7 Tips to Boost Your Motivation

Motivation is essential to carry out what we want to achieve. Motivation is the driving force that comes from within and helps us overcome obstacles we may face, excel in our work, and successfully achieve what we set out to achieve.

Motivation drives us in one direction or another, depending on our needs and goals. But the first step to success is having the will to do the things we want.

Once we are clear on what we want to do, motivation helps us to maintain a balance in favor of that goal so we can implement the necessary steps to achieve it.

There are different kinds of motivation: work motivation, self-motivation, ability to motivate others, etc. They all have certain things in common, however, and below we explore some of the ways to increase motivation of any type.

1. Be positive

Positivity is the best way to motivate yourself or someone else. It is the best option when you need to push forward and draw strength when you feel weak. Not everything will be a cakewalk, and it is better that way. But positivity forces us to see the positive side of things so we can overcome the negative and progress.

Instead of complaining and seeing what we do not like about a situation, let’s try to direct the focus of our attention to the positive things and what we can learn from the experience.

2. Commit

Your goals require commitment. Seriously. If you want something, really commit to it: make a deadline!

Normally, we tend to commit verbally, but we fail to take definitive action. We go right back to being lazy and relaxed, which can lead us to become frustrated when we don’t get what we want. Be serious about what you want. Take it seriously. Commit yourself to it!

3. Engage in some friendly competition

Competition, in the strictest sense, can be understood as something that involves outdoing others at whatever cost; to become the first, the best of everyone. This is not what we are suggesting. The competition we encourage is a friendly competition: not the kind where you work to be better than others, but the kind where you use them as inspiration to force yourself to improve and reach your own goals.

It is your own goal, not that of others. Being the first does not mean you are the best, because there is no objective comparison. Keep this in mind.

Use competition as a support system to motivate you. Use it as a positive. Competitive people often become selfish because they think helping others sacrifices their own success, and they want to outdo everyone else. Here, your goal is to outdo yourself, not everyone else. Only you and your goals matter. This should be clear.

4. Keep a journal

This does not mean you have to write everything you did during the day, but it is a good idea to keep track of your progress and setbacks. A journal will help you get organized, know the next step in achieving your goals, solve problems that arise, and analyze them to put a solution into practice.

For additional support, you can write down your goal and read it several times throughout your day to keep it in the front of your mind.

5. Visualize your goal

A key point of motivation is visualizing yourself reaching your goal. How do you look? How do you feel? Doing this will help you stay strong and not give in to problems that may arise.

6. Find daily inspiration

Finding inspiration is very important so that your attempts will pay off. And you do not have to wait for inspiration to come to you – you can find it yourself. Where? Anywhere! Make yourself receptive to finding your inspiration in any thing, place, or event…enjoy it.

7. Reward yourself

Not everything is work, work, work. When you achieve one of your goals, when you overcome a tough obstacle that introduces itself and get closer to achieving one of your goals, give yourself a break and reward yourself somehow. You could take a little break, buy yourself something you have been wanting for a while, take a small trip, anything you want. You have to reward yourself for the little things you achieve. Why? So that your motivation does not dwindle, and so you keep active and strong in your purpose.

These are a few of the steps we should take to stay motivated or motivate others. There are many more possibilities, and depending on an individual’s personality, some strategies will work while others will not.

What would you add to this list? Do you think you would leave something out? What do you think works best for you?