Motivation Tips & Ideas to Keep up the Pace in your Daily Challenges

In the workplace, nostalgia reflecting on earlier wins in one's career can be inspirational as well as remembering the challenges that have been mastered.

• Research shows that nostalgia can increase creativity. When nostalgia makes people feel connected, they are more likely to act confidently and take risks with their work.
• But nostalgia can also have a dark side. It can leave people stuck in the past, especially those who are afraid of change.

Remember the formula

Motivation = Purpose * Energy * S3

S3 = Small Simple Steps

Other people around us in a coffee shop who are working on their laptops, make the place a co-working environment, which acts as a motivator for us to be productive, just as going to the gym makes us exercise as we see people around us do the same.

Research shows that more than 50% of American workers feel disengaged at their jobs.

Research also shows that motivation is very important to feel engaged. Motivation predicts career success better than intelligence, ability, or salary.

Motivation is often the result of action, not the cause of it. Getting started, even in very small ways, is a form of active inspiration that naturally produces momentum.

Inspiration increases well-being due to the overall positive affect, purpose and gratitude that inspired people exhibit.

Inspiration is also more strongly related to future than to present satisfaction.

Even if you're part of a collaborative team or partnership, leadership training is required to move the goals of the group forward. Employees need someone to look up to, kids need someone to emulate, and everyone needs someone to steward the execution of the vision.

In short, the purpose of leadership is to inspire action to get things done.

Contrary to popular belief, inspiration does not necessarily lead to creativity.

Creating things (action) leads to inspiration, which then generates a greater desire to create more. Acting out one’s creativity is how we become really creative.

Don't let stress motivate your decisions. When you're feeling the most stress, you'll also feel the biggest urge to make a poor choice.

If you do make a decision while you are under stress, ensure to re-evaluate it when you are calm.

We all have the motivation, willpower, or desire to achieve our goals to some degree.

What makes the difference, what turns your goals into reality is not really your level of motivation, but rather your plan for implementation.

What you need is a system to capture those flashes of inspiration so that, when inspiration is on holiday, you’ve got plenty to work with.

One of the most powerful things you can do in a negotiation is draw out why the other party wants to make a deal. You can do this by asking questions and building negotiating roots.

Asking questions about their competition and why they want to work with you -- what's in it for them -- builds your negotiating counterpart's motivation.

Once you have a new and workable workspace, consider what will consistently inspire you. Some enjoy famous smart-sounding quotes or motivational videos.

When you feel bored or disinterested, look for the little sources of energy you've created that will give you constant inspiration to work productively.

1. Get complete rest instead of watching TV or sitting up late at night on your computer.
2. Find some stillness for a while in your busy day.
3. Start small, not getting bogged down by the enormity of the task. Small actions create a compound effect.
4. Involve your friends and family to be held accountable for your goals and how you are trying to accomplish them. Instruct them to not let you fail.

1. Get on your de*thbed

• Imagine yourself on your de*thbed and speak to your loved ones about what you want them to know. This clarifies what's important.

2. Stay hungry

• Create a vision of who you want to be and live into it. Stay motivated and hungry to achieve your goals.

3. Tell yourself a true lie

• Imagine yourself achieving your goals, even if it seems unrealistic now. This visualizes success.

4. Keep your eyes on the prize

• Stay focused on your goals, don't get distracted by obstacles.

Own your stories and drive others through them. 

Stories have the ability to enrich the group and connect them.

• Focus on the process, not the outcome: feel inspired by the work you do and by everything that is required to achieve results.
• pay attention to your impact, to how you make others feel and then make sure it's the kind of impact you want to be having.
• Push your comfort zone. Those surrounding you will feel inspired and they will most likely follow suit.
• Focus on your well-being. If you feel good, you will naturally inspire others.
• Commit to a vision and never give up. When others know what motivates you and your commitment to what's important to you, they will feel inspired.

Some leaders create a vision of the future yet fail to move people into action. They fail to articulate and communicate their vision. Few buy into the vision; fewer truly follow.

