Let’s talk about how to be self-motivated when things get hard…
Hey Goddess,
Let’s talk about finding your “why.”
One of my younger family members is going through Basic Training in a unit of the armed forces right now.
She’s beautiful, smart, and focused. It was her dream and desire to go into service. That all sounded great when she enlisted, packed up, and had a wonderful going away party full of love, support and adoration. Everyone even wore fatigues in support of her vision and goals.
Fast forward a few weeks…
Basic Training is KICKING HER BUTT. She’s sad, lonely, and questioning whether she made the right decision. She can only receive snail mail so I am preparing a care package and motivational message for her, but then it just occurred to me that maybe you could use this too.
Maybe you have been busting your butt in your business or your relationship and now you’re wondering, ‘maybe this isn’t for me? Maybe I made a wrong choice. Maybe this whole thing is a mistake. Maybe I should just quit.’
Now there is nothing wrong with adjusting your decision if you are on the wrong track. U-turns are a part of the journey.
However, just because you are facing unexpected adversity and the road is BUMPY is NOT a reason by itself to retreat. Change up your approach, adjust your mental game, put some more tools in your box — AND most importantly, remember WHY you started in the first place.
This past weekend, we celebrated my niece Ava’s second birthday. Her parents are heading down the path of potty training. Just because Miss Ava will make a few potty mistakes doesn’t mean we’ll give up and say, maybe this going to the bathroom thing is not for her! Mothering is hard and being a kid is challenging, too! HARD is not a reason to walk away.
So what do I mean when I say remember your WHY?
We all have things we’ve got to get done. Some of them are work related, some of them are chores, and some have to do with the people we care about. As long as we’re having fun and are enjoying what we’re doing, motivation isn’t an issue. But when it is something we don’t really want to do, it gets a bit trickier. Then we have to motivate ourselves to get off the couch and get our butts to work. That takes INTERNAL MOTIVATION. And that internal motivation isn’t always easy.
Here’s how to make things a little easier and to get and stay inspired and self-motivated.
The key is to find your “why”. The why is simply the reason why something needs to get done and how it benefits you in the end.
Your reason for doing something – your “why” – can be something big or small. For example, your motivation for taking out the garbage be as simple as wanting a clean-smelling kitchen. Your reason for planting a garden like my mom’s may be something bigger. Maybe you’re spending all that hard work so you can have plenty of healthy, fresh vegetables and enough extras so you can share with people in need.
Give it a try. The next time you run into an issue with motivating yourself to get something done that you don’t really want to do, stop and think. Think about why it is important to get this done. Sometimes the answer will just be so you can stop worrying about it and move on with your life. Sometimes it will be because you’ll enjoy the end result. And sometimes it will be because it benefits a loved one, friend, or even a stranger.
I have to remember my why almost EVERY morning when I workout!
Focus on the “why” and the benefit of getting whatever done.Then get to work and keep at it, using your why as motivation when needed, until you’re done. Often all it takes is to take that first step. Once we get started, sticking with something until it is done is easier than taking that first step.
Working out is actually a GREAT example. Let’s say you made it a goal to go for a 30 minute walk each day to improve your health. Getting yourself off the couch and out the door is the hard part. Once you start walking, it becomes easy to get it done and you feel great after your walk when the endorphins are flowing. It really does!
This type of internal motivation works surprisingly well. In fact, it’s often more effective than having a coach, boss or spouse tell you what to do.
True story!