Has Your Motivation Sputtered to a Halt?

How to find motivation in a world gone gray

Before we were hit with social isolation, did you wonder what it would be like to work from home? All that freedom. No 9 to 5 routine. No commute. It seemed like heaven.

How’s that working out for you?

Maybe you were self-employed already and felt mildly superior to your corporate colleagues droning away. Now you’re hustling for business since regular clients have vanished, and you’re yearning for that paid-time-off benefit you don’t have.

Whatever your situation, you’re alone at home in what may seem like an energy vacuum.

At least that’s how I feel. Even as an introvert, I’m feeling the lack of camaraderie and social interactions and am missing the kinetic energy of having people, bustling around me.

We’re all alone, and yet we’re not alone.

We’re all in this together.

And we’re tired.

Drained.

Our spirits are starving.

And it’s not surprising.

According to nationally recognized workplace expert and author Lynn Taylor:

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a jolt to every aspect of our existence — and that can seem numbing at times….It’s natural for such a chaotic situation to cause physical and mental lethargy.”

So how do we find motivation in a world gone gray?

Discover What Revs Your Engine

Motivation comes in many styles. By understanding your style, you can frame goals and tasks in a way that is motivating.

External

If you are externally motivated, you focus on tangible payoffs — money, awards, recognition. Feedback, as you work through a task, keeps you interested in what you are dong. No feedback, and your motivation fades away.

Focus on the reward at the end of the trail, and give yourself small rewards as you head toward it. Ask your manager or someone you admire to give you feedback to boost your energy.

Internal

This means that you find strong motivation in things like gaining mastery, learning new skills, solving problems, and so on. Feedback isn’t necessary as long as you feel personal satisfaction in what you are doing.

Make sure you are challenged by the task or goal, but don’t make it so challenging that you can’t achieve it. The more you stretch yourself, the happier you are with the task.

Pain

The avoidance of pain or consequences is also a strong motivator for some. We naturally want to avoid anything uncomfortable or hurtful, and that desire to avoid something keeps us motivated to stay the course.

Clearly describe what will happen if you fail and keep that image in mind as you work. The more vivid the consequences, the more motivated you are to avoid them.

Gain

Some of us are goal-oriented and are motivated by having a concrete image of what they get at the end of the road.

Clearly describe what will happen if you succeed and keep that image in mind as you work. The more vivid the benefit, the more motivated you are to achieve it.

Self

People with this style are motivated by doing something for their own benefit rather than for that of others. They want recognition for their skills and abilities and are driven to act for their own personal purposes. For example, mastering skills to get a promotion or raise for my own use.

Other

Those with an other style are motivated by the benefits others receive from their actions. This is an empathetic style that focuses on the effects of their actions on others. For example, mastering skills to get a promotion or raise to help my family.

Frame Outcomes Using Your Styles

When you understand your style, you can frame the results you need in terms that are energizing and motivating. According to Psychotherapist Emma Cullinan:

“Figure out your personal motivators. Start to understand what drives you. The words ‘motivation’ and ‘emotion’ both come from the Latin word motus, meaning movement, impulse or passion. What chimes with your personality? Is it curiosity, problem-solving, the chance to learn, a sense of achievement, providing meaning or taking an interest?”

Forming concrete SMART goals, however, isn’t as motivating as they can be. You must frame them in ways that support your motivational styles, so they resonate with and energize you. To improve their motivation wattage, add two more letters to make SMART goals even SMARTER.

Emotion

Infuse your goals with emotions that energize your motivation. How will you feel when you achieve the goal? What will your life or work be like in the future? The stronger your vision of the end, the more powerful the emotional charge.

Resilience

Striving for a goal can be challenging, especially in today’s environment. It’s easier to stay the course if you identify what obstacles you might have to face and develop contingency plans to meet them. This will keep you from derailing and losing momentum.

No one style is right; no one style is wrong. It’s whatever works for you.

Trying to motivate yourself using the wrong words is futile. You must learn to communicate with motivating words and phrases and set goals that hit all the high notes. The brighter, the more colorful, the more gratifying your goals, the easier it is to find the motivation to achieve them.

“What you say to yourself matters — your brain is the organ that delivers messages on how to move, react and respond to outside forces.” Tony Robbins

More Articles…

Entrepreneur’s Guide to Greater Productivity and Effectiveness The Startup

Want To Be More Productive? The Startup

What to Do When You Just Can’t Write