What to do when the motivation drops is a defining factor in the ability to achieve goals. Motivation is something that will drop on a regular basis. As a result, we must be prepared and have a plan for when it occurs.
No matter who you are, what your goal is or what you are doing with your life, there will be moments where you feel depleted of motivation. It is something that comes and goes on a regular basis. A key difference between people who regularly succeed with goals, and those that struggle, is how they deal with drops in motivation.
Motivation is a fantastic thing. It will push you into taking action, keep you moving, get you up early in the morning, or stay up late at night. If you do not have it, you can procrastinate and find other things to do instead of the immediate task. Eventually they can get put off long enough that they do not happen at all. This can happen in all areas of life, and occurs very frequently with exercise.
It is very easy to say you want to lose weight, run a marathon or fit into a certain size of clothes. The motivation that you have at the start of the goal is usually at its highest level.
What do we do when the motivation drops though?
How can we ensure that those goals that we set get hit every time?
Remember why you want to do it
This is a simple, but very effective tip. Make sure that the reason behind wanting to achieve your goal is front and centre. If you always have the burning desire to achieve your goal it in the forefront of your mind, it will keep your motivation high. The reason we set our goals has to be strong and emotional enough to get you excited every time you think about it. If it is not strong enough to do this, then it gets increasingly harder to maintain the motivation when the levels drop.
How exited are you about your goals?? Hint: Print them off
Do you have a supportive environment?
Are you aware of the importance of having a supportive surrounding environment?
It is widely know and understood that you are only as good as the group that you surround yourself with. The traits of the most important people in your life have a massive impact on the life you live. If you are surrounding yourself with people who are passionate about their goals and desires to succeed, then it is much more likely that you will also take on board those passions. If you surround yourself with people who are constantly negative, then it will be increasingly hard to maintain a happy outlook.
Do you have people around you who are excited and supportive of your goals? Hint: Let them know what you want to achieve
Outsource it!
Motivation is a highly personal emotion, but there are ways that you can keep this emotion flying high.
Read a book, listen to some music, create a playlist or watch something inspiring. You can also ensure that you have someone in your life to make sure that you are moving towards your goal.
If you are someone who responds well to thinking about the future, write your goals down and read them every morning. If you are someone who has a fire up song, play it on the way to your workout. If you know that you cannot do it on your own, find someone that will make it their mission for you to achieve your goals.
It does not have to be just you that keeps yourself motivated.
How can you outsource your motivation? Are you motivated intrinsically or extrinsically?
Start small and work up
The age-old saying of ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ has never been truer.
Staying motivated when you are only looking at the big picture can be incredibly difficult. When you dream, you have to dream big so that you can be inspired. In order to maintain a high level of motivation, and have the ability to regain it when it’s gone, you need to break the dream into smaller, more achievable chunks.
When the motivation drops, it is hard to get it back thinking about the big picture. It is easy however to take a small step towards the goal. Get up, go for a walk, cook a new meal, do a group class. All of those things will help you get towards the overall goal, and build the motivation along the way.
Have you broken your goal down into small chunks? Hint: Break it down from 1 year by halving it to 6 months and then break it down into monthly targets.
Rest
Sometimes, taking a break from everything is the perfect chance for your body to reset and catch up.
Long-term goals are exactly that, long-term.
They are not completed overnight, and often will involve a complete lifestyle change. The most important thing about a lifestyle change is that it is a lifestyle. If you cannot get the balance right, then the motivation can drop because you feel that you are wearing yourself too thin. Listen to your body; if it is asking for a rest, then it might be time to take it (this doesn’t mean when the alarm goes off in the morning and you’re a bit tired that you roll over).
When did you last rest?
What to do when the motivation drops is incredibly important for your chances of seeing long term success. Incorporating these above tips into your lifestyle will allow you to ride the highs of motivation when it is there, but also pull yourself out of the motivational lows when they present themselves. Success doesn’t happen overnight, it takes consistent hard work and persistence. Stick with it and you will achieve it.
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