So, you want to know how to stay motivated, right? I am going to share with you exactly how to do so. But first, let me ask a few questions to take you back to the time when you knew how to stay motivated.
Do you remember the times when you were full of dreams and promises? You wanted to conquer the world. Maybe you wanted your own star on Hollywood boulevard. You wanted to be a world-renowned singer, lose weight so you can look like a supermodel, or go to the gym to work out.
Back then, you felt unstoppable. You were courageous. You confidently talk about your dreams with relatives, friends, and co-workers. You really believed. You knew how to stay motivated to achieve your heart’s desires. You felt great about yourself!
Then, suddenly, your fire extinguished. For some unknown reasons, you lost your heat or passion. You stop dreaming. You stop believing. You doubt yourself. You become a used-to-be type of person. You say things like, “I used to sing, dance, run, etc.” The saying goes “used to be makes no honey.” You are no longer motivated.
You are driving looking in the rearview mirror, contemplating all the things you aspired. You are confused. You simply don’t know what happened to the old you. Where is the passion or desire that was once in you? Where is craving? Since this is about how to stay motivated, I want to take wild guess at what happened to you.
You lost your motivation because you got distracted. You took your eyes off the ball. It may be because you fell in love with someone that is not supporting your dream. Maybe you got married and have kids. It may be because some friends unconsciously persuaded you to give up on what seemed an impossible dream for them. I don’t really know what went wrong. You are the only who might know for sure.
As a motivational speaker, I get asked a lot about how to stay motivated. Most people know how to stay motivated. They just allow others to de-motivate them.
You probably are saying to yourself, “He is right! But, what I can do? I don’t even know how to stay motivated anymore? I’m too old now. I don’t have the opportunities I used to have.” Well, first, you are not too old to do anything. And, yes, you still know how to stay motivated. It’s in you.
Have you ever heard of the Law of Momentum? Sir Isaac Newton defined it for us. Basically, it says that a body in motion remains in motion until an outside force impacts it. My guess is that’s exactly what happened to you. An outside force impacted you. Some people in your circle are the outside force I’m referring to. You begin to walk in lockstep with people you have no business to be with.
You start dancing to the sound of a different drummer. Instant gratification got a hold of you. Am I right? Come on! You know someone or some people came along and distracted you. Hey, you were in motion. You felt unstoppable.
Here’s what’s so weird about this: Most of the people who derail you from your tracks have good intentions. They never set out to harm you. As the saying goes, “The road to success is paved with good intentions.” So, don’t hate or blame them. Ultimately you allow them to get on inside of your head and distract you. You let them entice or persuade you.
Here Are 4 Strategies To Help You Stay Motivated
1-Accept Full Responsibility
Listen, it makes absolutely no sense rehearsing the past over and over. There’s nothing you can do about it. I know. I know. Maybe someone did or say something to you that caused you to miss your calling. But that was in the past. Stop replaying it in your head. That will not make you feel better. In fact, if anything, it will only make you feel worse. Let it go.
A friend of mine gets really mad when I try to remind her that her current condition is her fault. She can’t believe I would say anything like that. She feels like there’s no way she would drive herself into what she is now. Let me say it again. You are responsible for the way things are for you right now. You say, “As soon as I got married, things started going bad for me.” Well, guess what? It was your choice to marry him or her. Nobody pointed a gun at your head.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to fault or blame you. I’m not being insensitive. We all make mistakes. We all make dumb decisions. I do. But, when I’m facing the consequences of my decisions, I don’t blame anyone. I take full responsibility.
What I’m essentially saying to you is this: The floodgate of happiness and prosperity will never truly opens for you until you fess up and admit you messed up. Truth be told, if you didn’t listen to others or take their advice, you would still be carrying on. You wouldn’t be trying to find out how to stay motivated.
So, instead of complaining about the past, use that energy to create something in the present. Take the actions you should have taken. Dare to be bold once more. Give it one more shot with all you’ve got.
2-Create Your Stop, Start, And Keep Doing Lists
As simple this sound, it’s awesome advice. Like they say, “Feeling listless? Make a list!” Now, to stay motivated, you are going to have to create three lists. I call them stop, keep, and start doing. Your well-organized list will help you eliminate stress. Here’s how to do it:
Take three sheets of paper. At the top of each one, write the following headlines: Stop doing, keep doing, and start doing. Your stop-doing list is very crucial. There are things you are currently doing that are ruining your life. That can be something as simple as stop drinking one can of soda every other day or talking on the phone for so long.
The key is to write down the things you know you need to stop doing. After you are done with this list, write down what you need to keep doing. For example, if you are in school, you might keep going to the library to study. And finally, make a list of the things you need to start doing. This list should be easy for you. I bet you’ve been telling yourself of what need to start doing. For example, you might want to start networking more in your field.
3-Fire Some Of Your Friends
This is a big one. Some of your friends need to go. They are not adding anything to your life. They are only there to distract you. Yes, it may feel good to hang out with your buddies. But you will often discover that this kind of feel good is a fleeting feeling. It’s not going to add any meaning to your life.
I don’t care who your friends are at the moment. All I know is, some of them must go. I bet you already know who they are. They are often the people that have no depth in their conversations. They talk about petty and non-sense things. They gossip. They are drama queens or kings. They drain your energy. They just want to party. Make an inventory of them. Then, decide on who will go or who will stay.
In accounting there’s a concept that is called zero-base thinking. Company executives would ask this question, “Knowing what we know now, is it wise to keep doing what we are doing?” In your case, you would say, “knowing what I know now about this person, do I want to keep the friendship going? Or do I want to continue spending that time with this person?”
If the answer is no, move on. Yeah, I know you might be thinking that you don’t want to hurt your friends’ feelings. That’s okay! You know what? The consequences of having some friends are more hurtful than saying goodbye them.
4-Have Laser Focus
We are living in a world of distractions. That is the main problem today. Everyone is distracted. There’s the Internet, smart phones, and a plethora of things distracting you. And then, there are your friends, family members, co-workers, etc. In my opinion, people are the greatest source of distractions.
You need to learn to tune out people and things that are preventing you from focusing on your goals and objectives. Here’s my advice to you: Try to embrace a minimalistic lifestyle until you get what you want. Don’t clutter your life with things and people. Again, take a look at all the things you have and ask yourself, “Do I REALLY need this or is it just another source of distraction.”
Some things you need and other things you just want. Keep what you absolutely need then let go of the wants. There’s nothing wrong with having the things you want. But, you have to learn how to without now in order to stay focused so that you can have plenty in the future. I hope that makes sense to you.
Let me conclude by saying that life like a bicycle. You have to keep pedaling or you lose your balance. Don’t rest. Don’t take too long of a break. Keep going. That’s the secret to staying motivated. Every time you get interrupted or distracted, it takes a lot to get back on track.
There you have it. If you ever wanted to learn how to stay motivated, you just found the right strategies. I hope you start putting them into application right now. Whether you want to lose weight to fit in that wedding dress, work out at the gym to build muscles, start your own business, or achieve that seemingly impossible dream, these are the right strategies to help you.
Much success to you!
Press on!
I would like permission to use some of your material on jealousy in one of my articles on jealousy.
Thank you very much.
Rev. Bruce A grant
Lessons well learned are lessons well taught. Thanks for the information, I will refer to it regularly to remind myself of what to do in order to stay on target.