How to Develop and Nurture Motivation

Do you consider yourself highly motivated in at least some areas of your life? For many of us, including myself, motivation waivers. It isn’t consistent over time or in various parts of life. That’s pretty common. We can develop and nurture motivation when we learn more about motivation and practice certain helpful things.

You know a highly motivated person when you see one. They seem indefatigable (what a great word: persisting tirelessly) in the face of a challenge and possessive of more energy than a pink bunny with a drum.

But what exactly are the character traits that help them stay that way?

1. Purpose. Highly motivated people are able comprehend and internalize the bigger picture. They see how their work fits into the whole, and therefore don’t start feeling like the smaller components of the journey are meaningless.
2. Optimism. With a positive vision of what could be in the future, motivated people gain energy to go about their work towards the happy outcome they envision.
3. Self-Esteem. It’s hard to do anything when you don’t feel like you can do it. But motivated people know their strengths, and they believe in themselves.
4. Bravery. Motivated people delight in taking on new challenges, and they don’t back down from risk. They’re not afraid to take chances, get mistakes, and get messy-just like the Ms. Frizzle, the teacher on the Magic School Bus series. Best Miss Frizzle Quotes From The Magic School Bus (dailytimepoems.com)
5. Energy. Motivated people have the requisite energy-mental, physical, or emotional-to move forward with their plan and fight the good fight.
6. Persistence. People with high levels of motivation don’t just give up when the going gets tough. They buckle down and stick to their guns.
7. Perspective. Highly motivated people don’t get it twisted with the small stuff. They know how to sort through life’s myriad concerns and ignore the little things that could pull them off course.
8. Reflection. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson, an old adage goes, and motivated people get that. While bravery, energy, and persistence are some of their sterling qualities, that doesn’t mean they make stupid choices. Motivated people reflect on the process and move forward with intelligence and strategy.
9. Humility. Motivated people also have perspective on their own strengths and weaknesses. An arrogant person will quickly run up against a wall again and again as opposing egos clash with their quest. By contrast, a humble person will have an easier time carrying out their plan, taking feedback, and adjusting course as necessary. They’re not offended-their eyes are on the prize, and they’ll take the help they need to get there.
10. Celebration. Motivated people enjoy success and they celebrate it. It’s not about throwing it in other people’s faces, but about appreciating the hard work just done, and looking forward to a new journey.

If you feel you are seriously lacking in any of these traits, explore ways to expand them to develop and nurture motivation in your life. One approach that can increase several of them is to learn to get into a state of flow. Read about that here: Being in a State of Flow — High Energy and Focused Productivity (carolbrusegar.com)

Develop, Nurture and Sustain Your Motivation

Now you may say, I don’t consistentl y have all these traits. What can I do to develop and nurture motivation ? Here are six ways to do that:

1. Remember the pain points. If you feel your motivation waning in a particular area, keep in mind all the things that could or will happen if you don’t stay the course. For example, if you were once motivated to go running three times a week, think about what will happen if you don’t give your heart the exercise it needs.
2. Don’t play leapfrog. Feelings of motivation can sometimes slip into the category of finding the next high. Instead of bouncing from goal to goal, make sure you finish what you start before getting motivated about something else. For example, if you really like language and made a goal for yourself to learn French, learn it before you switch to learning German, and then Italian, or whatever else.
3. Know Thyself. When you try to accomplish goals that other people set for you, your motivation can wane. Take a look at your goals and make sure they’re goals you have for yourself…not goals that other people want you to achieve. If they’re not, you may want to set them aside and reassess where you’re going.
4. Visualize. Picturing the end result of your goal can go a long way towards continuing your motivation to succeed, and it has some seriously awesome side effects. The positive energy you build around that imagery will affect you at a subconscious level, while the mental affirmation that you can achieve it will do loads for your self-confidence, which will also help you stay the course.
5. Let go of stuff beyond your control. When it comes to motivation, it can be easy to give up because things don’t go according to plan. Learn to let go of things beyond your control; otherwise they’ll reduce your motivation to succeed. Letting go is a practice that can pay great dividends.
6. Get organized. If you want to stay motivated, you need to work a little bit to keep the motivation alive, otherwise it will just slip into the traffic stream of life’s feelings that inevitably comes over everyone-just like happiness, sadness, or anger, motivation will just be another feeling unless you concretize it. The daily events and pressures of life have a way of drawing us away from things we want to do; so put your goals on the calendar and make an action plan.

To explore a unique approach to motivation, check out Susan Fowler’s book, Master Your Motivation, Three Scientific Truths for Achieving Your Goals Drawing on the latest empirical research, the author proves that high-quality, optimal motivation is a skill that you can learn and apply.

I’m Carol Brusegar, author, photographer and curator of information. My focus is on gathering and writing on topics that enhance all our lives — regardless of our age. Topics include health and wellness, personal development, innovation and creativity, and a variety of helpful, practical tools and practices. I have a special interest in helping people over 50 years of age to create their 3 Age — the next stage of their lives — to be the best it can be. Visit my Amazon Author Page to find my published books: https://amazon.com/author/carolbrusegar

Originally published at http://carolbrusegar.com on September 14, 2023.