Motivation is More Than a Feeling

Our team here at LHLN is trying something new. This past weekend, we dropped the 2^nd of a series of short videos that I am personally recording to provide both inspiration and information to our followers (by the way, if you aren’t following us on Instagram or Facebook, you will miss these videos) so be sure to follow us, like, and tag us in your shares!

In this week’s Monday Motivation, I expanded on our first video last week that People Follow People, but in this week’s blog, I want to expand on what I recorded last Friday – Don’t Wait on a Feeling to Get Motivated! Too many of us wait around to “feel like” doing something important rather than creating the discipline to actually execute the effort, which is really where the motivation comes from. The only way to create the effort and the discipline is to set goals for what you want to achieve. Let’s look at a few that I use every day to maintain my motivation, and trust me, it isn’t a feeling:

SET GOALS FOR WHAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE:

Each year, month, and week - our team at LHLN sets goals for what we want to accomplish. In doing so, we can break them down into specific actions that need to happen to progress toward the completion of that goal. Are you doing this on a routine basis? If you don’t know what your goals are, it’s difficult to create the environment needed to determine the actions needed to achieve your professional and personal goals. Take time each month to start with just 1-3 goals you have personally and professionally and write those down in your leadership journal. Set up a chart to track the habit(s) that will lead to achieving these goals. Want to run a marathon? Well you better establish a training schedule that gets you ready to endure it mentally and physically. It is no different with a big work project. If you don’t know how far you’ve come through your effort thus far, it’s difficult to establish a continued commitment that leads to the achievement of your ultimate goal.

SET SMALL GOALS THAT BUILD MOMENTUM:

While it is great to have a 40,000-foot view of what you want to accomplish, it’s been my experience that you must have the ability to take the time to set smaller goals that work toward the big picture goal. Using fitness as an example, you may want to lose 50 pounds -  the best way to start is to decide on the diet and exercise program you can currently do that begins to establish the conditions that allow you to lose 5 pounds and then 10, and so on. Do what you can today to start the process that leads to your bigger goal. Setting S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Manageable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed) goals is the best way to make sure you are progressing toward the BIG goal.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS:

For real success and to truly keep your motivation going, I highly recommend tracking your effort(s). When you track your effort and progress, you create the momentum to stay motivated! When you see that you’ve lost 5 pounds with your small goals, you are motivated to continue to lose the next 5! The same holds true with professional goals. I track this with a simple chart in my leadership journal that I grade myself on daily. I want to improve my cardio fitness; well, how did I do that day? I give myself a score of 0-10 with 10 being the highest. Be fair about the grade and you’ll see a pattern over time. From this, you can see how you are doing and reflect on how you can improve further.

These are just three things you can consider to boost your motivation. Find what works for you and do it! Self-talk creates self-motivation, so be mindful of that. Author Mel Robbins explains her 5 second rule this way, “The 5 Second Rule is simple. If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it. The moment you feel an instinct or a desire to act on a goal or a commitment, use the 5-Second Rule.”

Have a great rest of the week!

- Dean