Staying motivated at work can sometimes be a challenge, but with the right mindset and tactics, it is possible to stay engaged and productive in your job. Here are five tips to help you stay motivated:
1. Associate with positive, motivating people
The first step to be motivated is to take a look at other people, either at school, home or in the community, who appear to be positive, motivated people. Observe them carefully. The effect that they will have on you will be astonishing as you learn how these positive people motivate themselves. Model their behavior. In a short time, you will feel inspired and more confident.
2. Communicate in a positive manner
Communication skills are the key to understanding other people and also to understanding ourselves. A simple technique is to use positive communication to affect the motivational forces within. Choose to smile. Use positive verbal statements. When asked to write something down, make it a positive statement rather than a negative statement. By choosing to move to the positive side, you will provide not only motivation for yourself but also for people you interact with on a daily basis.
3. Use positive affirmations
Use positive affirmations for motivation. Positive affirmations are statements such as, “I am a goal-oriented person,” “I am a goal-achiever” and “I am always eager to learn.” These types of statements will help you move from the negative to the positive. The format for affirmation statements involves four parts. Affirmation statements should be short, positive, simple and in the present tense. Use “I am” or “I will,” not “I think I am” or “I will try.” Here are some examples of good positive affirmations:
- I know what I want from life.
- I put forth all my energy to achieve my goals.
- I can achieve whatever I set my mind to.
4. Understand what motivates you
Theories of motivation can all be boiled down to two general motivators: The desire to obtain something or the fear of losing something. Everyone has these two motivators working deep down inside of them. These motivators cause people to act in certain ways to either obtain something or to avoid losing something. It is also important to keep in mind that what some individuals want to obtain, others may not want to obtain. As a result, it can be very confusing as to what motivates people. The bottom line for motivation is the reward. Some kind of reward is always behind an individual’s behavior. This reward can be either positive or negative.
Understand what motivates you. Every person is different. Some people are motivated by money, while others are motivated by personal growth, gratitude or service to others. Take time to reflect on your greatest motivators.
5. Set and achieve goals
Research has shown that one of the best ways to create motivation is to learn how to set goals. These goals can be for specific levels of performance or achievement that an individual wants to strive to obtain. Practice setting goals and obtaining them.
If you want to learn more about developing or teaching soft skills like motivation, check out The Success Profiler.
