What came first, motivation or momentum? Do you have to be motivated to gain momentum, or does momentum inspire motivation?
Motivation is not an all-encompassing, magical elixir you drink to get you started. It’s organic. To feel motivated, you cannot wait for any feeling to wash over you. All you can do is start.
That, however, is easier said than done. Motivation is a fickle thing. Before you sleep, you might be filled with the desire to improve your life in every single way, but by the time you wake up, that wave of motivation has disappeared into thin air, as if it were never there. Therein lies the problem.
It isn’t a lack of motivation you’re suffering from, it’s a lack of understanding. While motivation may seem fairly one-note, it’s more complex than you may realise. Without it, the world – and our lives – would fall apart. Without motivation, how are you going to take care of yourself? How are others going to take care of you and the support systems you use?
Motivation is the invisible oil that keeps the world engine churning every day. We need it to get out of bed in the morning and into bed at night. Understanding how it works and developing accessible methods for kickstarting it might just be the difference between you and your goals.
Tracking Your Progress
Goals are easy to imagine. Everyone wants to be successful in some shape or form, so conjuring up your destination isn’t difficult. Once you do that, how you manage the journey becomes vital.
Your brain needs a benchmark. Without knowing how far you have come, it’s easy to get lost in the process and send motivation down a slippery slope out of your control.
Tracking your progress doesn’t need to be a complicated thing. It can be as simple as writing notes in a journal. If you’re unsure how to organise a progress chart, you can find templates online and even purchase specially made planners on Etsy, for example.
There are a few benefits to this. Firstly, there’s the practical element. Seeing how far you’ve come through article views, for instance, helps pinpoint what’s worked well and what hasn’t, affording you the knowledge to pinpoint where to best allocate your energy. On the other, more psychological side, tracking progress helps bring about strong feelings of pride and renewed energy. You can see the amount you’ve done and the habits you’ve implemented.
All of this contributes to fuelling your motivation supplies. There’s no feeling like proving to yourself that you can do what you say you’re going to do. After all, momentum builds motivation, with the two then sustainably fuelling each other.
Remember, consistent motivation is all about building momentum. To build that, you’ve got to start somewhere.
Leverage the Power of Visualisation
Visualisation can be a powerful tool in your quest to find motivation. The more you attempt to visualise your goals coming into fruition, the easier they are to actualise. Ironically though, visualising your goals can prove to be a bit of a mystery.
A good place to start is with a vision board. A more hands-on approach to motivation, collaging, tinkering, cutting and glueing to project your fruitful future into your everyday life. Try using magazine cutouts, motivational quotes, art – you name it.
Alternatively, you can get a whiteboard and write a message of your own making – a mantra, perhaps. Something that will remind you to keep going. Essentially, you want to keep boosting your motivation, day in, day out. Visualisation does that.
Manage Expectations
Imagine this for a moment.
You wake up on 1st January. Fresh-faced, filled with motivation and expectation. You think anything is possible and set your goals accordingly. It’s time to write a book or finally become a millionaire this year. While it’s great to feel that confident about yourself, there comes a time when expectations should be managed.
Set too high an expectation and you risk making it more difficult to find consistent motivation. Sure, high expectations have their value. It’s good to have faith in yourself, but realism is healthy too.
Start with a small expectation evaluation so you can better understand your abilities. You can do this with weekly journaling. From there, set expectations. Above all, ensure you don’t compare yourself to anyone else. That’s a sure-fire way to unwarranted and misplaced feelings of jealousy and inadequacy.
Bottom line, you know yourself best. Your expectations should be in line with your self-understanding and, when you set realistic but fruitful expectations, you can continually replenish your motivation supplies.
Reflect on Past Successes
As mentioned earlier, tracking your progress is a great way to continue growing your motivation. However, you can sit back and admire your growth by going into deeper reflection.
For starters, through journaling, for example, you can read about how you overcame challenges. This is handy for when you’re low on motivation and need a pick-me-up. After all, if the past version of you can do it, then there’s no reason why present you can’t.
Remember, motivation can be a fickle thing. One moment you’re firing on all cylinders, the next you’re floundering. That’s when it’s time to draw on your past victories.
Make an Instant Impact
You’re running through the clouds, each one made of candy floss. There are flying whales all around. You feel light.
*RING RING*
Bam. Just like that, your daylight-coated ceiling fills your view. The dream of dreams is over in a harsh snap. Longing to return to the clouds, you languish in bed. Not yet, you think to yourself.
A few blinks turn into minutes. Not wanting to leave bed, you scroll through your phone. Not yet, you say.
More time builds. By the time you fling yourself out of bed, there seems to be no spark, no chance of any momentum springing into life.
Although perhaps a specific scenario, there’s a key motivational message in there. Motivation needs legs to get up and running, but that initial kick-off has to come from somewhere. As we know by now, it’s not some magical elixir you can drink.
It’s why making an instant impact is the only way forward.
For instance, let’s take the example used earlier. Nothing will change that horrid feeling only an alarm can provide, but your immediate actions can make a difference. Instead of floundering in bed, get up straight away. Don’t leave any room for hesitation. Similarly, when you come home from work and feel a mammoth number of tasks piling up, just get straight in. It’s not glamorous, but it’s a breeding ground for momentum, and with that comes motivation.
In essence, you don’t give stumbling blocks a chance to get in the way.
Learn How to Stimulate Your Mind
Adult life can have a knack for feeling rapid. Weeks fly by, Months come and go. Before you realise it, you feel stuck in the psychological mud. Everything seems similar and, despite everything appearing to be going well, nothing feels like it has a shine.
Perhaps not as prioritised by some, creativity is an important vessel for all. When we’re tired from work, we find joy in plays, art, writing, music and so much more. Creativity is and always will be essential.
But it’s not something only artists have. It moves through everyone in more ways than you may realise. Creativity lies in the endless dinner table conversations, the mapping your brain does to navigate through crowds, and the daydreaming you experience on your morning commute. When the fire that keeps that energy burning is not stoked, life can feel flat.
Find your vice – reading, writing nonsensical fiction, diving into any feelings of sonder, doodling – you name it. The more you lean in, the lighter life can feel. It’s the most human form of expression.
With that in mind, motivation can feel like less of a hill to climb. Every step counts.
Final Words
Above all else, it’s important to remember that motivation won’t always be there for you. It’s earned. You earn it through repeated actions that lend themselves to heightened self-awareness. When you’re more aware, you know what areas of your life to look at.
Motivation is right there in front of you. All you need to do is reach out and grab it.
