Living Life by Design

Motivation…Without it, you may as well raise your white flag now and surrender to whatever life throws at you. But with it, you can overcome almost any obstacle, and stay focused and energized at all times.

For example…

Imagine you’re on a yacht in the Atlantic Ocean that suddenly capsizes a couple of miles from the nearest shoreline. The yacht has no lifeboat, so you’re forced into the water. Your only chance of surviving is by swimming to the shoreline.

But there is a major problem with this.

You’re not a strong swimmer.

If at this critical point, your motivation to survive is weak, then you’ll probably never make it to the shore. But if you’re desperate to live, then you’ll find an inner strength and motivation that – despite your swimming prowess – will take you to safety.

Okay, it’s an extreme example, but I’m sure you get the idea. Having a clear, end goal is a vital component of being and staying motivating. And when you’re motivated, you’re automatically productive too.

To boost your motivation, it’s good to examine the things in your life that are de-motivators.

These could be:

• Distractions such as social media notifications or texts coming through; lack of time (which is often a result of poor time management).
• Low self-esteem (you may think it’s impossible for you to get something done, because you’re not good enough).
• Poor support systems (maybe someone in your life is telling you that it’s not worth it to pursue your goal–or maybe you have a boss who is never satisfied).

Whatever they are, pinpoint these de-motivators and try and take control of them. Obviously, some will be easier to nix than others. It’s far easier (and more rational!) to turn your phone off when you’re trying to get something done than to ignore your boss.

Once you’ve targeted these areas in your life that hold your motivation back, you can start making changes to decrease the number of them in your life and replace them with thigs that motivate you.

While you’re examining the things that de-motivate you, examine the things that motivate you. Think about how you can add more of these to your life, and how they may affect your goals.

It’s pretty simple: up your motivators and decrease your de-motivators and you’ll get more done AND feel motivated to do it!