criticism, which should motivate you even more. Listen to this person and learn!
Reward yourself, learn, and continue
OK, so you’ve accomplished one of those micro goals you made, good for you — now how will you respond? Will you get complacent and be satisfied, or will you use it as an opportunity to learn and be great with whatever the next step is? For example, if you’re starting a business and put together your business plan, now isn’t the time to pat yourself on the back, it’s time to get to work and go find future investors who will actually listen to your pitch.
Reduce daily distractions
While working, are you checking your phone every 30 minutes to see if you’ve got any new text messages from friends, or scrolling through Instagram to see a bunch of hot Instagram accounts? If so, it’s time to keep the phone somewhere else, because all it’s doing is prohibiting you from reaching the goals you’ve made for yourself. Motivating yourself takes sacrifice, and, while this one might not be major, simply cutting down the time you’re “online,” so to speak, will give you more time to be productive.
Remind yourself that it’s a long road
Don’t get discouraged when something doesn’t go your way. A good example of this is if you’re job-hunting and haven’t heard anything back from one of the places you applied to. Sure, you’ve put the time in and want instant gratification, but it doesn’t happen that way. All you can control is you, and the rest of it is out of your hands, so stick with it until you see the result you want. Sometimes, it can happen overnight, but, more realistically, it’s going to take time, with hardships in between.
Be kind to yourself
The journey is a long and winding road, my friend, and a big part of motivating yourself is to treat yourself with respect and kindness before anything else. You need to train your mind into understanding that there will be negative people, doubters and failures, but you should also know there’s positivity and successes to come — as long as you think that way. Your reality becomes what you focus on the most, and being kind to yourself will help inspire you and learn, rather than build self-doubt.