#1: Small Wins Will Motivate You
We used to think that financial incentives were the best type of motivation. However, the deep human need to direct our own lives, learn and create new things is the secret to high performance and satisfaction.
Typically, if you reward something, you get more out of it. If you punish something, you get less. And our work has been largely built on this type of motivational scheme for the past 150 years.
As the hero of progress and development, take the advantage of the power of small wins. Whether you’re talking to a colleague, your spouse, or trying to motivate yourself, always emphasize progress.
When you sit down to create your to-do list, start with what you’ve already done. Before you do more, have a small ceremony to check how much you have progressed so far.
Make scoreboards for yourself and your team so you can see how far you’ve come in the middle of a big project.
When you talk to your teammates, instead of telling them what to do next, talk about what they’ve already done. When making a compliment, highlight the specific tasks that have already been accomplished. Don’t talk about how little there is left to do; Talk about how far they’ve come!
#2: A Self-Motivating Conversation
Sometimes we wish we could get inside someone’s head to hear what they were really thinking. Our thoughts are hidden, which is actually a good thing. We are much crueler in our minds than we really are.
Here are the main questions posed to you:
Are you good at talking to yourself?
Do your thoughts coincide with your actions?
Is it okay to post your thoughts?
Here are some of the most common bad habits that harm our motivation:
Procrastinating
Eating junk food
Smoking
Not exercising
Overworking
Working too little
Watching TV too much
Losing something
Gossiping
Being disorganized
Forgetting
Lying
Complaining
Ignoring Problems
Do any of these sound familiar to you? The first step to staying motivated is understanding how your thoughts are linked to your actions.
#3: The Brain Believes in What You Say Most
Core Truths: Ideas we tell ourselves. They are the beliefs we hold whether they be true or not.
Sometimes, we learn self-truths from life experiences. Other times, we get them from those around us. Yet, at other times, we believe what we have been told by our parents, bosses and teachers.
Here are some other common negative truths that people always say:
I’m very bad at remembering faces.
My luck is so bad
I can’t remember the names.
I behave badly to people.
I’m so weird
I will never be able to adapt.
I am not a creative person.
Mondays are always slow.
I’m not good at …
Nothing works right for me.
I am just …
I’m so clumsy
Do any of these sound familiar to you? What are some limiting things you say to yourself?
I’m not good at _______________________________________.
I always _______________________________________.
I never_______________________________________.
I am not someone who ________________________________.
I’m not very ______________________________________.
These kinds of thoughts KILL motivation before it even starts. If you’re warming up your brain with these kinds of thoughts, there’s no way you can work or be productive as your best self.
If you can’t think of anything with these, DO NOT FILL your brain! But if one pops into your mind instantly, you may have learned something interesting about yourself.
#4: Motivational Skills
The other type of self-talk can occur around certain people or in certain situations. I call them motivation buzz. If we are constantly pulling ourselves down, we don’t have any chance to motivate ourselves.
Where do you put yourself?
At home
Around the Family
With your friends
With your efficiency
At school
With technology
With your health
Are you struggling with procrastination?
Beating procrastination will keep you motivated.
#5: Limiting Wishes
Sometimes, core truths will come in the form of limiting wishes.
Limiting Wishes: A future state that we hope will solve all the problems from our current deficiency.
Here are the common limiting wishes:
I wish I was weaker
I wish I was taller
I wish I was richer
I wish I was more funny
I wish I was smarter
I wish I had that promotion
I wish I could move to that city
I wish I could find someone important
I wish I was older
I wish I was younger
Do you have limiting wishes? Do you have desires that are holding you hostage?
I wish I were______________________________________.
If only I_______________________________________.
If I were _________________________________________, everything would be better.
Limiting the wishes makes motivation incredibly difficult because they are the barriers to productivity.
In a nutshell: If you think you need to change, do, or carry out something before you are motivated, it will be nearly impossible for you to be productive.
#6: Changing Your Self-talk
Dr. Helmstetter breaks divides self-talk into five levels:
Level 1: Negative Acceptance Level
“I can not do_____.”
The statements that fill-in-the-blanks which you have put for your own truths and limiting wishes are the current negative ideas you accept about yourself.
Level 2: Level of Recognition and the Need for Change
“I must…”, “I have to…”
*I hope* this is where you are right now. The first half of this post was to make you think about changing some of your negative truths and limiting your wishes.
Level 3: Level of Changing the Decision
“No longer will I …”
While you are here, you have decided to change some of the limiting beliefs you have had (see Step 5).
Level 4: Level of Getting Better
“I …”
When you get rid of or change a limiting belief, you will have a new vision and concept of self.
Level 5: Level of Universal Confirmation
“This…”
Finally, you see the world differently. You have changed your own belief and the world around you.
What level are you at? If you have problems with procrastination, motivation, or productivity, you’re probably stuck at level 2 or 3. You know you want to change and what you need to do, but actually committing oneself to the change is the hardest part.
#7: Change Your Inner Voice
What does your inner voice sound like? Think about the voice in your head for a moment. You know, it is the person who comments on your actions or makes little observations about the world around you. Does this voice sound like the one you use in real life?
Would you talk to others as you would talk to yourself? Take a look at this spectrum. Where do you fall when you talk to yourself?
Action Step: Carry a diary for the next seven days and write down every inner thought that crosses your mind about your tasks. In other words, you don’t have to write down all your thoughts about the work or driving. But you want to write down what you think about how you do these tasks or activities. It’s important to remember your thoughts while you were driving to work or how you felt when you read your morning work emails.
#8: Re-examine
Examine the types of thoughts you have on a daily basis. Do you see any patterns? I want you to take out a sheet of paper and draw three columns. In the first one, write down all your limiting belief patterns. These are your motivation killers. What considerations hinder the productivity against having your best self or your working at optimal levels?
But sometimes we think about something for so long that we forget what has made us believe it. And we wouldn’t definitely challenge that anymore. Try reviewing your self-truth list and write its opposite in a column called “Contrast”
The opposite of ecstasy
That’s the hard part. Write down all the reasons why the reverse is true. Sometimes this means finding learning experiences and learning from hard-to-remember memories.
#9: Your Choice for Self-Motivation
Now you have the chance to make a choice. You can live purposefully through challenges and harsh realities. Do not believe that ignorance is bliss. To truly live is to embrace the truth – no matter what you, the people around you think about how you work. Only you can decide to do this. If you want to try self-talk, all you have to do is to complete the three steps above once you start criticizing yourself. Try these;
I do not belong to …. .
I belong to …. .
How does it sound in yours? You still have the option to start slowly changing your self-talk and removing that motivation buzz.
#10: Motivate Yourself by Empowering Yourself
We all need rituals, routines and habits to excite ourselves. This could be something you do before a meeting, a date, or an event. Here are some ideas for you:
Use music to empower yourself
Do a pre-performance ritual
Create the perfect morning and evening routine
Bonus: Be More Productive
Productivity and motivation go hand in hand.