So many of us want to know how we can get motivated. We seem to want to achieve things, obtain things, get things to happen – but we just don’t seem to have the wherewithal to make it a reality. You think a lot about it, yet you can’t seem to drag up the energy to either take action, or continue to take action to obtain your goals.
How about taking a look at what it is that caused us to set a goal in the first place. Many of you are going to think you know what that is and perhaps think reading any further might be a waste of your time. Not so fast.
Say you’ve got a goal to find a new job. The reason you set that goal is pretty darn simple: you hate the job you’ve got. You almost have to force yourself out of bed in the morning knowing that you’ve got to spend yet another day working somewhere you can’t stand to be.
Well, why do you hate your job? Again, you are certain of the reason you hate your job: you’ve got a terrible boss. Your boss never recognizes your contributions – and quite often takes credit for your work. You’ve been passed up for promotions. Your workload is ever increasing and your salary has never caught up. The work itself is boring and repetitious. Who wouldn’t want to find another, better job?
But getting another job means you have to dust off that resume and put a little life in it. Getting another job means going to all the trouble of networking with other people to try and locate an opening. And then there’s having to get letters of recommendation – not to mention having to figure out how you’re going to get time off to go on interviews.
All that takes quite a bit of work – and you just can seem to drum up the motivation to get started.
Let’s go back to that word “want” – after all, you set a goal to get a new job because you wanted a new job. In other words, for whatever reasons, you desired a new job.
You know the saying, “If you want something bad enough, you’ll make it happen.”
So, the first step in how to get motivated is to take a look, a good look, at exactly what it is that you want/desire. Now, it may seem like you desire to get a new job because your boss doesn’t give you credit for your work, you haven’t gotten promoted, and you don’t make enough money. Yet, somehow, these reasons are not motivating you to act. Why? Most likely because they are not strong enough motivators to you get up and moving.
Which brings us to one of the best ways to get motivated: ask questions.
For instance, why is it that not getting credit for your work is so important to you? Or is it? Maybe the fact that you don’t get credit for your work isn’t really a strong motivating factor when it comes to getting a new job.
Discover Your Prime Motivators
Before you throw in the towel, ask yourself this question, “What is it about not getting credit for my work and my boss promoting her friends instead of those qualified that bothers me so much?” You may discover that your spirit is wounded by having to work with others who don’t act with integrity. Acting with integrity is very important to you – a prime motivator that guides your behavior.
All of the sudden you have what is popularly known as an “Ah ha” moment – you realize that keeping this job means you would be acting without integrity, which is not only unacceptable to you, but extremely motivating.
Asking the right questions is very powerful when it comes to getting, and staying motivated. When it comes to asking the right questions the major obstacle for most of us is finding out what they might be. In the case of achieving a goal, the best place to start is by questioning what it is that we think we want (desire.)
This process allows you to identify the true, strong desire(s) that serve to strengthen your motivation and get you to act in ways that achieve your goals.
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