In contrast, some leaders have imagination and know where they are going. They inspire others and bring them on the journey.

• Try something you think you can’t do but want to try.
• Teach someone to do something and tap into your potential as a leader.
• Learn something new and forget about the limitations of time.
• List all the things you’d like to do in your lifetime and create a board with pictures of all of those things.
• Brainstorm for ideas for a new project.
• Look for solutions to your problem.
• Submit your resume for a dream job instead of assuming you can’t get it.
• Connect with like-minded people.

• Disconnect for a while and write in a journal.
• Embrace a new healthy habit that can better your life.
• Take a day to do only the things you enjoy.
• Try something new and enjoy going beyond your comfort zone.
• Sing in the shower. Release your feelings through music.
• Recognize in yourself the strengths you see in other people.
• Consciously let go of something that doesn’t serve you.
• Reflect on your life and the difference you made in the world.

If you come across a good idea, use it. The application of ideas will always be more powerful than the ideas themselves.

There is some motivation in other people's ideas, but the best inspiration comes from the application of ideas, not the consumption of them.

• Productivity is what keeps businesses alive and incentives increases it. They might be an incentive in how your office culture is, or how you reward great work – but incentives that drive sales, outcomes and maximise effort will have a huge impact.
• Well rewarded employers work harder and longer while having lower attrition, sickness and absence levels. They are engaged in transforming your business and more likely to innovate. Incentives, financial or not, are the best way to harness great intentions and to show consideration.
• Nurture engagement and motivation. The latter can be influenced by factors like salary while the former is a function of pride related to work, level of responsibility, camaraderie, skills and values alignment with the businesses, and the company’s culture.

... is a common excuse we tell ourselves to avoid difficult tasks.

Set aside time, jump in and get done what you can. The best step we can take is to simply make a plan and start. 

Play and adventure sustain our energy levels and help make otherwise boring and difficult tasks to be light and joyful.

Serious stuff stresses us out, and turning an activity into something full of exploration, curiosity, excitement, discovery, adventure and fun is a great way to stay motivated.

Motivation is “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way,” or rephrased, “the general desire or willingness of someone to do something.”

People who are depressed often don't feel motivated to do what they should. But a lack of motivation need not prevent positive action.

A commitment to one's values and goals can help drive action even when motivation is lacking.

Taking action can itself increase motivation, and self-reward can help sustain positive behaviors

In a clinical setting, there is evidence that showing disinterest in the tales but maintaining interest in the person may help reduce the motivation to lie. While there is no guarantee of successful treatment, I think we can all agree that these people belong in a therapist’s office and not in political office.

You are extrinsically motivated when you act or accomplish something for external rewards such as fame, money, praise, and grades.

Extrinsic motivation comes from external situations, such as when you want to receive praise, study for a test, or exercise because you don’t want to look silly or out of shape in front of others.

• Maintain your sense of Expectancy in the project using small wins and accomplishments.
• Reward yourself.
• Maintain a sense of value by finding a way to remind yourself of the bigger picture of the small, everyday bouts of effort.
• Build positive habits.
• Find flow.
• Set clear follow-on goals.
• Maintain energy.

It's often said that nobody works for money alone and that nobody is motivated by the prospect of more money. There's a lot of truth in that. If you're doing a job day in and day out, you may be motivated more by the demands of the work itself and the people you're working with than by the prospect of financial gain.

But people always like to win, and they like to feel that their efforts to help the company win are appreciated and rewarded. Nothing says "thank you" like several weeks' worth of extra pay.

1. Core. Your purpose. It is sustained by two things: Having Meaning, and Forward Movement.
2. Support. What enables your goals. They can magnify the motivation core you have, or speed up the momentum that you build.
3. Surface. Any type of external recognition that might give you motivation.

• Stop doing what you know to be wrong. Today. Don’t waste time questioning how you know that what you’re doing is wrong, if you are certain that it is.
• Don’t try to reorganize the state until you have ordered your own experience. 

Being charismatic helps in a small way, for some people in some circumstances, to be perceived as inspiring and motivating.

