There is a lot that has been written about how to motivate yourself when your motivation is weak.
Many of those motivation techniques are great, but in order to make them even more effective, let’s take a look at 10 things that kill motivation in order to figure out what causes our motivation to die in the first place.
1. No goals
Without goals, you really don’t need motivation. I mean, what in the world would you do with it? Run around in circles? Many people complain about not being motivated to do anything. The majority of the time, it’s because they don’t have any goals that excite them enough to do anything.
2. Failure
This is a big one. When we set out to achieve something and things don’t go as planned, we feel this thing we called failure. It could specifically be feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, or overwhelm. Knowing what to do when this happens to get your motivation back is critical.
3. Negative people
One comment of discouragement is often enough to kill any motivation some people may have. People who constantly make negative comments directed towards you should be avoided if you want to maintain your motivation.
4. Negative news
Bad news sells. If you focus too much on the bad things that are happening in this world, that may suck the motivation right out of you. No matter how good things are, the media will always have something bad to report. Try to focus on what’s good instead.
5. Low energy
Being fit plays a big role in your motivation. When you barely have enough energy to move around and do stuff, your motivation will suffer greatly. A good diet and exercise regimen will help with that.
6. Distractions
Distractions can come from anywhere. These are things that tend to throw our focus off course. If you stay off course for too long, your motivation will deteriorate.
7. Not taking action
When you don’t take action towards your goals, your motivation will die off fast. Often times, people will sets a goal, make all these plans, and then wait for the right time to start. Times like the first of the month, after the holidays, New Years, when summer starts, etc. Once you have a goal, you must take action right away, even if it’s on a Tuesday.
8. Lack of belief in yourself
You could be inspired and motivated by a book you read or a movie you see to go out there and make your dreams a reality, but if you don’t believe you can pull it off, you will eventually stop. You must truly believe you can achieve your goals, otherwise, you’ll soon start doubting yourself and when you do, kiss your motivation good-bye.
9. Boredom
There will be goals that require you to take repetitive actions that may slowly kill off your motivation. If you find running to be extremely uninteresting to you and your goal is to lose weight, that’s a formula for failure. Change up your strategy if necessary and where possible, hire someone else to do certain mundane tasks for you.
10. Lack of support
Often when we feel like no one is behind us, during the tough times, our motivation will fade. Having people who will encourage you is a great motivation booster. They can also help increase your belief in yourself.
By becoming aware of these 10 things that kill motivation, you can better prepare yourself to deal with these ahead of time, or when they occur, in order to keep your motivation alive. Being able to keep your motivation up will eventually lead to achieving your goals.
____________
Kevin Ngo is the creator of MotivationalWellBeing.com, a website full of tools to help people stay focused and take massive action towards their goals. On his site, you will find videos, stories, songs, and much more to help inspire you to pursue your dreams.
-What are some other ways you have identified that slow down or stall your motivation? Even better, what are some ways you’ve found helpful in recharging your motivational batteries?
Featured:
Get the motivational & inspiring book, It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG! by Josh Hinds — you’ll learn strategies for living BIG and achieving your goals and dreams!