Motivation is and has been the topic of so many studies, self-help books, seminars, and so on. It is still very abstract for us to grasp. This is an article about how to recruit and retain motivation.
Motivation is a powerful, yet precarious beast to conquer. Sometimes it’s very easy to get and stay motivated and sometimes not so much.
Below we explore the topic of motivation, how to GET motivated and how to STAY motivated. Whether you're studying A-levels, GCSEs or a Teaching Assistant course, we hope you find this blog helpful.
What do you understand by Motivation?
The author Steven Pressfield has a great line in his book, ‘The War of Art‘, (One of my favourites by the way) which I believe gets at the nucleus of motivation. Which means:
At some point, the pain of not doing it becomes greater than the pain of doing it.
In summary, it is easier to change than to stay the same. Eventually, the lack of change will leave you in a vulnerable position in the future. It is as important to understand where our motivation comes from, to keep the supply available. Have an action plan for when times get tough. You won't always have motivation, in which case many people rely on discipline.
Are you feeling unmotivated? Struggling to get back into a groove? Keep reading. 👇
Have you lost motivation? / why do we lose our motivation?
Instant gratification and fulfilment
The world is moving faster and faster, no one can deny this. With that sense of everything becoming “instant” then instant just feels very normal and ordinary. We are becoming increasingly impatient when we get into this whirlpool of instant gratification.
Think: instant messaging, instant payment, and instant reward. I think it all started with instant coffee. Now I’d personally much rather wait in a queue for a lovingly (at times) prepared coffee at most of the popular coffee chains that seem to be popping up in every town. However, some have lost motivation to do this, average and quick is better than great and timely.
It is not a surprise then that most people feel they cannot meet any long-term goals they set for themselves because they get unmotivated when they are not seeing instant results.
Pressure to perform
Have you ever felt so motivated and inspired to take on a challenge but midway between starting it and completing it there is a very sudden drop in your motivation levels and you just drop the challenge? Pressure from external sources may be what is causing this.
Procrastination
I believe that a lot of people never get around to doing what they want and at times need to do because they are always wondering what they are going to do next.
Simply stop routinely procrastinating and you will feel an instant motivational boost.
How to take your motivation to the next level?
Whilst understanding what causes motivation levels to drop to the floor is valuable learning in itself, knowing how to boost your own motivation is the golden key to long-term performance.
Create headspace
“Mind over matter” before we start boosting our negative outlook, we must clear it. Consider yoga, Pilates or even just a walk.
Challenge yourself
Motivation requires a challenge. Consider setting up your own business or embarking upon a distance learning course in something you love like Interior Design, Reflexology, Life Coaching or pursuing that ambition of becoming a Teaching Assistant, Bookkeeper or gaining that qualification that you never thought you would, think Project Management or A-levels.
Incentivise yourself
It has been proven time and time again that the method of the carrot is far more efficient than the method of the stick when it comes to motivation. Instead of beating yourself up for failing, incentivise yourself by setting small rewards for every task you successfully completed.
The feeling of achievement mixed with the pleasure of the reward is what is guaranteed to boost your motivation even further and inch you towards that end goal, remember:
You will never regret good work once it is done.
In conclusion:
Motivation is literally the desire to do things. It’s the difference between waking up before dawn to pound the pavement and lazing around the house all day. It’s the crucial element in setting and attaining goals and research shows you can influence your own levels of motivation and self-control. Figure out what you want, power through the pain period, and start being who you want to be.
Theodore Roosevelt famously said: Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.