But there are countless leaders who are identified by their colleagues as highly inspiring who are definitely not charismatic.

Having a high paying job that is going well and getting better does not mean that you will always be motivated to go to work each morning.

Your motivation can start to decrease despite promotion or big projects.

Many people think money alone will be enough to motivate them, and whilst that may do so initially, it’s very hard to sustain financial motivation if the work you are doing actually drags.

At the beginning of your path of achieving goals, you should define what really matters.

You are intrinsically motivated when you accomplish something because it is personally rewarding to you. You want to do something because of an internal desire.

For example:

• Going for a run every morning because you love the runner’s high and the energy it gives you for the day
• Clean your home because you it makes you feel calm and organized.

• Things we don't normally want to write about can become a fascinating read to other people.
• Get inspired by the news, music, a TV show, your problems, and your feelings.
• Something we hide can also be an inspiring story.

In order to find motivation, we first need to understand what we’re really talking about.

Motivation is simply the force driving your behavior. It’s the “why” behind everything you do, and the reason you might take up a cause. Everything we do is motivated by some combination of conscious and unconscious need or desire.

When we talk about self-motivation , we are going beyond basic motives. What we mean is the ability to follow through on making a positive change in life — without giving up. Self-motivation requires that you believe in yourself, stay inspired, and keep going despite setbacks. 

Here's some techniques that you can start using to turn your motivation on its head:

1. You don't need to wait for motivation to actually do something. Commit to action and values rather than waiting for the motivation to show up.
2. Action creates motivation. We typically think of motivation as preceding behavior, but motivation may result from activity as well. 
3. Choose your purpose. Set goals you want to accomplish in the next day, week, month, and year.
4. Reward yourself for every step forward

Research shows being motivated predicts career success better than intelligence, ability, or salary.

We can go for a planned approach to achieve a goal, however small.

• Wish: First, wish for what we want to achieve.
• Outcome: Imagine what the outcome will be.
• Obstacle: Identify what the obstacles will be.
• Plan: Take into account the information gathered and come up with a plan.

Big tasks, no matter how important, can be demotivating, because you need to work for too long to see their outcomes.

But just like the simple act of crossing off items from your to-do list can be motivating, so is successfully completing a time box. Completing a time box works as a visible sign of progress.

Internal motivation, the drive to achieve that comes from inside a person is the kind of motivation that can lead to life-changing improvements and well-being.

External rewards (like compliments, fitting into a smaller size, or winning a race) might get a person started but it won't last in the long-term.

Start your day by thinking who you want to be and what impact you want to have on the world.

To help you reach that state of motivation, read or listen to something inspiring.

• Have enough sleep.
• Take good food and keep yourself healthy to generate more fuel.
• Worrying doesn't have a result, so stop worrying and start trying.
• Practice anything that gives you positivity. 
• A positive mind can see good through the storm. 

Chunking works to increase our motivation because by splitting things into smaller pieces, it increases our sense of self-efficacy, the belief that we can successfully accomplish a goal. For example, a number like 28932798288 it might be easier to remember if you chunked it. 289-932-798-288 now it might be easier to remember.

Without purpose, motivation does not stand a chance.

So start thinking about your purpose, what makes your inner motivation stay alive and do your best to accomplish it.

Successful entrepreneurs have a system, a daily set of habits, a power routine that defines their work ethic, eventually defining the course of their lives.

1. Stop doubting yourself. Work hard and make it happen.
2. Just because it's hard doesn't mean it's impossible. You can do it.
3. Don't tell people your plans. Show them RESULT.
4. Do something today that your futureself will thank you for.
5. Make it happen and shock everyone.
6. I'm not telling you it's going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.
7. School is tough but so are you.
8. You can't fly unless you let yourself fall.

Successful and rising entrepreneurs have a key behavior trait that propels them towards their goals: Motivation towards that goal, the constant fixation in their minds to what they want to achieve.

• Consider every thought you have as a suggestion, not an order. And none of these suggestions are orders. They are merely options;
• Maintain perspective: Your discomfort is temporary;
• You will never regret good work once it is done.

