Question

Do you start new projects (such as college) with great enthusiasm, only to lose motivation along the way? How can you keep you motivation strong?

Answer 1

• It takes effort to get from where we are to where we want to be, and many obstacles crop up on our path to success. The truth is that staying motivated is exponentially harder than simply getting fired up, especially when the goal is unclear, distant or difficult to achieve.
• Additionally, life throws in many surprises that can set us back and make us question our motivation, and ultimately our goals.
• The reason some people quit pursuing their goals while others successfully reach theirs is the difference in the motivation that drives them. The “right” – or sustainable – motivation comes from the inside out, is supported by well-defined priorities and goals, and provides a strong emotional connection to the desired outcome.
• To stay motivated in the long run,intrinsic motivation is much more effective than extrinsic motivation.
• Identify what you want and put it in writing. Be as clear and specific as possible – include both quantitative (measureable) and qualitative (feeling or experiential) aspects. Once you write it down, keep it somewhere in sight.
• We make plans and make promises to ourselves to follow through, but if it’s just in our minds we tend to forget both plans and promises as soon as life gets busy. Putting things in writing holds you accountable to your goals; it also serves as a reminder of all the progress that you made.
• When you are disorganized, you cannot make much progress with anything, because your attention is divided between so many things. Procrastination can become a problem because you waste your energy on matters that don’t really matter.
• Nothing is more distracting and demotivating than a cluttered mind. If you find yourself running in circles, hit “pause” and take a moment to think back to your priorities. When you know your priorities, it is very easy to trim off all the time-eaters and energy-zappers that keep you from moving forward.
• Ask yourself what obstacles you might encounter while making progress towards your goals. It is important to be aware of all potential stumbling blocks, because you can then decide how to deal with these obstacles, and when you actually run into them you will be able to eliminate them without losing your motivation.
• Practice positive self-talk and do things that make you happy, because when you are happy you feel more energized and motivated. Of course, unexpected and undesirable things can happen and they can negatively affect your attitude and resolve.
• Negative self-talk and excessive self-criticism will only exacerbate matters and will further weaken your motivation. Positive self-talk, on the other hand, will help you bounce back faster to your usual self, and continue to move forward as if nothing happened.
• Spending time with yourself is very important for getting intrinsically motivated,reflecting on your feelings and your goals helps to gain clarity and renew your motivation to take up a new challenge and also keep going in the job or project you might be working on.
• Also part of becoming stronger is by helping others as well,insipiring them which in turn would inspire you and help in personal growth by gaining some new insights.
• You can help inspire others in your own circles. When you work on learning how to defeat your own fears, you begin to become a little more invincible to lessor stressors. In this sense, you gain some self-power to deal with life.
• Fear and self-doubt are your mental strength's biggest enemies. To combat this and protect your mental strength, these two enemies need to eliminated.
• Firstly, you need to identify what your self-doubts, fears, and concerns are. Then you can begin to start letting them go, and a simple visualization is the perfect tool for this. As you release those doubts and fears from your mind, it allows your motivation and mental strength to remain solid and strong.
• To further strengthen yourself, you can visualize your end goal just the way you want it be. Allow this concept to be your point of focus, rather than any self-doubt and fear.