How To Stay Motivated When You Don't Have it In You

Many individuals struggle to stay motivated consistently in all aspects of our lives, finances included. Staying on schedule, sticking to deadlines, setting goals, and even planning out financial objectives may come at a mental cost. Sometimes we fall into the habit of comparing our productivity to others. Doing this is not helpful, but working to increase our own consistency may prove beneficial. Keep in mind, that motivation comes from the inner determination of the will. It is the idea of becoming something larger than our current selves, of envisioning what we might become and working toward it. 

Here are 5 steps to find our inner drive and keep lighting it on fire. 

1. Do What Comes to Mind.

Do whatever needs to be done. It can be an incredibly small day-to-day activity. It is important to start small and work our way up from there. Anything as simple as making our bed at the start of the day will most certainly set the tone for an increased rate of productivity. The art of making the bed in the morning gives an inner awakening in wanting to conquer more throughout the day. We need to start our drive somewhere, and what better way to start developing our drive for success than by making our bed in the morning. 

                                                                                                   2. Defeating Mental Blocks. 

It is crucial to identify what our mental blocks are. What is stopping us right now? Are we capable? What is holding us back? Are we afraid of failure? These are common questions we can ask ourselves honestly and openly. Having a straight talk with ourselves can help us more easily figure out solutions to our mental blocks. Clearing the mind before thinking intensively always helps this process. Another element when it comes to staying motivated effectively is the environment we are engulfed in. Having a chaotic environment that is uncontrollable, disorganized, and cluttered will demotivate any action for achieving at productive capacity. Let's think of amazing athletes as an example. We would suspect they set up their environment in a way to produce effective results. We absolutely can do the same to set up our environment for success to defeat our own mental obstacles. 

3. Flexibility can help. 

In the past several years, the pandemic has revolutionized the way we live day-to-day. Not only that but is has also served as a new perspective to live efficiently. We think more deeply about the purpose of what we do and why we accomplish things. This also applies to the careers many of us are in and how they align with the values we hold. James M. Diefendorff, Ph.D., a University of Akron Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology suggests that we "try to structure our day to ensure that some of those 'best day' activities can be experienced at least some of the time." Knowing what makes us excited is crucial because if we can repeat those activities that excite us, we will want to find additional activities that excite us even more. 

4. Break Down Goals. 

It can be overwhelming to set a goal that over time may feel unrealistic to achieve. Why is that? Research by David Zald, Ph.D., the director of the Center of Advanced Human Brain Imaging finds, "when the workload you shoulder seems too heavy or the rewards too far off, the obvious but hard-to-see-when-you're-in-it solution is to break that big goal into smaller tasks." Goals need to be broken down into sub-goals, doing so can help us narrow down and define the necessary steps to accomplish the end result. 

5. Fighting Fatigue.

Being driven comes at a cost, that cost is fatigue and overperforming to the point of inevitably giving up. The ability to maintain drive for a long period of time is difficult. However, we can fight fatigue by fluctuating mental and physical performance. Take the nature of working out as an example. We may maximize our repetitions of weightlifting on some days, then go lighter on other days. Mixing up mental and physical drive allows breaks in between to recharge our bodies and minds. 

For more information on maintaining your drive click here!

Feel free to also refer back to our previous blog that dwells deeper on burnout. Burnout may also cause demotivation and loss of drive if we happen to experience it more than we would like to. 

Sincerely, 

Your Financially Fit Team