Gear will only be as good as your knowledge of how to use it safely and effectively.

• Reddit's Bodyweight Fitness community has put together a fully-scalable bodyweight routine.
• Online personal training can give you direction, accountability, and easy access to an expert coach.
• Other services, like 8fit and NEOU, have many workouts to try out.

You can do this is two ways:

• Speak to a mentor – could be your parents, brother or sister, friends, teachers!
• Read motivational quotes – Motivational quotes simply work when you are running low on your motivation levels.

Our self-motivation and excitement have a relatively short life span, and while we want to be motivated before we start something, it is only possible once we have begun. This paradox is called the Motivation Trap and basically implies that action precedes motivation and not the other way round.

The trick is to to create systems and tools that get things done and sets us up for future success.

... for improving performance:

• Self-talk (saying to yourself “I can do better”)
• Imagery (imagining yourself doing something better)
• If-then planning (for example, “If I start to doubt myself, then I will remind myself that I have the skills!”)

To become successful sooner, you first need a road map for your career. What do you want to achieve in your career?

Long term goals help you create a framework for your career. With them in mind, create smaller goals. Set the bar high to ensure you always have a source of motivation.

• Passive inspiration: Consuming the success and ideas of others;
  
• Active inspiration: Creating things, applying new ideas to our goals, and making mistakes.
  

We can start to feel helpless when we see people fail in a certain plan, and this could start acting as a negative motivation in our minds.

Having a continuous motivation pushes ourself to do the task so having a source of motivation is always required. It can be a person or some motivationg videos

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Inspiration births creativity. Inspired people view themselves as more creative and show actual increases in self-ratings of creativity over time.

The link between inspiration and creativity is consistent with the transcendent aspect of inspiration since creativity involves seeing possibilities beyond existing constraints.

• Put all of your energy toward starting the positive desired behavior.
• Take motivation out of the equation and set a schedule for your behavior.
• Eliminate the things that take you off track. Some emergencies can’t be avoided, but there are many daily distractions that can be eliminated. 

When we feel connected to what we’re doing, when we make something our own, we’re much more motivated.

To turn some task you’re handed at the office into something you feel ownership of, make small tweaks that customize what you have to do, that allow you to do it your way.

Money as a tool for motivation is limiting at best, and the 'carrot and stick' approach many managers use to motivate employees is will actually achieve the opposite effect of what was intended.

Real inspiration does not come from the outside - it comes from a deep place within us that demands that we take action. The inspiration that comes from talks, movies, or books provokes inspiration but does not provide sufficient follow-through.

Motivation without a clear direction has little value. Direction is insufficient without knowledge, skills, or support.

It's your inner drive to accomplish something.

In order to start making use of that motivation, you first need to identify your own values. Use a journal to find times when you’ve felt fulfilled. Create a list of things you value. Most of all, accept the uncertainty in life and just build something.

Rewards are an essential part of the motivation. 

Reward yourself every time when you reach your goal whether it’s big or small.

We may be inspired by other people’s stories, but the greatest motivation will always come from within.

You will need a strong conviction or internal driving force in order to build a life of success. That drive can only stem from what’s important to you, what is relevant in your life, and what affects you in a profound way.

Develop a Routine. Create a series of events that you always perform before doing a specific task.

• Step 1: Start by doing something so easy that you can't say no to it. Your pre–game routine tells your mind, “This is what happens before I do ___.
  ”For example, In my writing routine I start by getting a glass of water. So easy, I can’t say no.
• Step 2: Your routine should get you moving physically towards the end goal. Your mind and your motivation will follow your physical movement.
• Step 3: Follow the same pattern every single time.

To keep up your motivation:

• Join a running group to help you when you face challenges.
• Consider running with music
• Keep a running journal
• Fill your personal spaces with motivational running quotes.

• Increase your reason to start a project, by increasing the value of starting it.
• Increase your expectancy of succeeding at that project.
• Decrease your reasons to delay, by increasing urgency, using a deadline.

