3 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself

Staying committed to a goal is not easy. Like the last three seconds of your motivation song, eventually, the encouragement that once kept you going will fade away. Like that vegetable you hated when you were five years old, you force yourself to take it so you can get over with it quick. Like that 500-page book you have to study for your exam, you get discouraged by the amount of work you have to accomplish in a short amount of time. Let me share 3 simple ways on how you can keep yourself motivated as you encounter these situations.

Simply start. One surprising thing about motivation is that it is often a result of action, not the cause. Watching a motivational video sure will inspire you, but the excitement that comes from making even the smallest bit of progress could be a far more effective motivator. You can begin with minimal effort and eventually, you’ll create momentum. Start, and let the motivation come naturally.

Visualize yourself succeeding. Another way to stay motivated is to remind yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing; the thought of achieving your end goal will fire you up. Like Bran Stark of Game of Thrones, you have the power to see the future and possibly tweak it to favor your goals – but it highly depends on your current sense of commitment.

Reward yourself. You’ve worked hard coming in early and staying late to achieve your goal. Wouldn’t a reward be the best way to cap off your long hours? This strategy is particularly effective when dealing with difficult tasks or the ones you don’t quite enjoy; the key is to either set a big reward for ultimately completing your goal or set small rewards for completing chunks of your goal; this will help maintain your motivation all throughout your assignment. In the same way Dwayne The Rock Johnson drinks his favorite smoothie after finishing a tough workout, you can reward yourself with your favorite drink the moment you finish major parts of your task.

Motivation is a limited resource. You can minimize its usage by employing the strategies above and by naturally appreciating what you do. You must act as if you’re constantly in contact with Wonder Woman’s Lasso of Truth and convey honest love for your work through your actions. At the end of the day, everything you did will contribute to your growth as an individual; your actions towards situations that challenged you will strengthen your character and will lead to inevitable success.