Motivation is a vital aspect of our lives. It is the fuel that enable us to endure long hours at work and/or rejection after rejection. However, it is important to remember that motivation is not infinite. There will be a time when you no longer feel motivated. The trick is knowing how to regain that motivation when it seems like the road ahead is longer than expected. There are 5 things that you can do when you are feeling that motivation is fading.
- What Motivates You
- Manage Your Expectations
- The Challenge Network
- Divide and Conquer
- Failing does not mean Failure
It might sound like asking a rhetorical question, but ask this question at different points of your journey and you will find out the source of your motivation at different points. What motivates you at the start of your journey might differ from the 6-month mark, 1-year mark, or at the 2-year mark. What motivates you in the beginning may no longer align with where you are later on in the journey. For example, in the beginning you might be motivated by the potential that your new job brings but 9 months in to the journey you might find yourself being motivated by promotion. It is crucial that you know where you are in your journey towards success and be able to adapt to the changes in your motivation source.
There are 2 kinds of expectations we always engage with: inner expectations – what you want out of yourself and what you envision yourself to be – and outer expectations which are the expectations others has of you, how they weigh you as a person, and what they see in you. There needs to be a balance between the two simply because you cannot satisfy everyone’s expectations. It is unhealthy to let the expectation of others surpasses your resolve to do what benefits you and satisfies your conscience as you would burnout faster than you think.
Your inner expectation should be the base for your motivation because the future you desire is based on your vision of where you want yourself to be and what kind of person you want to become. Letting others take hold of that is allowing them to mold you to be someone you may not want to be
When it comes to discovering or rediscovering your motivation, you should have a support network that you can turn to when you hit a wall. This network should consist of people who affirm and challenge you as you grow. Those who disagree with you will challenge your viewpoint and offer perspectives that you may never have thought of. It is not by any means you are letting others take the charge, you are simply learning about yourself more. Talk to a friend or someone who has worked with you and is not afraid of being honest. Talk to a consultant or coach for an outside perspective as they do not have a previous experience experience with you and are able to offer you a deeper view.
An ancient strategy that is still relevant. The amount of work you need to do to achieve success always looks like a tall mountain to climb and can overwhelm you. The trick is divide the load. Just as I mentioned before, your journey to success is a long one and there will be times when your primary motivation is to get to the next stage.
For example, you may find yourself saying “My motivation right now is to get that contract” or “I will get that promotion” this will look different for each person so ask yourself “What is my next step?” “What are the stages involved in it?” Can you visualize it? Now tackle them in phases according to what you are capable of. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Focus on the short run while maintaining the vision for your future.
Failure is inevitable, there will come a time when you will fall short of your goal or get rejection after rejection. At that moment remember this: To fail is to learn a lesson for life, it does not equate to being a failure. What matters is what you decide to do after. If you let yourself wallow in the sorrow of failing for too long, you are telling yourself that this is the best you can do. IS IT?
Success is a long journey and there are no shortcuts to reach it. The end goal is still ahead of you and there are numerous exciting opportunities waiting for you to discover. If you give up now, you are throwing away the effort that you have put in.
Think of motivation (or its source) as the engine of your dreams. You may know where you are going but if you do not have a solid engine you may never arrive where you want. Do not allow your drive to be in someone else’s hands. Always take 100% charge and responsibility for your destiny, no one will have your interest at heart more than you will have for yourself, so don’t give up on what drives you, propel yourself into that which you’ve always dreamed of and earn yourself that deserving destiny.