MAINTAINING MOTIVATION & MOMENTUM
Finally! You gave yourself that much needed pep talk, you made that initial investment, you hit the the publish button or you submitted that application. You did whatever it is you needed to do to get started on your goal…but now what?
We’ve been hearing a lot lately about overcoming our fears and apprehensions when it comes to working on our goals. And nothing feels scarier and more exhilarating than taking that first step off of the diving board. Once we’ve taken that initial step though… what happens next? What are we supposed to do? How on earth do we keep the momentum going long enough to see results? How do we keep our “eyes on the prize” without rolling them in the back of our head because we’re just completely over it!? When we don’t know what to do it can easily become the perfect opportunity for us to SLACK OFF.
We can’t afford that! We don’t want to have wasted our time getting started in the first place, and we certainly don’t want to be deemed as a quitter! We can do this. We can keep going. We just have to figure out how and work at it.
So how can we keep going? How can we stay motivated when we just feel like giving up? How do we prevent ourselves from slowing. all. the way. down. (I wrote this in slow motion btw haha)
Well, It’s going to take a lot of self-motivation. A lot more action and less overthinking.
First thing is figuring out what our strongest motivators are? What are the things that get you going immediately? Is it hating the current situation you’re in? Is it someone in your ear trying to hold you accountable? Or is it you being inspired by something or someone to make a move?
For me, it’s a combination of the three but what really puts the fire under my booty to get moving and get things done is hating, loathing, and just overall resenting my current situation. I grow to hate it to the point that it makes me sick and all I want most is to get up and out from it. That has been working fairly well for me so far. But that isn’t always sustainable, if I’m being honest.
Back in college I was pretty broke, like most of us typically are at that stage. Except to me, it seemed like I was broker than broke. A broke joke. I couldn’t afford food, I couldn’t afford to go out on the weekends, and worst of all was, I could no longer afford to get my hair washed and blown out from the dominican salon (*cries permed hair tears*). See, I’d grown so accustomed to having these little luxuries ingrained in my routine that once I could no longer afford them, I realized I needed to be smarter about my money. I hated being broke so much that it motivated me to look for part-time jobs and NEVER GIVE UP until I was actually earning an income.
It would have been easy for me to start applying then say to myself “man, forget this. No one is calling be back. No one is emailing me. I’m just going to figure something else out” But I kept going because my circumstance was just unbearable and uncomfortable for me. That disdain and discomfort were my greatest motivators back then.
For you, your greatest motivators may be very different. You’ll often hear people ask the question, “What’s your WHY?” for doing something. It’s up to you to figure out a really convincing why for yourself so that when you start to lose your momentum and motivation, you can be reminded and snap right back into it again. This isn’t a simple task though, because you have to actually be real with yourself. Sometimes we think we should be motivated to do certain things and the reality is that we’re just not.
Like I know I should make healthier eating choices but… OR, I know I should fix up my resume so I could finally start applying to jobs, but… OR, I know I should stay in the library to finish that research paper, but… BUT is where we make excuses for our BS. BUT is a very clear indicator that our motivation is weak. Because If we were truly motivated there would be no room for if, ands or BUTS.
I’ll be honest, this is something I’m still struggling with on a daily basis. I get so distracted and lose motivation so easily sometimes that I just I end up throwing my own self off the wagon. But I’m challenging myself this season. If nothing else, I want to keep the momentum going on some of my top goals and projects. That means getting up, dragging myself to go places and do things even if I’m “tired” or “don’t feel like it” or need and undeserved break. I must say, so far I haven’t been doing too bad. Some days Im more motivated than others and that’s because I keep feeding myself motivation and empowerment like its a daily protein shake or something.
Something I’ve been practicing a lot more lately are affirmations. Its funny how words have all this power yet we rarely tap into that power for our own good. We often use our words for self-destruction or self-doubt or defeat but now I’m realizing the strength in simplicity. By literally saying I AM Motivated makes me feel super accountable and obligated to not lose my motivation all willy nilly like im used to doing. Saying I AM an achiever or I AM accomplished of all things (Out loud) literally makes me feel obligated to do/be the things I am affirming about myself. I would hate to catch myself in the act of lying, so I literally have no choice but to be motivated at that point.
The key about maintaining motivation is also, to never stop being motivated in the first place. Thats where momentum kicks in. You may not be sprinting at full speed the whole race, BUT you cannot stop along the way. You can walk, crawl, do a lil fake jog if you’d like but no stopping. Why do I say that? Well when you stop your momentum, you have to summon up all the courage, effort, confidence and resources just to get started again. Thats mad work. Lol.
Do something/anything that’ll directly contribute to the progress toward your goal. so maybe you’re not going as hard as you possibly can this week, but that doesn’t mean you’ve given up completely. When you keep that momentum going, whether fast or slow, it makes it a lot harder to lose your motivation. When you see yourself tackling the easy stuff like a boss, then you’ll feel like a winner and want to keep going towards the hard stuff. Just keep swimming and you won’t have to get on the diving board all over again.
Ask yourself: What is something simple enough that I can do everyday to make sure I’m contributing to my goal?
Keep the momentum. Maintain motivation. DevelopingNOIRE.
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