3 Ways to Stay Motivated and Keep Moving Forward

We have all been in situations where it seems like we want to give up – no matter how focused we were. Those days stretch on from the moment our alarm goes off in the morning until we fall into bed at night. How did we get to this situation in the first place? Why are our motivation levels so low, and why has our mental health taken such a hit? Days like this leave us feeling unfulfilled and unproductive.

The cause of these sudden slumps can be related to many things such as work-related stress, matters relating to our personal lives, illness, or even financial issues. A lot of small things can add up quickly leading to lost self-motivation. It can be harder and harder to get out of a slump when we lose the drive to keep moving towards long-term goals. This often leads to short-term procrastination growing to impact all aspects of our lives.

In no time it can quickly begin to feel impossible to get back on track. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be the case. There are ways to improve your well-being and get back on the road to becoming the very best version of yourself, with the motivation to keep moving forward and work your way up from any roadblocks that pop up.

If you find that you are dealing with a lack of motivation here are some ways to help you get back on track.

Identify your inspirations

A great way to fire up your drive or enthusiasm for something you want to accomplish is to actively search for something that inspires you. Hard work has its own value, but for your health you can’t forget what your intrinsic motivations are – the tasks that are fulfilling to you while you’re doing them (the opposite of extrinsic motivation, which is when you do a task for the reward of doing it, like a paycheck, or the punishment for not doing it, like being fired).

Focusing on the inspirations in your heart is one of the easiest ways to reclaim the spark of your ambition. You likely already know where to start! Personal inspiration can be  just about anything  that resonates with you whether that be a song that brings you great joy, a book that transports you to another world or watching your favorite YouTube channel. It can be anything at all as long as it inspires you, and even better if it feeds into your personal development and self-esteem so you can raise yourself up to the best version of yourself.

Open up to others

While self-care and positive self-talk are important tools to help meet your set goals,  it can often be very helpful to remember that you are not the only person to have ever gone through a slump.

Even the most determined and motivated individuals have had their fair share of bad days. It is unfortunate that many people often downplay the fact that they may be going through a hard time. Rather than playing your struggles off as nothing, it can do a great deal of good to open up with family and friends about your problems. Openly admitting a lack of motivation or explaining it to someone with a sympathetic ear can make a huge difference. It often provides a new perspective on the situation and results in some great advice.

Move beyond mediocrity

One of the more common causes of motivational burnout is due to only allowing ourselves to coast by on the bare minimum and not putting forth our best effort. If you often find yourself finishing tasks on autopilot then stop what you are doing and think about all the different ways you could add a more  challenging aspect to your workflow  . When you take the time to focus on what you need to do or the processes you have been following, this allows you to look for ways to do things more efficiently. Consider the big picture – taking an extra step or learning something new enables you to push yourself to a new level.

Putting forth an extra effort in everything you do will be much more rewarding and can result in more interesting experiences. It will also produce results that you can be especially proud of.