Do you know this, when you feel like a superhero and everything seems possible? And then, on the next day you feel weak and nothing seems to work out in your favor anymore?
When you have ambitious goals, motivation is crucial. Especially during tough times and setbacks it is important to have enough (mental) energy to get back on track.
Your Motivational Boost
Imagine you hear a motivational speech or a podcast and the mood and content really boost your motivation. You feel great. You feel powerful. You feel you can achieve everything.
The feeling stays for the whole night. But then, the next morning on your way to work your motivation fades away. In a meeting your boss blames you about the progress of a certain project and now you are finally back in the world of your daily routines with no more super powers left. Even worse, you feel weak and angry and even your normal office tasks feel harder and more dreadful than usual.
This is normal. We simply don’t feel like superheroes all the time. But wouldn’t it be super helpful if we could turn on our super powers when we need them?
Strengtheners: What Makes You Stronger?
Obviously, as we have seen above, your environment can play a significant role in whether you feel strong or weak. Besides the environment there are also some internal factors.
Here come some ideas on how you might boost your inner power. The list is far from being complete and you can just try what works for you and what doesn’t. You might want to use one of these techniques whenever you need a little boost, for example before an important meeting, presentation or exam. Here we go, here come some potential strengtheners.
- Praise or compliments
- Success, so when something went really well
- Listening to a motivational speech or podcast
- Music that puts you into a good mood
- Inspiring discussions with friends or co-workers
- A fulfilling task or responsibility
- Support from your family
- Watching a good movie or reading a good book
- And sometimes you even don’t know why you feel you super powers
Weakeners: What Makes You Weaker?
In contrast to the motivation boosters above you probably already know some things that can pull you down. The idea is to avoid these things as much as possible. And yes, also these weakeners can be internal or external. Here come some examples.
- Blame and criticism
- Setbacks, when things don’t work out the way you want
- Bad mood, for example because of too little sleep
- Bad company or people that pull you down
- Boredom or if you have to do a task you don’t like
- Distress, for example if there are just too many things to do
- Uncertainty, for example about your job
- Having an argument at work or at home
- Sometimes you might not even know why you feel down
What Can You Do?
What is helpful for you in the given situation? Of course, you seek out for your strengtheners and try to avoid your weakeners. However, this is not always easy. When you know your strengtheners and weakeners, this is already a good first step.
Avoid your weakeners. Seek your Strengtheners.
If you know some people or situations always pull you down, try to avoid them. You might want to go through all your activities, people and places you come across your day or week. Check how good or bad they are for your motivation. You might want to try our energy diagram here.
What energy bandits can you omit or reduce? What energy boosters can you extend? Of course, this shall be aligned with your goals. So, if you only do the things you like and as a result never make any progress in life that might also not be a good idea.
Here come some more ideas for quick (maybe even long-term) motivation boosts.
- Take a few deep breaths
- Take a break from what you are doing right now
- Exercise or workout, for example running
- Have a walk outside, ideally in the nature
- Call a friend and talk
- Try meditation and mindfulness practice
- Meet with friends and supporters (of your goals)
- Avoid poisonous people
- Practice gratitude
- Take care of your environment
Do You Need Help?
Do you need help? It is easier when you get some help. Besides family and friends you might want to check out the information available on VidaGoals.com, as well as our free goal-setting app VidaGoals on Google Play.
