“It is through motivation that individuals are able to achieve great things in life.”
King Kew, author of Motivation: Top Secrets Successful People Use to Achieve Greater Success, notes that people who are motivated “cultivate enthusiasm and have a greater zest for life” because they have an ongoing sense of purpose and are more focused, creative and resilient.
But what happens when you simply can’t find that motivation or hold onto it long enough to complete a project or even keep up with your daily to-do list? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but here are four tips to keep you on track:
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Think about your impact.
What you do does make a difference, even if it may not always feel that way. Keep reminding yourself, especially when you’re mired in tasks that feel dry or removed from what excites you most about your job.
- Focus on the aspects of your work that help make someone’s life better, even in small ways. This can make even the most humdrum day on the job more meaningful.
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Take the high road.
You don’t have to be in an uber-friendly good mood all the time, but try to maintain a positive outlook as often as possible. You’ll feel more energized and, in turn, spread that energy to those around you.
- Choose success. Create a mental picture of yourself successfully completing a job. Make a conscious choice to complete it – and then see it through to completion. Believing that you can accomplish something and staying optimistic is the key to progress.
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Step outside your comfort zone.
Find ways to try new things. Take calculated risks and accept new challenges that may make you gulp at first. As noted by Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo, “when there’s that moment of ‘wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”
- Be open to constructive criticism. Take it as a learning opportunity. Google CEO Sundar Pichai summed this up by saying, “at some point in your life, you have to work with people where you feel a bit insecure. That’s essential because it means you’re working with people who are better than you and who are pushing you.” In a nutshell, it makes you better, too.
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Break overwhelming tasks into manageable pieces.
Replace projects or assignments that seem impossible into smaller, bite-sized pieces. Then, tackle just one of them at a time.
- Make to-do lists with each step prioritized. When you complete one step, cross it off. Then, you can mentally eliminate it and begin to feel more motivated and closer to completing the entire project.
- Seize the power of deadlines. Setting time limits for each step will enable you to assemble the needed resources towards completion. Deadlines are always helpful, but especially if you’re part of a team and need one person’s work to finish before someone else can incorporate it into their assignment.
Are you motivated for success in 2020 … or do you feel as if you’re already lagging behind your plans for the year? Partnering with the right career coach can make all the difference. If your goal is to advance your career in areas including finance, IT, healthcare, customer service, legal support and production, and distribution, turn to the experts at Pridestaff Fresno. Contact us today so we can tell you more.