Whether it’s visualizing your success or shifting your perspective, motivation has nothing to do with your capacity to accomplish something and everything to do with your ability to believe you can.
If you want to increase your motivation now, use the following tips to first set your sights on it.
Keep the Focus on You
A desire to increase motivation is something that we all experience. Maybe it helps to be reminded of this because sometimes it can feel like everyone else around you is cruising through life while you’re stuck in a rut. Maybe you catch yourself wishing you had what “they” have. And while some personality traits may contribute to greater productivity, motivation is like a muscle that we all have to strengthen.
You wouldn’t expect to grow stronger by going to a public gym and merely staring and comparing, would you? Your motivation muscle is no different. It needs repetition and rest and nourishment that only you can give yourself. So first and foremost, when you are ready to increase motivation, commit to focusing on your reasons and growth. Inspiration is helpful. Comparison is irrelevant.
Focus on the Process
The exciting thing about life is that there could be a million different reasons for an individual’s aspiration to increase motivation. What’s yours? Better yet, what would make you happy while you’re working toward that goal, not when you achieve it?
Let your purpose be your reason, and let it fuel your process. Before you work to increase motivation, define your reason and talk about it as something you choose to do, not what you have to do.
Ditch Your Fixed Mindset
A fixed mindset could be the underlying reason for your lack of motivation. Do you ever catch yourself thinking you will never succeed or feeling threatened by challenges or others’ successes?
These are examples of the self-limiting beliefs we all have, but when these thoughts are persistent, they become fixed. Your response to any new goals or challenges becomes, “I can’t do this.” It’s not usually anything you say out loud or even notice because it’s become your mindset.
Thankfully, your mindset is something you can challenge and change. Try to start by being more mindful of your negative thoughts. Then you might use those thoughts to develop affirmations. If your self-talk sounds like “I’m afraid to try new things,” an affirmation could be, “It’s exciting to try new things!”
The more you repeat your affirmation (which you can change daily), the more prevalent your positive thoughts will become. This practice can shift your mindset from a fixed state to a growth mindset.
Don’t Commit Publicly
For some people, it’s not enough just to hold themselves accountable – they need someone else to know their goals. A lot of advice you read will advise you to tell the world so that you won’t slack off. In many cases, this works, but usually only when a person chooses to share a goal with someone who will support or encourage them.
A public forum like Facebook is not the same thing as a support system. Publicly committing to your goals creates pressure, not motivation. Once you commit to your dreams in front of others, you aim to meet their expectations, not yours.
Do More to Increase Motivation Now
You might be thinking, I’m already struggling with motivation. How am I to do more?
Doing more isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s not about being busy, even though many of us think that motivation is directly linked to productivity.
When you do more to increase motivation, think about quality over quantity. Think about challenging yourself and finding your motivational spark by breaking old routines and experiencing something new.