Motivation is the general desire or willingness of someone to do something. The source of your motivation is what will indicate the outcome of your goals. A goal is a dream with a deadline, and if you desire to reach your goals, then motivation is the key to your success. The strongest type of motivation is intrinsic motivation, because the source of your motivation is rooted inside of you rather than coming from external sources.
To some, motivation seems untouchable. It seems fleeting and never seems to last. For this reason, motivation is recommended daily, much like bathing. Motivation is not as far off as it may seem, and there are simple ways to achieve motivation that are within your reach. If watching videos makes you feel like taking on the world, then watch motivational YouTube videos right before you are about to do something you are not that motivated to do.
The day-to-day activities can be exhausting or boring even, but the best way to push forward is to remind yourself of how the work you are doing is meaningful and can help someone else down the road.
Studies have shown that asking yourself such questions can lead to impactful changes in your mindset and transform your thinking.
What is stopping you from being motivated?
Motivation starts from within, and remembering that nothing happens overnight (other than growing) can keep you on the path to success. However, intrinsic growth is much different. In order to improve your health, you must take tiny steps toward your goals. For example, setting an alarm to get up early and exercise. If you simplify the tasks ahead of you, they will seem far less intimidating and much more doable. They key is to focus on why you personally want to wake up the next morning to exercise, if the source of your motivation is strong enough then you will be more likely to follow through and improve your health.
Studies have revealed that intrinsic motivation is powerful, and these studies also show that military cadets with intrinsic motivation were 20% more likely to graduate and stick to a military career than other cadets. These statistics indicate an exceeding success rate with just the simple addition of intrinsic motivation.
Although anyone can obtain or fabricate intrinsic motivation, it is fragile, mostly due to the competition internal motivation has with external motivation. With that, there is a paradox for ambitious individuals. While intrinsic motivation can lead to undeniable success, it can also be counteracted with extrinsic rewards such as respect from peers, good pay, or recognition for achievements.
The real problem here is contentment. When people are content, they lose their motivation to push forward and get promoted, achieve a higher ranking, or anything similar.
How can motivation make your life better?
The key is to maintain a balance between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, do not let one overpower the other. If your concern is not which motivation to gear towards, but how to get motivated in general, then start by relaxing. If you are stressing about the future, your body, work, or anything else, then you will not be able to focus long enough because of the headaches that stress will give you. Being relaxed, and remembering that you can do your best with what you have right now will keep you motivated to reach the goals you set and make a difference in your life.
Change is a process, so patience will also be a key in your success and motivation. If you are not willing to wait for results and success, then you will not stay motivated.
Make life fun, and do not take yourself so seriously. So you are overweight right now, that's okay, hippos are too, and they seem content. The difference between you and the hippo is that you can do something about it, and you are capable of becoming motivated and transforming yourself, but the hippos are not. Don't be a hippo. Don't let your health or fitness feel like a chore, find an app that turns it into a game so that you can enjoy being motivated. Remember, dieting is the only game where you win when you lose, (besides golf, I think).
No matter what, stay positive.
Live each day like it is your last and watch your world transform in ways you never could have imagined. Also, stay fueled and remember to take breaks. Do whatever it takes to get motivated. Now, you have all of the tools needed to conquer the world. Your next step is to go conquer it.