A new objective has been established by you. You’re fired up, pumped up, and motivating yourself to succeed in your goals to take your career to the next level. You’ve made great strides, and things are going swimmingly. Then, suddenly, you hit an impasse; progress slows to a halt. You can’t believe that you were on fire and crushing it not too long ago, and now you’re just not making any progress toward your goal. The “wall” has been reached.
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If You’ve Hit a Motivation Wall, What Can You Do to Keep Going?
It’s normal to experience elation at the outset of a brand-new endeavor. At first, we are filled with enthusiasm and confidence that we can get what we want. Most people rely on their own strength of will to get things going. Willpower, however, is insufficient. It doesn’t last long, and it can’t do the heavy lifting on its own to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of the goal. In order to make the most of your time, keep these three things in mind. make a plan that includes your S.M.A.R.T. goals, your “Why,” and your schedule.
Establishing Objectives That Can Be Measured
Spend some time thinking about what you want to accomplish and writing it down. Starting here will give you the best possible chance of succeeding. You can compare it to entering the correct address into your GPS system. The acronym “S.M.A.R.T.” refers to the criteria that must be met for a goal to be considered “smart.”
Specific
Make a detailed plan to achieve your objective. Careful attention to the five W’s will help ensure that it is written accurately and clearly:
- Who?
- What?
- Where?
- When?
- Why?
Measurable
The only way to achieve a goal is to have a way to measure success along the way.
- How will I know if I’m making progress?
- How will I recognize success?
- How many? how much?
If you want to make sure you’re always making headway, whether financially, physically, time-wise, etc., answering these questions will give you the information you need to set realistic goals and track your progress along the way.
Attainable
Make sure that your objective is reasonable and attainable. It should be difficult, but not impossible.
- If I want to achieve my objective, what steps should I take that are both practical and creative?
- How do I get there?
Relevant
Decide on a target that you can give the time and energy it deserves. This objective must also be personal and/or have societal significance.
- Do my long- and short-term goals overlap with this?
- Ask yourself:
- Does this serve my “why” (or life’s ultimate purpose)?
Time-Centered
Have a plan with deadlines and tasks that can be monitored. This will motivate you to take action, keep you from shirking your responsibilities, and keep you focused. Additionally, it is recommended that you allocate a certain amount of time to the task at hand.
- When do you imagine reaching this impartial?
- Will I make the necessary time commitment?
Make sure every objective you set meets the SMART criteria by answering the questions below.
Know Your “Why.”
When clients are at a standstill in their professional or personal lives, they seek me out to help them break through the impasse and speed up their progress toward their goals. For every single client I work with, I start by asking, “What are you committed to having?”
One’s “why” can be anything from a person’s overall life purpose to a set of professional or personal objectives. Many people know exactly what they want to achieve, whether it’s “growing my business,” “improving my relationship with my spouse,” or “improving my health and fitness.”
The crucial inquiry follows. In most cases, people will give a vague, superficial response that has little to do with the person’s true motivations and goals. It has been in the works for so long that it lacks a contemporary emotional connection. The main reason so many people get stuck stopped, struggle or lack consistency and motivation is that there is a disconnect between their obvious answer and their core motivation.
“Everyone knows what they do 100 percent of the time,” writes Simon Sinek, one of the field’s foremost thinkers, in his book Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Certain people have figured out their secret. Few individuals, both professionally and personally, can articulate the driving force behind their actions. According to him, “why” refers to “the purpose or cause—the single driving motivation for action.” To tap into the deep motivational centers of your brain and be inspired to take action, you must first know your own “why.” Your “why” is what will lead you to your life’s true purpose. Knowing your “why” (your reason for doing something) can keep you motivated.
Why Does It Matter So Much That You Have a “Why?”
Everything you do has significance because of your “why.” You can have all the outward signs of success in the world, but if your heart isn’t in the right place, none of it will matter.
Your motivation, or “why,” is what drives you. Your “why” can do more than just give your life purpose; it can also point the way forward. Decisions, big and small, and taking the next step are all easier with this.
In other words, your “why” is what drives you to take action. Life is full of ups and downs, and you’ll have to learn to deal with them. There is a chance that you will face obstacles, disapproval, and failure. Your “why” can serve as a source of inspiration and determination when you feel like giving up. All of your time and planning decisions can be guided by it like a GPS system.
Determine Your Motivation
I can show you a method for figuring out your life’s mission. Your task is to provide appropriate responses to the questions presented below. In order to get to the bottom of things, you need to ask that one crucial question four or five times.
So that you can see what it’s like, I’ve included the answers I gave myself.
- When asked, “What do I intend to have?”
- What’s in it for me?
So that I can feel good about making a difference in people’s lives, that’s why.
- If you’re wondering why that matters, consider
Because I want them to know that someone is rooting for them and helping them,” I said.
- Explain why that matters.
- “Why is that significant?”
For me, that answer is to aid others in identifying and acting upon their life’s deepest calling. In the end, this response helped me get to the bottom of what was really driving me. It may take you four or five times of asking the question “why is that important?” to get to the heart of what’s driving you. Finding your “why” can help you achieve success in any endeavor. You need to understand the “why” behind every objective you set for yourself so that you can channel your efforts and motivations toward their successful completion.
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Here’s Yet Another Case in Point:
One of my customers came in because her wellness and health were interfering with her productivity at work. As an executive in her late forties, Audrey has made a name for herself. She estimated that she needed to shed 20 pounds and was well aware that her physical health was subpar. Her first words upon entering were, “I’m having some barriers to losing weight.”
Simply put: “What are you hoping to accomplish?” That’s what I did when I needed to know.
- The goal is “twenty pounds.”
- To what end is that concern of yours?
- Her reply was, “Well,” indicating her desire to feel good.
- To what end is that concern of yours?
- “Just so that my body can be in good shape,” I said.
- To what end is that concern of yours?
- I have to get in better shape if I want to keep up with my children.
- To what end is that concern of yours?
I lost my mom when I was 20, and I hope to be around for my children for a long time.
The change was reflected in her eyes, and I could see it clearly. Getting more active and feeling better wasn’t Audrey’s only motivation for losing weight. Instead, she wanted to achieve this goal so that she could spend a long, fulfilling life with her family. After years of trying and failing, she finally had the motivation she needed to finally lose weight for good.
I would have set Audrey up for failure if I had allowed her only modest weight loss goals. Her brain’s deep motivational centers, the part that drives her to act, would not have been engaged.
The Value of Your Time Depends on Your “Why.”
By identifying and focusing on what truly motivates you, or your “why,” you can better put your skills and abilities to use in ways that will benefit both you and the world at large. This is fundamental in developing a can-do attitude because it allows you to prioritize your activities and get the most out of each day.
Plan Ahead.
You should now plan out the steps you need to take in order to achieve your SMART goals and understand your “why.” Putting things on a calendar is a surefire way to get things done.
Your calendar is where you allocate your most precious resource: time, to the things that matter most to you. In our always-on, always-distracted society, if you don’t write down your responsibilities and devote specific time to completing them, they probably won’t get done. The actions you choose to take each day should be written down as a visual reminder to help you stick to the goals you’ve set for yourself. It stands for the things that matter to you personally and professionally.
When it comes to getting things done, I always follow the old adage, “If it’s not on the calendar, it didn’t happen.” If you adopt this way of thinking and use a calendar to keep track of all your important commitments, you will find that scheduling is the key to unlocking your motivation and potential and maintaining your resolve.
