How high is your motivation level?
A quick look at the calendar will show you that the year is well underway. Whatever happened to January?
It’s time to get serious with your intentions for 2017 but if you’ve misplaced your mojo over the holiday season, don’t despair. It is possible to get started again, reach peak performance and kick those major goals for the year.
Today I will take you through three sure-fire ways to get your motivation firing again.
Motivation tip 1: Take care of yourself
You may wonder why we’ve included this as our number one tip. Well, it’s primarily because many of us neglect ourselves while we focus on work and goals, and this is self-defeating behaviour. Without tending to our own needs, there is no way we can sustain performance and motivation throughout the year.
Ask yourself this question: “How did I feel after the Christmas festivities were over?”
Tired? Overstimulated? Heavy? Slow?
Those are exactly the words we hear people use when they start talking about why they are struggling with their work or their goals.
We need sleep, nutrition and exercise to maintain our health. This should be our number one priority. When you feel well, it’s amazing how much you can achieve and at what high standards. We know this is true but still we put ourselves last.
This year, put yourself first and compare your results against your previous performance. You will be pleasantly surprised.
Motivation tip 2: Be accountable
We’re not superwomen. Well, not all the time…
Motivation comes in ebbs and flows, and it’s very useful to have some form of accountability to help you keep focused on those ebb tides.
There are two ways of doing this and one will probably work better for you than the other. It’s a personal choice.
First, you might like to partner with someone you trust and respect. Ask them to check your progress with you on a regular basis. The most important thing about working with an accountability partner is that they understand what you are doing, why and what you expect to achieve. The more they know about what you are doing, the more targeted their questions will be. If there is an area in which you struggle, perhaps start by asking for accountability help right there.
The second option is accountability by report, and by this I mean, tracking your own progress. This doesn’t work for everyone but for some, mapping progress or lack of it is all they need to spark them up again. If this sounds like you, devise a way to monitor your actions and results and track them at least weekly.
Motivation tip 3: Include fun
This could almost come under tip 1 but we think it deserves a standalone spot.
Fun is energising, mood lifting and great for an individual or a team. The effects of a good laugh, night out or special event last for at least a week afterwards.
Fun stimulates the serotonin in your brain, and that is the ‘happy hormone’ that boosts your mood and makes socialising and working with people a lot easier. And when the work is being done and targets being met, your brain then releases dopamine into your system. Dopamine is a pleasure hormone, and because you feel good with what you’ve achieved, it motivates you to do more. It’s like a double whammy! So have fun because it helps you work better and achieve peak performance.
2017 is going to be a great year for you particularly if you start applying these three tips right now. They will help you to more easily achieve peak performance, maintain your motivation and enjoy it at the same time.
Another way to ensure you achieve success this year is to be part of the Athena Coaching, Set Yourself up for Success 28 Day Challenge. The Challenge is designed to help you clarify your direction and your goals, and help you find a way to hold yourself accountable during the year. It’s free and it’s open now so pop over to the website to find out more.
