Motivation is one of the major driving factors of our lives. When we are motivated and in a flow, it seems easy to put in the work toward achieving our goals. On the other hand, feeling unmotivated is one of the worst feelings in the world, and this lack of motivation usually results in us not being able to reach our goals. Especially now, where it’s really easy to spend hours on social media, remaining focused is more important than ever before. All you need to do is wait for the right time for motivation to strike, and then you will finally be able to achieve all of your goals! Right? The simple fact of the matter is, if this worked, then you most likely would have gotten what you needed to get done by now. Simply waiting on inspiration to strike is not an effective strategy. Fortunately, motivation is something that can come from within, and just by creating a few simple changes in your life, you will be able to unlock the power to harness it!
First off, we have to distinguish between the different types of motivation. By now you can probably tell that many outside factors can influence our motivation, like deadlines, societal expectations, and other external rewards. This is known as extrinsic motivation. Sometimes, however, doing an enjoyable task is the reward itself, and you become so absorbed in it that you don’t realize how much time has passed. This is intrinsic motivation and is essential for achieving your goals. Dave Robson, an award-winning science writer, says that “by picking the right goals, for the right reasons, you will be more engaged and more determined, while deriving greater satisfaction from your success.” Attaching personal value to a goal is a great way to fuel the fire of your intrinsic motivation.
Breaking free from the whims of extrinsic motivation becomes a lot easier with the creation of habits. We often don’t get around to working towards our goals because we spend a lot of time wondering when we will work on them. Writer James Clear, the author of “Atomic Habits,” talks about this in one of his articles. He says, “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.” By scheduling your motivation, you can make it a lot easier to build the habits you need to remain consistent. You do not have to waste time planning or thinking about what you want to do; you just do it and follow through.
One of the most important things about harnessing your inner motivation is being able to create new beliefs about the way you work. A lot of us create self-fulfilling prophecies about ourselves in our thoughts. When we tell ourselves “I won’t be able to get an A on the test” or “I will never be able to exercise consistently” we create limits for ourselves. Our mindset can have a big impact on how we can work and remain motivated. After having a few conversations with other teenagers at Boston Latin Academy, they said that mindset “matters a lot,” and it was clear that they also agreed. We seem to already be aware that our mindset is paramount for remaining motivated. However, they also mentioned that it can require a lot of work to change our mindset. As one student said, “I feel like you need to do a bit of like, soul searching to be able to construct these new beliefs about yourself before you can even use them,” and this is true. We know that believing in ourselves is important. After all, the media is always talking about heroic stories about successful people who believed in themselves when others didn’t, and that they reached their goals in the end. However, even though we internally know this, it’s hard to apply when we face life’s daily challenges. However, with some quiet introspection and simple practice, we will be able to work towards cultivating a more positive mindset. By doing this, we will be able to create beliefs about ourselves that will leave us without limits.
Even after doing all of this, there will always be times when the motivation fades. There will be times when you will want to give up. In these times, it is more important than ever to push through. Acknowledge how you are feeling, understand why it’s hard, and then challenge yourself to push through anyways, even if you don’t make as great of an impact. For example, if your goal is to write every day, and you find yourself particularly unmotivated and tired, challenge yourself to just write a few sentences before you sit back and watch TV. And who knows, you might just find the energy to continue. No matter what, consistency is key, and just showing up and getting started is something worth celebrating.
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