Finding Sustainable Motivation

Motivation can be described as an intrinsic process that drives one towards a set goal. Attaining lasting motivation can be a daunting prospect as we go through life. We are constantly suffering setbacks such as job loss, failing relationships or personal tragedies which can derail even the best of us.
However, we can learn how to find motivation that lasts by following several steps:

1. Setting goals and then visualizing them to the tiniest detail. You need to envision the goal and the end-result vividly in your mind’s eye. Olympic athletes use this simple trick, where they can even mentally taste the sweat as they hit the finishing tape.

2. Ensuring that you list the reasons that propel you to want to attain the goal. In today’s hectic world you can easily get sidetracked. This is why it is critical for the goal to be deeply ingrained in you. It is better to write the list by hand as making manual connection to letters is more engaging to the brain than typing.

3. Splitting your goals into smaller chunks and setting intermediate objectives and rewards. This avoids the feeling of being overwhelmed by all the many things we need to do. Breakdown your projects into realistic do-able portions and do them one at a time. This results in a chain of small successes, and each success triggers the reward hormone (dopamine) in our brains. This leads to more focus and inspires us to keep on track.

4. Having an overall strategy, but being flexible enough in case you have to change course. If you fail you will not give up but learn from this experience.

5. Ensuring you get help. Even if you could accomplish your goal on your own, there is an innate advantage when you share your plan. Sharing your intentions with the world sends a strong message both to our unconscious mind (which may sabotage our efforts through self-doubt) and to the world. This also helps us to avoid overestimating our abilities. However, it is advisable to be selective when we choose our helpers and confidantes.

6. Having a prior selection of inspirational figures. This is because exhaustion or some setbacks may cause our motivation to flag and we may need a boost then. During such times thinking about how such inspirational people endured and overcame difficulties will give us courage and motivation to keep going.

7. Making a point of constantly reinforcing your reasons(mentally) for staying the course. Cultivating an internal drive to keep going will help you overlook criticism and even excessive praise which may derail you when you succeed. This will also help you see the bigger picture of your actions.