Henry Ford once stated that people who don’t think they can do something certainly wouldn’t accomplish anything. As one of America’s legendary first automakers, Ford had keen insight into what it takes to achieve goals. What can you do to improve motivation in your life?
The root word of motivation is a motive when it’s something that causes you to move in a specific direction. Children learn through guidance and experience that their actions bring predictable outcomes. For example, press a button on the toy, and it will make a sound and move.
These elementary examples are ways to learn how to set goals and the best ways to accomplish them. When you were in school, you knew that you had to study to get a good grade on a test. You soon realized that you needed high scores to graduate and be a success as an adult.
Nobody ever made life goals to be idle, bored, and unfulfilled. Yet, so many people end up like that because they aren’t motivated. They’ve yet to believe in themselves and their abilities. Many of them haven’t even defined their goals.
Even when you think you have tangible goals for your life, you may change the course many times. It’s normal and necessary to revise your plans and methods. However, you can’t lose sight of who you are and the most important things.
Highly motivated people plan for the future, but they realize how crucial it is to live in the present. It’s never too late to step out of your comfort zone and rebuild your life’s plans. Perhaps you can benefit from talking to a trusted friend, loved one, or spiritual mentor.
Ways to Improve Your Motivation
1. Set a Daily Goal
If you want more motivation in your life, you’ve got to know what you want to achieve. A life without purpose leaves you running in circles and unfulfilled. It would help if you had goals to encourage you to work harder and go farther.
However, you’ll feel overwhelmed if you try to do everything at once. Instead, break your goals into smaller portions and set a daily goal for yourself. It’s easier to look at losing two pounds a week than the fifty total pounds you need to shed.
2. Adopt a Healthy Lifestyle
When you are sick, tired, and malnourished, you don’t feel like doing anything. Are you one of every three Americans who struggle with extra weight or obesity? Did you know that you can be overweight or obese and still be malnourished?
Modern experts agree with the Ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus, that you are what you eat. When your diet is overwhelmed with overly processed junk food laden with fat, sugar, and preservatives, it won’t fuel your body. An unhealthy diet can lead to severe health conditions and even premature death.
To improve your motivation, talk to your primary healthcare provider about a diet and fitness regimen that’s best for you. A healthy diet can help you lose weight and have more energy. Exercise tones and strengthens your body so that you can reach the goals you’ve set.
3. Practice Kindness Every Day
Remember, in the classic Dickens novel, when Scrooge admired his long-dead partner for being a “man of business?” The shackled specter wailed that humanity should be our business. Like most works of fiction, many truths can be found in this timeless story, especially about practicing kindness.
You can improve motivation by treating others the way you expect to be treated. Research has found that doing acts of kindness gives people more joy and satisfaction in their lives. Even if you achieve all your life’s goals, you’ll never be genuinely happy if you are a cruel and selfish person.
Motivated people understand that we are all connected, from the person who sweeps the hallways to the chairman of the board. Try to practice kindness each day, and maybe consider random good deeds. Even if you don’t believe in karma, you are bound to have your kindness come back around to you at some point.
4. Never Stop Learning
Just because you’ve graduated from school or college doesn’t mean you can’t learn anymore. Learning and self-improvement is a life-long journey for those who are motivated. Part of listing your goals includes research about the subjects and the best ways to accomplish them.
Do you plan to work your way up in your company? Listen to others who have been there longer and learn anything they have to offer. Keep yourself mentally sharp by reading and keeping up with current events. You can also enrich your life by learning new hobbies or another language.
5. Avoid Being Around Negative People
In the iconic children’s books about Winnie-the-Pooh, you’ll remember gloomy Eeyore the donkey. Whenever Pooh and his friends are together, poor Eeyore has something negative to say. No matter how much fun the forest animals are having, the old donkey sulks and stays miserable.
Does that sound like a familiar scenario to you? Everyone has an Eeyore in the crowd, be it a loved one, friend, or coworker. They never have anything positive to say about anyone or anything. Negativity is easily spread and can hamper your mood and energy levels as well as your motivation.
As much as possible, avoid being around such motivation zappers. They can do nothing but bring you down and make you feel negative, too. Pessimists often are more prone to mental illness and other severe health conditions that you don’t want.
6. Surround Yourself with a Positive Atmosphere
Instead, improve motivation by keeping company with optimistic people. Positive people aren’t without problems. Instead, they have discovered that solving problems is just another opportunity to reach their life goals.
Have you noticed that when you are with positive people, the atmosphere is charged, and you feel better about yourself? As you listen to their optimistic viewpoints and stories of overcoming challenges, it gives you the courage and motivation to do the same.
7. Cultivate Your Spirituality
It’s a grave mistake to equate religion with spirituality, although most use them interchangeably. It’s possible to be religious without being spiritual, and you can be spiritual without being religious. Faith is a conduit that many people use to channel their spiritual energy.
You can improve your motivation when you attend to your spiritual nature. It’s taking time to meditate and realize a universe that’s much bigger than you. Spiritual maturity helps you bring your goals into a better perspective.
8. Remember to Give Back
Maybe one of your goals is to share your blessings and give back to your community and your world. Remember the people who mentored you and gave you a hand when you needed it most? You can do the same for other people.
While giving your resources is right and admirable, you can also consider sharing time, skill, and knowledge. Volunteer in a soup kitchen or be an afterschool tutor for at-risk children. Giving back gives you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment that money can’t buy.
9. Always Room for Improvement
It’s a sobering thought to realize that nobody in the world has “arrived.” No matter your position, your possessions, or what you’ve accomplished, there’s always room for improvement. That’s not to say that you should be materialistic and never satisfied with what you have.
To improve motivation, you should try to learn something new each day. There are always innovative ways of thinking and people who can be your inspiration. Often, you’ll modify your list of goals with age, experience, and knowledge.
10. Invest Yourself in Experiences Rather than Things
When you talk to most seniors, you probably won’t hear them say they wished they would have spent more time in the office. Instead, many of them will express regrets that they didn’t spend more time with their loved ones and enjoying what they had.
Of course, you need income and financial security for the future, but that’s not all. Review your list of goals and see if it includes experiences. You’ll improve your motivation when you visit new places and do the fun things you’ve always wanted to do.
Precious experiences with your loved ones can never be taken from you.
Final Thoughts about How to Improve Motivation in Your Life
If you want to accomplish anything, you need to be backed by the “want to.” Motivation is the incentive that drives you to step out of the norm and work for what you want. Reaching your goals will only encourage you to develop new ones.
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