I receive e-mails all the time, asking the same question: How can I maintain my motivation over the long term? This seems to be quite a common dilemma for many people, so I wanted to address it here. Here are some tips for staying motivated:
- Ride the momentum when it comes.
Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won’t. It’s OK. It’s how life is. When you aren’t clicking, plug away. When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of it as you can! It is true that motivation doesn’t last. We have to renew it each and every day. This doesn’t make motivation a bad thing; we just need to realize that in order to stay motivated, we’ll need to reapply it to our lives each and every day. - Put good materials into your mind.
I can’t say this enough: Listen to audiotapes or CDs. Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy great music, and listen to it. Music gets you going and motivates you!These are simple principles that, when put to work regularly, will keep you motivated and change your life. Get going! - Work hard enough to get results.
You can build on your motivation by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you will get; the more results you get, the more motivated you will become to get more. These things all build on one another. - Fuel your passion.
Emotion plays a big part in staying motivated. I don’t quite know how emotion works with motivation, but I do know that it works. Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel emotion, and use it to your advantage. - Have a vision for your life.
The root word of motivation is motive. The definition of motive is, “a reason to act.” This is the cognitive or rational side of motivation. It is your vision. To stay motivated, you need to have a vision that is big enough to motivate you every day. Set out a vision and a strategy for getting there. Have a plan, and work the plan. - Get motivated every day.
Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a “motivational speaker.” The guy said to him, “You guys come and get people hyped up, and then you leave, and the motivation goes away. It doesn’t last, and then you have to get motivated again.” Zig reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way, but we still think it is a good idea to take a bath every day!
It is true that motivation doesn’t last. We have to renew it each and every day. This doesn’t make motivation a bad thing; we just need to realize that in order to stay motivated, we’ll need to reapply it to our lives each and every day.