It’s necessary to surround yourself with people who can motivate and inspire you to work hard.

Youtube videos are very useful for this purpose because it’s easier to get the main idea by visual information.

Sometimes, you might read an inspirational book or listen to an inspirational talk, only to find the inspiration gone the next day. You may feel even worse because you failed to take even one tiny step towards your goal.

That is because this synthetic inspiration has a very short shelf life.

Feedback, if done well, can leave people feeling motivated and positive:

• The power of expectations. Establish from the outset what the feedback is intended to accomplish as the person receiving the feedback owns their emotional reaction.
• The power of accuracy and specificity. Provide feedback on performance, not the person's character.
• Feedback is focused on the future. Discuss ways how to get there.
• Believing in the project. Your feedback highlights your personal investment
• The power of relationship. Use what you know about the person to give better feedback & keep them accountable.

Set small, incremental goals that are sufficiently exciting to be motivating and for which you have a reasonable expectation of completing.

Neurologically speaking, motivation is the desire to escape psychological discomfort or a life situation that is not giving us any kind of ‘pleasure’.

Most behaviors are prompted by discomfort. If we are hungry, we eat. If we are lonely, we call up a friend. If we are bored, we turn on the TV.

Now you know that commitment makes a world of a difference. It’s time to apply this knowledge and understand your motivation.

Why do you want to succeed? Is it for your family? Is it for your children? Or is it to prove that you’re worth something to yourself?

Understanding your WHY will help you reach another level in your life.

You could actually be burned out. This type of burnout usually indicates that you are in an environment that leaves you feeling drained and unsupported. 

Examine your external environment: What situations and people are draining you? Do you feel supported? 

• Create a support system of friends and people who will call you out when you're slacking.
• Failure is part of the process. When you set a goal with the understanding that you will fail a lot, it will be easier to deal with those failures when they happen.
• Stay positive but realistic. People often confuse optimism and positive thinking with achievement. Try not to lose sight of your actual goals.

The awareness of death is a powerful motivator, as evident in Buddhist, Samurai and Stoic teachings. Our days are numbered, and we must leave what is unimportant and focus on the essential.

However depressing it may sound, focusing on one’s death and considering oneself dead every day removes all distractions and time-wasting activities from our lives. It liberates us to move out of the fluffy cushion of life and get on to work, which is the best kind of motivation.

Free food, Beer taps and ping pong games in the break room do not help employees feel connected with the company's vision, mission or direction.

Employees prefer equity/stock compensation, the non-cash payout they get by being allocated restricted stock options. 

Employees then become partial owners of the company, vested into how it performs, increasing their motivation to be more productive and effective.

• Ask loved ones what’s the most important thing they’ve ever learned.
• Ask people what they’re grateful for.
• Ask your parents what you were like as a child.
• Join an organization of people making a positive difference in the world.
• Read an autobiography by someone who has marched to the beat of their own drummer.
• Listen to music that moves you and think about what the songwriter felt when they wrote it.
• Spend time with children and see the world through their eyes.

... to develop self-discipline:

• Start taking small actions to make things better
• Do the things that hurt you less
• Push yourself into discomfort a little bit, so you can get better at this over time
• Get good at self-discipline with some practice.

1. Give Up The Excuses

2. Go From Interested to Committed

3. Know Exactly Why You Want It

4. Focus: All You Want Is To Be Successful

• Draft a Financial Vision Board, it motivates and helps you to stay on track with your financial goals.
• Set specific financial goals stating the reason, the way, numbers and dates.
• Adopt a spending mantra, a phrase that serves as a rule of thumb for how you spend.
• Love yourself. Taking control of your finances is part of that.
• Make bite-size money goals. Make the bigger ones but also small step goals to get there.
• Don’t be a financial fatalist, and switch to more positive mantras.
• Get your finances and body in shape. The discipline associated with regular exercising translates to managing your money well.
• Appreciate what you have now, instead of being a consumerist.
• Get a Money Buddy. Studies indicate people pick up good habits from friends with similar traits.

