What do you do when your motivation level is lacking, as well as your self esteem? What do you do to regain the motivation needed to move on with your plans and pursue your networking endeavors?
Motivation comes from within you not from outside you. No one can motivate you but yourself. This is in regards to long-term motivation. Many years ago, author Frederick Herzberg wrote about motivation in the Harvard Business Review where he said that others can motivate you but only in the short term. He called that KITA (Kick in the… Anatomy - that’s really what he called it).
On the other hand, long-term motivation comes from within. So, that begs the question - as a business person, how do you motivate yourself when your motivation is low? First, you should understand that virtually every person has to deal with this at some point throughout their professional lives. No one is immune to this. So, what can you do as a professional when you feel down?
Here are some of the things that you may find helpful:
- Minimise contact with negative people!
That’s not always completely possible but do it as much as you can. At least do this for a short while. Some people complain as though it were an Olympic event! Keep clear of them while you are trying to get your mojo back.
- Maximise time with people that refuel your energy!
You become the five or six people you hang out the most with. Hang out with people that make you want to ‘do’ and ‘be’ better. So set some meetings with them. Go to some business events together - anything that puts positive people around you.
- Read / listen / watch positive things
If you are feeling down, read a positive book. Listen to an audiobook or podcast with a positive message. Watch something that makes you laugh! Surround yourself with some things you love to be influenced by. Let that in to your life as much as possible.
- Prioritise the things you want to do and must do
Make a list. As a professional, you should live by lists. The more you can get a handle on the things you need and want to do - the easier it is to tackle them.
- Eat the elephant one bite at a time
Take that list you’ve created and tackle some of that list EVERY DAY. If you really do this - you will be amazed at how much you get accomplished. The more you accomplish - the better you will feel. They feed each other.
There’s plenty more you can do to generate motivation but the list above is a good start. Also, keep this in mind: if your motivation is low it helps to step out of the small picture (the day-to-day) and remember the big picture - why are you doing what you do? Allow yourself to be motivated by your bigger vision, and let goals drive you. Remembering why you are doing what you do in business can most certainly help you find some new energy to keep going.
If you’re still struggling with motivation after reading and trying the above, let your to-do list (suggestion no. 4) be driven by a short term goal - what would you like to achieve in the next week or - at most - next month, that inspires you to act today? A small ‘win’ can be very motivating.