3 Simple Ways to Increase Your Motivation

Do you ever feel like you just can't seem to get motivated? Whether you're trying to increase motivation to lose weight, start a new business, or just get more done around the house, getting and staying motivated can be tough. But it doesn't have to be! In this article, I'm going to share with you 5 simple ways to increase your motivation and start achieving your goals.

So whether you're feeling stuck or just need a little boost, stick around, and let's get started!

Motivation Struggles

If you're like most people, you have goals and projects you just can't seem to get yourself to begin, much yet finish. For example, I wanted to write since I was 10 years old. I even took a creative writing class every year I was in high school. Once I left high school and entered college, I found it very difficult even to sit down and just write. I told myself all kinds of excuses for why I just couldn't do it. 

• I don't have the time

•I'll do it Later

•Is not that important to me

•What is the point, no one will want to read it anyway

•I have nothing new or important to say

No matter what I told myself, I still came back to the fact that even though I wanted to write, I wasn't. As a result, I allowed my excuses to rule my life until I was 45 years old.

Then one day, almost magically, I began to write. And the amazing part was, I didn't have to create the habit of writing, I was driven to do it. I instantly loved doing it again and even sought out times to do it. 

So what changed?

How did this miraculous transformation come about? How did I regain my motivation to victoriously overcome my excuses?

Keep reading and I'll share with you how I got motivated and how you can too.

3 Ways to Increase Motivation

1. Increase Motivation by Adopting a Growth Mindset

Carol Zweck, the author of Mindset, writes about the difference between having a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. First of all, she says that people with fixed mindsets basically believe that they are either naturally good at something or they're not meant to do it. As a result, when effort is required they stop trying. 

On the other hand, people with a growth mindset have decided that if they aren’t good at something now, all that means is that they haven’t learned how to yet.

Growth mindsets value effort and believe that with enough effort they can figure anything out. For them, success comes as a result of failure and struggle is a part of the process. 

I definitely had a fixed mindset toward writing. When I found myself struggling with writer's block, I erroneously concluded that I just wasn’t meant to be a writer. This all changed for me, however, when I figured out that writing is a practiced skill. And if I wanted to be a writer, I just needed to write.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

To develop a growth mindset don’t focus on getting great results right away. Instead, ask yourself, "What do I need to learn in order to achieve my goal?" And then focus on the effort you're putting into your goal.

I used to focus on the quality of my writing and conclude, without any evidence, that no one would ever want to read it. Now I ask myself, “What am I learning? And what else do I still need to learn in order to one day succeed.” Asking these simple questions keeps me from thinking about what other people will think about my writing, and focused on how I am growing and learning.

2. Increase Motivation by Focusing on Small Goals

Another reason I couldn’t get myself to write was I was looking at the monumental task of writing a book. The thought of writing 15 pages much less 150 was overwhelming and kept me from even starting. 

Once I changed my goal from writing a book to just writing a certain amount of time a day, the task began to feel doable. At first, I started with the goal of just writing for 15 minutes a day. As I began to produce words, 15 easily grew into 30 minutes and then an hour. I now find myself writing every chance I get.

Break your goal down into small actions that you can easily achieve. Make it so easy that it will almost impossible to fail. Ask yourself, “What is one small step that I can easily accomplish today?” If you are wanting to organize your office, begin today by just organizing one corner of your desk. The point is that it shouldn’t feel overwhelming. It should feel easy and doable.

3. Increase Motivation by Rewarding Effort

People are driven by two forces, pain, and pleasure. See, we are instinctively driven to move away from pain and move toward pleasure.

If you are criticizing your effort, your results, or your talent then you are training yourself to quit. Why would you want to do something that causes you pain? 

On the other hand, we move towards things that give us pleasure. A good coach knows that if he is going to keep his team motivated and wanting to practice hard, he has to end practice on a positive note. The same goes for you and your goals. You are your own best coach and if you are intent on accomplishing your goals then you must start rewarding effort. 

How to Reward Your Motivation

Rewards can be a simple pat on the back for showing up and putting in the time, or they can be your favorite snack after working for 15 minutes.

For me, a reward can be as simple as just taking a moment to smile and appreciate what I have accomplished for the day.

To be successful, you need to discover the reward that works best for you and stick with it. Without rewards there is no effort and without effort there are no results.

What are some ways you have motivated yourself in the past when you didn’t initially feel motivated?