Motivation is a funny thing. It's possibly one of the most misunderstood psychological processes out there, so I'm here to clear up a few common myths about motivation that are possibly holding you back from reaching your goals !
Motivation Myth 1: Make Your Goal Public
This advice can actually be damaging to some people's motivation.
The idea is that you tell everyone, so if you don't follow through on your goal you will feel like an idiot.
Fear is not a great motivator long term. Ideally, you want to motivate yourself through intrinsic factors like curiosity, passion and a sense of achievement not the fear of a public shaming and bruised ego.
Motivation Myth 2: It's not what you really wanted
I've been guilty of this one myself.
Motivation is made to get you up and going, it ebbs and flows naturally and THAT'S OK!
Losing motivation doesn't mean you aren't capable, that you aren't trying hard, that you don't want it enough or that it wasn't "meant" for you.
Be aware of this loss of motivation and take some time to rest and reassess your goals and strategy. An idea here would be to break your goals down into smaller chunks so you get wins more often and stay motivated that way.
Motivation Myth 3: I just don't want to do it but I have to!
We all have to do things we don't like sometimes 😢
Although it's easier to get motivated about something you really want to do and are passionate about, it's not impossible at all to get motivated to do what you might think are the more mundane things we need to do in life like housework for example.
The trick here, is to really think about why you don't want to do it? then think outside the box and ask yourself do I really really have to do it? A lot of what we "think" we have to do is just other people's expectations and general feelings of "should" that you may never have thought about before.
If you do have to do it, reframe it into a goal that works for you. For example, you don't want to go walking with your sister once a week, but you promised her you would help her stay fit (can you tell this is a personal example yet? 😂).
Reframe the activity/goal when it's time for the walk and you are dreading it, from "exercising" to "helping out your sister", or from "exercising" to "improving your sleep/mental health". Try and creatively connect the goal/activity you didn't want to do to a value or goal you do want to achieve, and it will really shift your mindset!
In my upcoming workshop I will teach you how to motivate yourself for any type of goal and how to stop losing your motivation.
Sign up now to the motivation workshop and learn a new skill that keeps on giving, the valuable art of self-motivation!
Topics: Procrastination, Workshops, Motivation