5 Different Approaches to Motivation

Get back your drive to succeed.

Everyday living is often frustrating, exhausted and overwhelming, leaving you with little to no desire to take over the world with your talents and brain. This fatigue, however, can leave you in an unsettling rut where you feel absolutely no energy to move forward and succeed in your life, whether within your career, education or anything else. Remember that moving past this feeling and gaining back motivation is entirely in your hands -- no one else will do it for you.

Rewards

Provide yourself an incentive. One technique for motivation involves rewarding yourself. If you're having difficulty getting started on a project, tell yourself that if you successfully complete it, you will allow yourself a small reward later. For example, allow yourself a cup of gelato from the shop downstairs. Buy yourself that pair of shoes you've been eying for weeks now.

Breaks

If you're so stressed out about a particular obligation that you've lost all motivation to keep working at it, temporarily escape your situation to clear your mind and get a fresh new start. Do something else for a little bit, whether it's focusing on another task, taking a nap, reading a novel or playing a match of tennis. Sometimes, a relaxing break away from something taxing is all you need to rejuvenate your mind.

Writing

Writing can be a therapeutic means for increasing your perspective on a situation. If you feel completely devoid of motivation, think ahead to the future. Get out a pen and paper and make a list of the positive things that could potentially come out of working hard and getting things done. The list could include anything from getting a promotion at work to making your family happy. Read the list aloud when you're done and get started on the path to striving for those pleasant feelings and experiences.

History

Some people allow bad experiences from a long time ago to prevent them from trying hard today. If you have been burnt in the past, do all that you can to let it go and forget about it. Just because you may have made mistakes and not achieved what you wanted to in the past doesn't mean that the same rules apply today. Forget what is now history and free your mind so that you can concentrate on today and the future. Realize that the present is always a clean slate.

Playing the Part

Playing the part also can motivate you to actually feel the part. If you feel tired and anything but motivated and passionate, pretend that you actually are those things for a few minutes. You may soon notice those emotions rubbing off on you in a real way.

References

• Think Simple Now: How to Motivate Yourself to Massive Action
• CNN; Motivational Tips for a Job Search; Beth Braccio Hering; July 2010
• University of Minnesota Duluth: Motivation
• UNC Asheville: Get Motivated