People Building

Something I regularly tell those who are experiencing a dip in their levels of motivation is that in order to be motivated, you must be moving. It’s a bit of a shame really that one cannot go full throttle from a stationary position, but if you think about it, nothing ever really does. Even the fasted super cars in the world, do not instantly reach top speeds. It might only take seconds, but even so, there is a period of slower movement before the top performance happens. The preparation -starting up the engine and putting on a seatbelt. Letting the fuel work its way around the engine, and removing the handbrake, checking it’s safe.

And so what if you were that super car, sat in a garage somewhere, knowing that you had the potential to achieve great speeds and travel on amazing journeys?

Perhaps the preparation in this instance would be considering everything you need to do to make your journey smooth. What resources do you need? In what sequence do things need to happen? There’s no point in speeding off before you’ve learned to drive as you might crash. It’s also worth spending some time considering any blocks that may be there and taking some time to remove these.

That point where the fuel is moving around the engine-this is where the real motivation is beginning. This is where it is presupposed that some bigger movement will follow soon. But this first little movement is so important.

Motivation is defined as act, drive or aggravated. The word motivate comes from another word- motion. Another clue is in the word motivated- it actually gives you a clue as to what you need to do to be motivated. Hidden away in the letters is the word move. If you want to be motivated, you must move!

Whenever you want to make progress you must be moving. There are lots of people, like coaches and mentors who will tell you what to do, and possibly how to do it. But unless you move your own ass and do it, the results will be limited.

Ultimately, if you do not take the action required to generate your own progress, no one else will do it for you.

There are a few things you can do to aid the motivation generation process.

Firstly, you should do your best to enjoy the process of progress. Then every stage will feel worthwhile and not just the end result.

Notice what you have already achieved- especially if this has been acknowledged or appreciated. It will make your efforts so far feel more tangible.

Always have a plan for the next stage so that you do not have plateaus. Make contingency plans too. I’m all for positive thinking, but life doesn’t always support that. When a racing driver is preparing for a race, he doesn’t just think positive thoughts about what the ideal race would be like. He also imagines skidding on a rainy day, and as part of his visual rehearsal, practices the action he would need to take in those circumstances to ensure that everything still worked out ok.

As I planned this article, I was sitting with a nine year old child. She asked what I was doing and I explained I was writing an article about lack of motivation, which is a bit like playing stuck in the mud and not being able to move, and not having anyone around to save you. Out of curiosity I asked her what someone in that situation should do. She gave the best advice, so I saved it for last.

She said if you are stuck, you should pick up your feet.

By Gemma Bailey
www.gemmabailey.co.uk