You hear the comments all the time- 'I had so much motivation this morning!' or 'I can't seem to find the motivation to complete this task.' (this is when distraction or procrastination are at their best). These statements, among many others, are common in my work as a counsellor and coach.
The lack of motivation doesn't discriminate against age, gender, race, culture, economic background or intelligence. It often seems random or even fluctuates from one day to the next. Why does it happen? Goals, expectations, fear of failure; you name it. They can all interfere.
So how do we regain our power over a lack of motivation? How do we increase it?
Here are 5 steps:
Identify you goal/task/desired outcome- Take the time to explore what you truly want. What is the essence of what you want? Write it down with an 'I WILL' statement. For example, 'I will be a coach.' This sets the intention and the clarity.
What is the impact? How would you be impacted by achieving this goal? Imagine how you might feel and how life would be. Knowing this will allow you to remember why you're doing this. It is more powerful to work towards the goal with this than it is to disengage. Write this down and place it somewhere where it can be seen.
Explore you options- What options do you have to help you achieve that goal? Who or what kind of support is needed to help you achieve it? How might these options occur? This encourages you to see beyond the goal and recognise the resources you have within yourself and those around you to achieve it.
Be aware of the hurdles (and there will be some)- Hurdles are a motivation killer. There are always hurdles to overcome to achieve what we want, particularly when it's a highly desired goal. These hurdles may be practical ones but can be explored and adjusted to what's needed. However the more difficult hurdles are those that come within. These include our limiting beliefs such as 'I'm not good enough', 'What if I fail?', etc... The good thing is, is that when we 'SEE' the hurdles, they can be overcome by working through them. They are meant to be overcome. Take some time to identify the 'what ifs' and explore the limiting belief that is showing up. See it and understand why. Then remind yourself of the above steps to jump the hurdles.
The plan- Now its time for action. Your options are a good source for this. Look at your options and decide what needs to happen and what you need in order to do each step. Make sure that this goals are achievable and give yourself a day and time in which you'll complete them. This again, sets a clear intention and thus more likely to occur. This is also a time for you to take action against your hurdles. Identify what you could do when those hurdles occur. An example might be, 'When I feel ______________ I will ____________.
If you would like more support on working with motivation on a long term goal, sign up for my FREE 7 Day Challenge to Empowerment and Change
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