Perhaps, 2013 has not been as successful as you planned. One of the reasons could have been your initial enthusiasm in pursuing your goals slowly waned as you went along. But do not lose heart. You can always rekindle your enthusiasm by keeping motivated this 2014. Here are some tips on how to maintain your motivation along the way:
Lower your benchmark to an achievable level. Aiming too high in pursuit of perfection makes you vulnerable to frustration which is the biggest killer of motivation. This does not necessarily mean you cannot hope to be perfect but you can do it gradually. Start humbly from a more achievable level. Once you succeed in reaching this level, adjust your yardstick several notches higher. Keep working this way until you attain the degree of excellence you set to achieve.
Appreciate your own uniqueness. No two persons are exactly the same, not even twins. Each has its own assets and liabilities so comparing yourself to others is a waste of time. It only results to frustration and resentment. These negative attitudes kill motivation. However, if you want to compare yourself to others, do it with a nobler purpose — to emulate their positive qualities that make them successful. This way, you can turn an otherwise destructive action to a beneficial one.
Have faith in yourself. Self-confidence is the best ally of motivation. Having faith in your own capabilities fuels your drive to keep going, especially when the going gets rough. Looking back at your past accomplishments, even the small ones, will help boost your confidence which in turn props up your motivation.
Define your goal. Working towards a vague goal is likened to not having any goal at all. You simply cannot motivate yourself to pursue an intangible target. Come up with a clear and precise idea on what you passionately want to accomplish. Draw up a plan of action on how you would attain this goal. Prepare all the requirements you will need to sustain your project. Once you finalize your action plan, work on it as soon as possible. By taking immediate action, you fuel up your motivation and each step forward you make enhances it further.
Focus only on one goal at a time. Hoping to accomplish more than one goal simultaneously is like multitasking with a similar unproductive result. By aiming to do more at the same time, you spread your energy too thinly to many directions. This will disperse your focus and diminish your motivation for any particular goal, resulting to the eventual abandonment of all your goals.
Appreciate your effort. Praising yourself for job-well-done has similar uplifting effect as if someone has done it to you. Treat yourself the way you want others to treat you. Reward yourself for every accomplishment and development you attain along the way. This may be in form of a special dinner alone or with your loved ones, a day off to a quiet retreat, or simply bumming around the house with your favourite book. Appreciating yourself is a good motivation booster.
Get adequate rest. Despite being your overwhelming enthusiasm, remember that you are still a human being and not a mechanical robot. Therefore, you need adequate rest to prevent energy burn-out. Include regular timeouts and rest period in your action plan. Do not consider them waste of time. On the contrary, they are effective time savers because they help you sustain your energy to work longer hours without being exhausted. Keep your regular sleeping hours and avoid working late at night. They will start you fresher and with more stamina for another day’s work. This also keeps your motivation at its peak.
Minimize distractions. Be realistic. Distractions are very difficult, if not impossible, to avoid in our day-to-day living. These include TV, the internet, social media, telephones, and people around us. They are not only time wasters but indirect killers of motivation. Being frequent intruders in our work, they cause us to lose our focus. The best option to minimize their adverse effect on you is to limit your access to them. Set a definite schedule in your day when you can attend to them. Allotting an hour twice a day for them should be more than enough. As regards intruders, putting up a “Do Not Disturb” or “Busy at Work” signs may be effective. Otherwise, a tactful “Sorry but I’m busy right now” may work.
If killers of your motivation were able to stop you from attaining your goal before, applying these tips can effectively overcome them. Stop these motivation killers this 2014 before they stop you!