Even though motivation is a key factor when it comes to issues of personal development and self-growth it is not always easy to stay motivated.
Most successful people, be it, sportsmen/women, movie stars, politicians, businessmen, etc. will tell you that without being motivated by something, they would not have attained greatness.
“To succeed you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you” ~ Tony Dosset.
There has to be a motivating factor for you to continuously pursue your life’s purpose. Motivation is one of the single most factor that distinguishes success from failure.
But we all at some point in our life’s journey get demotivated for various reasons. There is nothing wrong with it, we are human and it’s in our nature.
The difference is how we handle life’s challenges. How we rise up and get over it. You are not made or unmade by the things that happen to you but by the things that you do.
Several factors can lower your motivation. Recognising these factors might be the best way to improve your motivation.
Lack of Self-confidence
The first one is a lack of self-confidence altogether. Why would you continue to do something if you don’t believe that you can do it?
If you are a cyclist and have entered into a competition would you go ahead to participate in it if you think you cannot win it?
For all, I know those who are successful participate in competitions with the aim to win and not to lose. Let’s take two soccer teams for example competing in the world cup final.
I believe that the team that carries the day is the one with the right mentality and confidence and show that they really want it.
When you lack self-confidence it is almost impossible to succeed. Confidence enhances your motivation.
It is true that when you have high levels of confidence so are your motivational levels and the opposite is equally true. A low or no self-confidence generates low or no motivation.
The greatest enemy to developing a positive high confidence is fear; it can also generate low self-confidence. It is therefore very important that you try as much as possible to avoid lacking self-confidence.
“Have your heart in your life’s work, and be stout-hearted. Do something, act always, and do it now. Don’t be afraid. Many a man has been defeated by his doubts—lack of confidence. Take your risks —you cannot eliminate them, you cannot escape them. You can diminish them by dominating them” ~ Batten’s Wedge.
Lack of Focus
Do you know what it is that you want to achieve, if not, why should you take action; why should you be motivated?
“Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives” ~ Tony Robbins.
You cannot start a journey without a final destination in mind unless you are a tourist even tourist have an itinerary. You cannot start something without knowing exactly what you want to achieve.
Otherwise, you will find yourself with a lot of goals that are difficult to achieve. You need to concentrate on a narrow path that is manageable to achieve.
You need to focus on what you want to achieve in your life. Having a clearly written down life’s purpose is the beginning point for focusing.
When I started my path on self-development I listed down quite a number of goals and began to narrow them down as time passed by.
You will notice that at the very beginning when we set out, we have a number of goals to be achieved but, as time goes by and as the picture becomes clearer you will be forced to adjust your goals.
The important thing, however, is to get started with at least a good understanding of what you what to achieve. It will definitely be very blurred and unclear.
The time and thoughts wasted in aimless effort would accomplish wonders if properly directed with some special object in view.
The Lack of a Sense of Direction
Insight enables us to plan to advance and turn our thoughts and attention in the right direction, instead of into channels that can yield no possible return.
You cannot have a sense of direction without understanding what you want to achieve.
However, if you know what you want and believe that you can achieve it but have no clue how to get started, you can be very demotivated.
Have you ever felt that whatever you are doing has no sense of direction? What was your reaction to it? Exactly, you quit and refocused.
Though when starting out, sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where you feel you have no direction, being in there may help you create direction.
Whatever you do in life you must always make sure that you have a sense of direction. It may not be clear to people around you but for as long as you feel it is for you, continue on the same path.
We have outlined the 3 main motivation killers above. It is now time that we move on and focus our attention on how to address them.
We will now proceed in the same manner as before until we reach the conclusion.
Addressing The Lack of Self-Confidence
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope or confidence” ~ Helen Keller.
Thoughts of courage, power, confidence, and hope all produce a corresponding state, but the one enemy which must be absolutely destroyed before there is any possibility of letting any light shine is fear.
Fear is an enemy of success. Remember that fear is a very strong emotion and has the ability to derail anyone who harbours it.
Here are some suggestions that can help address a lack of self-confidence;-
- Focusing on what you already have achieved than what you do not have. Appreciate what you have. After all, they say “a bird in hand is better than one in the bush.”
- Create your own positive mantra that will assist you to boost yourself up.
- Speak positive things to yourself every day. If no one compliments you on your work why not do it yourself. Tell yourself how well you have done. Find ways of rewarding yourself for your work.
- Also learn to accept compliments when they come along and enjoy the feedback. Compliments are good but they should not get to your head. Sometimes we have a tendency of overreacting to compliments from other people.
- Keep reminding yourself of the good things that you have achieved and have gained. We all have done good, at some point. This will surely lift your spirits. I believe that even the worst condemned person on earth has some goodness in them. Remember that we are all created in God’s image and God is love.
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.
Personal development demands that you have confidence in whatever, you are doing for your own success.
Addressing The Lack of Focus
One of the best ways to defeat a lack of focus is to set goals for yourself that are reasonable and achievable.
The very act of goal setting puts a structure around your random thoughts and keeps you focused on them, that’s why it is important to have your goals written down.
Read them on a daily basis and make sure you can recite them. Goal setting is one of the key areas of personal
development and self-growth.
Instead of worrying about the future and what it will bring forth, set down and gain each day that fortune grants. Focus on how you can help change the situation.
I recently listened to Brian Tracy’s DVD entitled “the miracle of self-discipline” Where he teaches about daily goal setting.
This DVD is life-changing. Remember that the consciousness that focuses in your brain cells is the same consciousness that focuses in the brain cells of every other individual.
You need to develop a sense of focus and fine-tune it. It may not be easy for some to develop it in the beginning but with practice, you will improve on it.
“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular” ~ Tony Robbins.
Address The Lack of Sense of Direction
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined” ~ Henry David Thoreau.
Addressing this one is tricky especially if you are just starting on your road to success.
As the Chinese proverb goes “a journey of 3000 miles begins with one step.” It does not say whether it’s a step in the right or wrong direction the most important thing is to take the first step.
Daunting as it may seem the direction will become clearer as you break down your goals into smaller manageable ones.
Remember you cannot skip from 1 to 3000 miles. You need to plan on how to reach the next mile and make adjustments as you get to know the terrain better.
This way you will have a sense of direction and appreciate your journey.
As they say, Rome was not built in one day. When you have built the right sense of direction you tend to be motivated and feel comfortable with what you are trying to achieve.
One of the best ways to creating a good sense of direction is writing down what you want to achieve and breaking it down into small achievable goals.
You may also consider goal setting Technics, click here to learn more on this topic.
Conclusion
Motivation plays a key role in personal development and success. We must try by all means to overcome the 3 motivational killers mentioned in this article as they can derail our progress. Remember you can do all things possible in Christ Jesus who strengthens you.