How To Keep Yourself Motivated

How To Work With Difficult People

Are you struggling to keep yourself motivated while working on your business, professional, and career goals?

Often people don’t fail because they have the wrong goals or plans.

Instead, 90% of the time, they fail because of a lack of self-motivation.

They lack the momentum, consistency, and self-discipline to keep working on their goals and plans until they achieve success.

Hence, they find themselves falling short of their plans and expectations.

Fortunately, there are ways to build self-motivation and keep yourself motivated regardless of the circumstances around you.

How do you do this effectively? That is what we are about to show you.

How To Keep Yourself Motivated; Overview

We need self-motivation in every facet of life.

Whether in your day-to-day activities, personal career journey, or professional career, you need to keep yourself motivated.

Have there ever been times when you wake up and find it hard to get up from your bed, even though you know you have lots of pending tasks to attend to?

That might be a result of a lack of motivation?

Also, there are times when we set out to reach particular goals, and we might not be getting the needed drive to see them through?

The reason is that we lack the motivation to work on our goals and complete them.

The goal might be to exercise more or to work on your diet.

Without the needed motivation, it might be challenging to achieve this.

Keeping yourself motivated might also be necessary while at work.

Indeed, many organizations put measures in place to boost employees’ morale and keep them motivated.

However, a big part of the motivation comes from with.

Self-motivation is essential if you are going to achieve success in your role at work.

There are some factors, though, that might make self-motivation hard to come by sometimes.

Some of these factors are internal, while others are external.

In a moment, you will see some of them and what’s making it difficult for you to stay motivated.

Additionally, we will consider what practical measures you can take to keep yourself motivated, whether in personal activities or the workplace.

But first, let us discuss what Self-Motivation is.

What is Self Motivation?

Motivation is the driving force that dictates behavior, action, or inaction.

In other words, motivation is what explains why people act or behave in a certain way.

It is what makes you engage in certain activities in your personal and professional life.

More so, it’s what makes you develop certain good habits and break the bad ones.

There are different types of motivation, with extrinsic and intrinsic motivation being the two most popular ones.

As the name implies, extrinsic motivation is the motivation that comes from the outside or externally.

That means your source of motivation is based on an external factor.

In the workplace, external or extrinsic motivation takes rewards, prizes, promotions, benefits, or other forms of recognition.

It is the motivation you get based on a promised gain, reward, or benefit.

Many organizations deploy this to improve employee motivation and with good results.

However, it has its own demerits, such as a drop in productivity when such motivation is not provided.

On the other hand, there is intrinsic motivation.

This is the type of motivation that comes from within an individual.

This motivation is not influenced by rewards, gains, or the hope to benefit someone else.

You are motivated to do what you want to do because of how it makes you feel or personal fulfillment.

Intrinsic motivation can also be referred to as self-motivation.

And that is the focus of this blog post; keeping yourself motivated to carry out daily tasks, responsibilities, and even job duties.

Now, let’s see why self-motivation is such an important concept.

Why It’s Important to Keep Yourself Motivated 

Self-motivation is arguably the best form of motivation for you as an individual, and that is personally and professionally.

Firstly, it is essential to face challenges and difficulties.

One thing that is certain in life or when you set your mind to do something is facing challenging times.

Whether the goal is to improve your workout routine or be more productive at work, there would be times when you will encounter problems.

At such times, you need to keep yourself motivated.

There’s an extent to which external motivation can push you to when difficulty arises.

The main drive at such times is self-motivation.

When you lack self-motivation, it is very easy to crumble under pressure.

This might make you slow down on your goals or responsibilities or even stop you altogether.

Additionally, when you work on keeping yourself motivated, it makes you independent.

Depending on others to push you to achieve your goals is detrimental.

You and you alone should be responsible for your goals and the steps you take to achieve them.

If you wait on others to motivate you, it might make you become dependent, which would affect your chances of success in reaching your goals.

Other Benefits of Keeping Yourself Motivated

Keeping yourself motivated is also beneficial in the workplace as it helps to increase productivity.

When you are self-motivated, you tend to complete assigned tasks quickly and more efficiently.

Also, when you are motivated, it is easier to work harder in whatever role or responsibility you have.

These, in turn, would increase productivity at work.

What’s more?

Employers are usually looking for self-motivated individuals, and these have an advantage over those who need to be extrinsically motivated.

This is so because it requires less energy, time, and resources to manage self-motivated employees.

Such individuals are therefore great assets to every organization and top recruiters.

