‘The best motivation is self-motivation. In fact, not many people succeed in life without a self-generated drive. If you rely on others to energize you, or hesitate until the right mood hits, or delay until circumstances are ideal, then you’ll spend most of your life waiting’- John Maxwell

Motivation is one of the most important things we can master in our emotional toolkit.

Many of my coaching conversations lead to building self motivation when discussing subjects such as…

  • Emotional mastery.
  • Productivity.
  • Or leadership.

For a lot of people, motivation appears to come and go with little control.

Motivating yourself is hard.

In fact, trying to maintain your drive through a job, task, project or even your career can sometimes feel difficult.

Do you ever wonder why…

  • Some days you are so motivated to do something, and you feel great! You are all fired up and ready to move forward!
  •  Other days feel like a drag? Not moving or getting up from the couch, only watching Netflix and binge eating?
  • Why are some people so successful at self motivation? You can see and feel their drive, ambition, and hunger to achieve their goals and fulfilling their purpose.

People who are consistently self motivated do not just have or show up with motivation.

I believe you need to GENERATE it – you need to cultivate and grow into motivation.

Motivation has always been a human struggle and finding it can be an internal battle.

PRO TIP:

What I’ve learned after repeated attempts to sustain my self motivation long term is that…

If you rely on others to energize you…

  • Or wait until the right moment comes…
  • Or delay it until you feel it’s the perfect time…

 You will never achieve motivational mastery.

For example, I use to place great value in my leadership gurus, books, webinars, and mentors to inspire my motivation and calls to action.

What I have learned is that these people and tools disguise themselves as cheerleaders.

Temporary supporters who motivate only in a moment in time.

What I came to realize is that the feeling of motivation was only temporary.

In the past I thought I had to wait until the right time to start something new.

For example a…

  • New job or position.
  • Different diet or exercise regime.

But these are just excuses posing as barriers to motivation.

In the past, I have felt as though I lost my motivation.

I felt defeated because I invested some much time and energy into sustaining the motivation, only to lose it along the way.

What I came to realize is that I LOST FOCUS ON WHO OR WHAT I WAS FIGHTING FOR.

I became distracted and consumed by everybody’s wills and desires and as a result it threw me off my game.

Why Motivating People Doesn’t work’ by Susan Fowler.

Is a great book that examines motivation, through the lens of the optimal motivation model.

Follow the link to invest in a copy:

Motivation is about mastering your mental and emotional game.

The practices, tools and information below will give your self motivation a boost.

2 WAYS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR MOTIVATION:

‘People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily’- Zig Ziglar

  1. FIX YOUR PERSONAL ENVIRONMENT

Whom you surround yourself with, plays a huge part in self improvement.

Your environment impacts motivation in massive ways.

You want to set your environment up to support you rather than sabotage you.

This means the people you hang around with will impact your life in a positive or negative way.

If you don’t have great people around you, make a point to find them.

Here are a few suggestions…

  • Volunteer in your community.
  • Join online forums.
  • Church Groups.
  • Community Groups.
  • Go to seminars and network in your community.

A supportive community and culture who are dedicated to getting better and helping each other is the kind of thing that makes doing hard things just a little easier.

Difficult things could include…

  • Tasks.
  • Activities.
  • Goals.

Or keeping motivation alive and sustainable, even when there are setbacks.

The goal is to encircle yourself with people who are like minded, who want to grow and who want to give.

This will help you to become stronger, more motivated, and will minimize temptation points that can zap your focus.

2. AVOID THE TEMPTATION OF DISTRACTION

A lack of motivation embroils us in…

  • Negative feelings of anxiety.
  • Boredom.
  • Fear.
  • Self doubt.
  • Frustration.
  • Or even sentiments of insecurity may surface.

As result…

  • We distract ourselves by …
  • Scrolling through social media.
  • Gossiping.
  • Video games.
  • Watching a funny dog video.
  • Or consuming negative news.

This is only temporary relief from those negative emotions.

Of course, short-term relief feels good, but can quickly become engrained in your daily routines and habits.

I am not suggesting that you remove social media or news from your life.

Instead, be strategic about these forms of distractions.

For example…

Block out time for social media or consume the NEWS for 10 mins, twice a day.

The rest of the time you are focusing on things that move your life forward.

Try not to be constantly concerned about what other people are doing and checking into their world.

I believe we lack motivation because we lack momentum toward the things that matter.

Gaining and sustaining motivation is about forming an emotional connection to what you want to create or become.

You need to show up everyday and inch yourself forward toward your dreams and goals.

A dream is great but can quickly lose momentum if there is not sustained action.

Without initiative and consistency, your dreams, goals, creativity, and ideas diminish fast.

I used to think that if I had the motivation to get things done like…

  • My to do list.
  • Managing my Inbox.
  • Looking at social media posts
  • Driving my kids to soccer practice.
  • Cooking dinner.

Based on the above inventory, I should feel a sense of accomplishment because I am knocking these things off my list.

But these feelings are hollow or temporary because they are only accomplishing busy work items.

People are busy, but they are busy doing things that are not fulfilling.

These things do not create or inspire connection to a larger purpose.

This hinders motivation because it can cause a loss of sustained momentum.

We are reacting not creating or connecting to goals or ideas that really matter or that fulfills our life’s purpose.

For more advice on finding your purpose, read my blog called

‘The 5 Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself-To Reveal Your Life’s Purpose’

The 5 Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself -To Reveal Your Life’s Purpose

Peak performers work at their goals and dreams everyday.

Although, massive accomplishment does not take place overnight.

Successful people keep the momentum going by creating goals and dreams that spark an emotional connection.

They also have a need to make positive progress (baby steps) daily.

TAKE ACTION:

If you want more motivation in your life and to gain momentum consistently…

Take out your journal and ask yourself these powerful questions:

  • What are 3 things that will get you fired up today?
  • What you are fighting for and what is needed from you today?
  • What must happen today to move the needle toward my goal or purpose?
  • Why is this important to you?
  • What is your vision of an inspiring future?

My recommendation is to journal first thing in the morning because this sets up your day for action.

Do these things first.

In other words, knock them off before your day of distraction starts – tweeting, to do lists or watching the news.

Instead of being an obsessive consumer of stuff or entertainment, you will create new habits that move your life forward.

This momentum will fire you up and you will start new habits that focus on what matters most.

This emotional connection to your vision of the future will energize your mind, willpower, and emotions to propel you forward with renewed vigor and momentum.

Your vision for the future will push you further because it so compelling in your world.

Self Motivation requires a powershift in your mindset.

Maybe you lost motivation because you lost connection with what to look forward to in your life or you’ve disconnected from your powerful future.

My final thoughts are to design your days, weeks, and months to move the needle toward your goals and dreams that spark connection and creativity.

Generate a desire for more  – more depth, abundance, peace, service, harmony, success, or even deeper spiritual practice.

Design a morning routine (like journaling) that connects to your ambitions.

Create a thoughtful space to feel and visualize your idealistic future.

Once you have identified your dreams or ambitions, take small steps towards them on a daily basis. This will spark momentum which will sustain your motivation.

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These tools will help you grow, reach higher heights so you can become the best version of you!

I sincerely wish you the best on your journey to enhance your life!

George Andreas, Founder

Victorypivot.com