Sorry to disappoint you, but there is no big secret to being motivated. There is no magical formula, expensive pill or exotic herbs you can take. Yes, you might attend a motivational talk or read a motivational book or actually even take exotic herbs, but these are just tools you use along the way. These are not your core motivators, they don’t maintain your motivation, they simple assist you in your journey.
To maintain your motivational levels you firstly need to understand and accept that no body or thing can motivate you except for yourself.
Newsflash! The main motivator in your life is you.
Waiting around for other people to motivate you is just doing an injustice to yourself. The more you depend on others, the more power you surrender to them and the less control you have over your life. Which inevitably affects your self-esteem and confidence levels.
The research says that intrinsic motivation is motivation that stems from genuine interest and ambition, and not from external motivators such as status and power. It’s about engaging in specific behaviours because you want to, and these behaviours bring you happiness and personal reward. You do these activities because you want to do them, not because you have been told to or seek reward from someone else.
So how can you increase your intrinsic motivators?
Instead of focusing your energy on other people and how demotivated you are, start focusing on what you are genuinely interested in. Be careful not to randomly select activities or work which you think might interest you, or select something because someone else enjoys it. Really spend some time reflecting on what activities inspire and drive you. Once you have discovered these genuine interests, you can stop relying on others to motivate you, and channel and develop those interests into intrinsic motivators. These is where you take the power back. This is where you start controlling your life.
To spark you in your discovery of what your internal motivators are, try asking yourself these questions:
- What energises you?
- When do you feel most alive?
- What are your three greatest accomplishments? What made these accomplishments stand out for you?
- What specifically is it about your work that lifts your spirit?
- When are you at your best? When do you believe you are adding value to yourself?
Take your time to answer these questions. It may take a few days to really reflect on them and to feel comfortable with your answers. Once you have come to an answer, you can start your journey.
You see, the thing is that it isn’t about what other people think or do, it’s just about what makes you happy.
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