Because of the benefits mentioned above, you would agree that keeping yourself motivated is very important and you cannot go wrong with it.

Peradventure, you already recognize the importance/benefits of self-motivation.

However, you’ve tried all you can to be self-motivated, but it’s still not working.

There might be some underlying factors making it challenging to build the self-motivation you desire.

Factors that Might Make it Difficult to Keep Yourself Motivated 

Do you sometimes struggle with keeping yourself motivated, whether working towards a personal goal or at work?

It might be that this lack of motivation is adversely affecting your productivity and performance.

Well, a lot of us have been there at some point in life.

To be sure, a lack of self-motivation doesn’t just happen.

Certain factors might make this difficult to practice.

It is worth considering those factors as this would help you clearly understand which one might be affecting you personally.

Also, it would help to know what practical measures you can take to keep yourself motivated.

Therefore, here are some of the factors restricting you from being self-motivated.

Procrastination

You most likely know the popular saying that “procrastination is a thief of time.”

Procrastination is a very negative trait that involves unnecessarily postponing or shifting an important activity or action to later.

When you procrastinate, you leave essential matters unattended, usually with excuses on why you cannot do them appropriately.

When you procrastinate, it can affect your motivation.

Sometimes this procrastination comes from a fear of the enormity of the task before you.

Above all, when you do not have a clear picture of how to go about those tasks, you procrastinate, which saps motivation.

Not Setting Goals 

Keeping yourself motivated could also pose a challenge if you are fond of leaving things too vague without breaking them down into specific goals.

It is very good to have dreams.

However, the only way it can become achievable is to turn that dream into actionable steps and S.M.A.R.T goals.

S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

In line with this, it would be proper to break long-term goals into short-term goals.

When you do this, you can measure your progress, which will help you stay motivated to keep on.

Lack of Clarity 

Whether your goal is to maintain a healthy routine or get better at work, having unclear goals can make it hard to keep yourself motivated.

Motivation works with clarity of purpose and goals.

When your goals lack clarity, they might look too ambiguous, and this ambiguity could make it hard to keep yourself motivated.

Setting the Bar Too Low for Yourself 

While modesty is very good quality, when it comes to achieving goals and aspirations, the degree of desire you have to achieve it will define your motivation.

Some persons have told themselves that they do not need “too much” success.

Such individuals might be satisfied with less.

Thus making them have low morale in pursuing their set goals and actualizing their dreams.

If you are also fond of setting the bar low for yourself, you might be so satisfied with what you get and lack the motivation to aim for more.

If care is not taken, you might even start falling below your expectations and still be unfazed by that.

This is how it affects self-motivation negatively.

Having Unrealistic Expectations 

Just as setting the bar low can make it difficult for you to keep yourself motivated, so can having unrealistic expectations or, in other words setting the bar too high.

The problem with having unrealistic expectations is that they are also unachievable.

That means regardless of your best efforts and dedication towards the course, and you will most likely not be able to reach those expectations.

When you have unrealistic expectations, you will always fall short of them.

At first, the motivation might be there to pursue such.

However, it can leave you frustrated when you continually fail to reach those heights you’ve set for yourself.

That frustration would eventually take away your self-motivation and make it hard to keep yourself motivated.

Self Limiting Beliefs 

Self-limiting beliefs make us think we are not good enough or can never measure up to the standards we set ourselves or set for us by others.

Likewise, you might be capable and able to reach those heights, but your self-limiting beliefs might limit what you set out to do.

Hence, you might be suffering from a lack of motivation because of that belief that regardless of what you do or how hard you try, you will never measure up or achieve what you should.

Stress and External Pressure 

At times, the lack of self-motivation comes from a physical point of view.

You might face stress or pressure with work or other activities, making it difficult for you to stay motivated to continue.

Interestingly, extrinsic factors such as pressure can also adversely affect your self-motivation.

This pressure might be from friends, family members, bosses at work, colleagues e.t.c.

These, too, can affect your chances of keeping yourself motivated.

How to Keep Yourself Motivated – 10 Sure Ways

Did you identify what factor(s) might be hindering your ability to keep yourself motivated from the ones we considered above?

Maybe more than one factors affect you.

Well, the good thing is that whatever it is that is making it difficult for you to keep yourself motivated, the following practical measures will help you overcome them:

Set S.M.A.R.T Goals 

One way you can keep yourself motivated is to S.M.A.R.T goals and make them as specific as possible.

Setting specific goals gives you direction and lets you know what to do and what to aim for.

When there are no goals, there is usually little or no drive or motivation.