• Set SMALL AND SPECIFIC GOALS that will not make you feel anxious and overwhelmed.
• Practice self-compassion. Try to use the same encouraging words you might use for a friend or loved one.
• Recruit support, or ask for help to hold you to your commitment.
• Envision how you'll feel after the task. 
• Make the goal to do it, not to enjoy it.
• Acknowledge your courage for stepping out of your comfort zone.

1. Make the start easy: You shouldn’t need motivation to start your pre–game routine;
2. While your routine should be as easy as possible to start, it should gradually transition into more and more physical movement;
3. You need to follow the same pattern every single time: Eventually, this routine becomes so tied to your performance that by simply doing the routine, you are pulled into a mental state that is primed to perform.

At the core, humans are more than the sum of our biological urges. However, it also suggests that we aren’t much different than horses–that the way to get us moving in the right direction is by dangling a carrot (a reward) or wielding a sharper stick (punishment). 

This is motivation 2.0 or Carrot and sticks model. Here people are driven by an external reward or punishment.

But what this operating system lacked in enlightenment, it made up for ineffectiveness. It worked well–extremely well up to a point. 

Truth is, our real motivation is to be lazy and do what is convenient.

Energy is precious and the brain is wired to conserve it whenever possible. It's human nature to follow the Law of Least Effort.

When trying to build a habit, the idea behind make it easy is not to only do easy things. The idea is to make it as easy as possible in the moment to do things that payoff in the long run.

• Encourages Inspiration
• Urges You to Take Action
• Creates Optimism
• Gain Personal Insight & Knowledge
• Offers Hope
• Brings Light and Happiness
• To Educate Us
• A Mood Booster
• Inspires Positive Thinking

Quotes are little snippets of wisdom. Situations or circumstances of those that came before us. Things they’ve obviously learned something from.

We can take the quotes that resonate with us, and use that knowledge to not just learn and grow from, but to thrive.

• We understimate how the quality of our goals offects our motivation.
• Skill is the beating heart of high motivation. The more skill we have for the task at hand. the easier it is to do a good job.
• It makes sense that we are highly motivated to do things we're good at. Good performance provides good feedback, placing us in a contantly reinforcing feedback loop.
• Insufficient skill practically preordains our marginal motivation.

Top creatives isn’t dependent upon motivation or inspiration, but rather it follows a consistent pattern and routine.

Here are some examples of how you can apply ritual and routine to get motivated:

• Become more creative:  Follow a creative ritual before you start writing or painting or singing.
• Start each day stress-free:  Create a five-minute morning meditation ritual.
• Sleep better:  Follow a “power down” routine before bed.

Motivation is categorized into two basic types: Extrinsic and intrinsic.

• Extrinsic motivation is related to external forces like money or fame.
• Intrinsic motivation is something that comes from within like joy or pride.

Why we set our goals matters. If it is out of fear or social expectations, then they are not going to last.

Authentic values are what helps achieve our goals, as there is a never-ending supply of willpower when we are doing what aligns with our innermost core.

• Teachers that plan lessons to be interesting, curiosity-provoking, and personally inspiring have better success in motivating their students to read.
• Leaders have better success in motivating their employees when they take the employees' perspective and invite them to create their own self-endorsed work goals.
• Parents are more successful when they try to truly understand why their children don't want to do something and then take the time to explain to them the benefits of the activity.

Most successful interventions do not try to change another person's motivation. They focus on the environment.

Setting a schedule for yourself seems simple, but it puts your decision-making on autopilot by giving your goals a time and a place to live. It makes it more likely that you will follow through regardless of your motivation levels.

Motivation is not a switch. Motivation is a flow. 

If you can create a self sustaining motivation engine, you’ll not only be able to find more meaning and purpose in your life, but you’ll be able to enjoy every minute of what you’re doing, which will make your roles and responsibilities less of a chore. 

The biggest problem we face with completing our projects isn’t productivity**or time management, but motivation management**.

When you’re sufficiently motivated to accomplish something, you’ll move heaven and earth to do it.