- Motivation is a Key Resilience Indicator – it tells you how mentally strong you’re feeling and how able you are to navigate change.
- Motivation is not a light switch, but more of a water faucet. It can be totally off, fully open or anywhere in between.
These are the two points we’ve dealt with in the past weeks to help us understand how to get our actions in line with our goals. So once you notice that your motivation is not where you’d like it to be, what do you do?
You probably know almost (or 100% of) every one of these strategies to swell your motivation. However, I think having these in one place is incredibly useful. Use this as a tool box for when you need it, or a comparison list when you feel like you’ve tried everything. Here we go, in no particular order:
Top 10 (evidence-based) Ways to Increase the Flow of Motivation:
- Make that goal… smaller! Break a big goal into smaller, attainable pieces
- Make a list. Write down the steps and mark it off when you do it, even if it’s on your list every day until it’s done.
- Before and during (and after) data. Measure before you start, a few times in the process and after you’re done so you notice what you’re capable of changing.
- Notice the synergy. Pay attention to how working in one area helps you towards other things that matter to you. If you’ve started exercising are you sleeping better? If you’re moving on a project do you see team mates doing the same because of your focus?
- Tap into connection. Give your brain the safety of belonging by including others in your plan, your strides, your setbacks.
- Be intentional about your autonomy. Focusing on what you can control will increase your brain’s sense of safety and agency so make choices about how, when, where you work on your goals that feel best to you.
- Coach yourself. There are great reasons that coaches get good results from hyping their athletes and minimizing obstacles. Try speaking to yourself the way a coach you love would speak to you.
- Give yourself the gold star. Small rewards make your dopamine receptors happy – decide on a prize for working the steps of your plan and make sure you give it to yourself.
- Be an expert in you. Look back through what has worked for you in the past when you’ve increased your motivation – do THAT again.
- Connect to your why! Don’t forget to be super clear about why you want what you’re working towards and refer back to that daily.
Did I miss a strategy you love? Comment and tell me.