Therefore, whatever it is you set your mind to do, break them up into short-term goals.

Also, ensure that the goals you set for yourself are time-bound.

This would make it possible to adequately measure the progress you are making and keep you motivated.

Make Your Expectations Realistic

Unrealistic expectations are also one of the factors that inhibit self-motivation.

Hence, whether you are setting expectations for your personal life or in your line of work, make sure those expectations are realistic.

Realistic expectations mean that you aim for things you are sure you can achieve or meet up to.

When your expectations are realistic, what happens is that you will often meet up with them.

And one-way self-motivation works is that it feeds off success and results.

When you see that you can achieve the expectations you set for yourself, you are likely to be more motivated to do more and even better.

Measure Your Progress Regularly 

For instance, let us take that you have to work on your weight by exercising more to lose weight.

This is no easy task.

Those who do such workouts will tell you that the journey can be quite draining.

Sometimes, you might feel that you are not making any notable progress even after several months of dedication.

This is where the measurement of progress comes in.

When you set milestones in your overall goal, it helps you know when you are making progress.

You might set milestones of achieving a certain body weight as an indicator of progress you are making.

Whenever you measure your progress this way, it reassures you that your efforts are yielding massive results.

Consequently, pushing you to aim higher and move on to the next level/milestone.

Reward Yourself for Reaching Set Milestones 

It is not just enough to set milestones for yourself, but you should adopt the reward system to keep yourself motivated.

This is also an essential part of keeping yourself motivated.

Therefore, set specific rewards you will give yourself when you can reach certain milestones in your set goals.

Looking forward to such rewards can equally be a great source of motivation for you.

Associate With The Right People 

Another factor that significantly influences your ability to keep yourself motivated is the type of association you keep.

Often, the problem with a lack of motivation isn’t from you as an individual but from the people around you.

Do you have friends, co-workers, or even family members whose opinions or actions tend to sap your motivation?

It might be beneficial for you to dissociate yourself from such ones or limit your time with them.

Their influence might be in the form of undue pressure, demeaning words, or lack of belief in you.

Whichever form it takes, it is essential that you watch your association closely, severing ties with the wrong people and being around those who will motivate you to achieve your goals.

Focus on the Positives 

It is often challenging to keep yourself motivated when faced with challenges or obstacles while on your journey.

It might seem that everything is going wrong and crumbling at such times, and nothing can ever go right.

Well, when you find yourself in such a situation, it helps to focus on the positives.

Dwelling unnecessarily on what seems not to be working will only make you lose your morale.

On the other hand, when you focus on the brighter side of things, it helps you stay motivated.

Find Yourself a Distraction 

Sometimes, you have essential tasks to complete, but you struggle to find the right motivation to move ahead.

One of the things that help at such times is to take a step back and find yourself a distraction.

Trying too hard to continue with that task can be counterproductive and not yield positive results.

In the workplace, you can do this by stepping away from your desk and taking a walk.

It could also be engaging a friend in a discussion on issues not work-related.

You would find that such necessary distractions can help you get back right on track.

Set Priorities In Order Not to Get Overwhelmed 

Another reason why you might be struggling with motivation is because you usually have so many things piled up in front of you.

Because of this, you might feel overwhelmed by all of those tasks and projects.

The solution to this is to set priorities.

Learn to focus your attention on one task at a time and which should be the most important one.

When you complete the most important task, you can then move on to other things.

This, in turn, will keep you motivated.

Visualize the Feeling of Success 

This is also an effective way to keep yourself motivated: to picture or visualize how you’ll feel when you finally actualize your goals.

If your goal is to maintain a healthy weight, you can picture how you would look when you attain that goal.

Regularly visualizing what you aim for can help you find the needed drive and keep yourself motivated to achieve it.

Get Help If Needed 

If you find that your lack of motivation is becoming more severe and adversely affects your personal life or career, it might be good to speak to someone.

You might talk to a trusted friend, a mentor, or a professional psychologist about this.

They can provide you with more tips on getting back on track and staying motivated.

Final Thoughts on How to Keep Yourself Motivated 

Self-motivation remains the most important form of motivation.

To put it in clear perspective, if you cannot keep yourself motivated, it can interfere with your daily routine and affect many other essential activities.

Before long, you might find this affecting you at work too or in your business.

Challenges and obstacles will come your way in both your personal and professional journey and these would sometimes want to break you down.

However, you have all it takes to work on keeping yourself motivated.

Follow the measures discussed so far, and reap the many benefits that come with building self-motivation.