Getting Motivated

"Shoot for the moon.  Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." Brian Littrell http://thinkexist.com/quotations/motivation/

This week I am going to look at the area of motivation.  Motivation can be something that becomes really important for us particularly in times of difficulty, it is something that can easily be deflated in times of adversity.  The question is how can we learn to help ourselves to feel motivated even at times of great stress or difficulty.  Lets look at the whole area of motivation; what it is, why we need it and how we can help ourselves to feel more motivated.

What is motivation?
Motivation is that excitement and energy we can feel about a goal we set ourselves or a new project that we take on.  It is a form of arousal, we have an interest in something and we want it to succeed so we are going to do all we can to accomplish it.

How we can increase our motivation?
There are a  few skills and common factors to be aware of in order to keep our motivation going, some of these are listed below:

• Setting a goal
• Making a plan or putting structure on a project
• Commitment
• Being flexible
• Know the benefits
• Putting supports in place
• Self-care
• Believe in yourself
• Rewards
• Know your fears and don't be afraid to challenge them

Be aware that we are all unique in how we approach things so what motivates one person may not work for another; this is why all of the above have to be explored by each individual and adapted to what  they want and need to help them feel motivated.

Another thing to be aware of is to have an understanding of what demotivates us.  I came across an interesting exercise in a book called The Big Book of Motivation Games by Robert Epstein & Jessica Rogers; they suggest an exercise called Target Practice. What they suggest doing is writing a list of what kind of things have a negative impact on your motivation. So get a piece of paper, divide into two columns and write down on one side the things that de-motivate you - on the other side of the page explore and think about how you can challenge this, what is your plan of action.  Maybe some of the earlier posts on this blog might help you, do you need to challenge your thinking, address your lifestyle balance, break a negative stress cycle.

So after you have identified what demotivates you, write another list about what motivates you.  The same book has another exercise called the "Bliss List", for this exercise you are invited to write a list of all the things you would like to do over the next week, or the next month - you choose.  They needn't be huge, but think about things that you might enjoy and haven't allowed yourself do in a while, e.g. meet someone for a cup of coffee, take a walk, go to the movies whatever you like,  it's your bliss list!  Then make a commitment to yourself  and make a plan to do some of these things over the next week and see how you feel.

These are a few quick tips on keeping your motivation going - hope you find them helpful!

References:  The Big Book of Motivation Games by Robert Epstein Ph.D. with Jessica Rogers 2001 p 47 & 177