How do you overcome the difficulty of staying motivated?
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts" — Winston Churchill
Getting started on a new venture is done with great enthusiasm and energy; however, staying motivated for a long time is a huge problem for most of us. Our lives are much more than just work. We all have dreams and things we love to do apart from our jobs. We do begin these things with high expectations, but sometimes we fail to enjoy the process. When I started practicing yoga, I was quite regular and was looking forward to the classes. The benefits I gained from practicing consistently were immense. After about six months, I felt saturated and lacked the motivation and drive to pursue it. This applies to many other initiatives as well. In my language classes, for instance, I started learning the French language with a lot of love and admiration. After about a year, I lacked enthusiasm. I am sure this is the case with most of us; we reach our saturation levels after performing a task repeatedly over a period of time. This might lead to the discontinuation or abandonment of something that we once loved and worked hard to achieve or practice. We need to work towards staying motivated and continuing to be able to perform the task with the same energy that we once started it with.
But how do you keep up the motivation levels?
Here are a few things I follow to continue being motivated towards a goal I would like to attain.
Take a break!
A short pause or a break from a monotonous routine works wonders. When I feel stuck or lethargic, I take a short break for a few days that helps me come back with better intensity and a fresh mindset. The little pause from the activity makes me miss what I was doing and rekindles my passion for it.
Revisit the goal for which the activity was started.
We all start a new task with an objective in mind. We hit the gym with the goal of maintaining fitness or losing weight. When we feel disinterested in continuing, we need to take time to reflect on ourselves and revisit the reason that made us begin something. This helps us to be inspired and gain progress with the task.
Understand the values behind the action.
Any action performed might look very superficial from above. However, deep down, there will be a meaningful reason for every step we take. Going for a walk every morning might look like a fitness exercise, but it has a lot of associated values. It helps us follow a healthy routine, helps us attain mental peace, and helps us take time off for ourselves, thus contributing to our overall wellbeing. Trekking might look like a fun activity, but it helps us stay connected with nature and keeps us grounded. Understanding and reminding ourselves of the values behind the action helps us connect with the task better and also keeps us motivated.
Track your activities.
Journaling and tracking our activities help us be regular and maintain consistency. Noting down the reason for missing out on a task is necessary. A monthly review is required to understand the regularity of our pursuit. Anything that is not tracked is lost with time.
Read!
I love to read self-help books. Whenever I come across a quote or a phrase that inspires me, I make a note of it. Reading these motivational quotes or favourite phrases that boost me up when I am low or feel stagnant helps me kick back in. Rereading a book that has moved me strongly does make an impact.
Never stop! Keep going and attain your goal!
