Do you find it hard to get your motor running? Do you feel like you're running on low octane when you should be running on high octane? Do you find it hard to get motivated! Well let's see what we can do about helping you get motivated!

What is motivation?

Motivation is a need, desire, goal, emotion, interest or belief that triggers you into action!

It would appear that all you need to do to get motivated is to find goals that propel you into action! Although that's a necessary step, it may not be quite that simple. For example:

1.You may not be aware of what you hope to accomplish and can't get motivated because there's no clear-cut goal to focus on.

2.You may have two goals you desire, and can't get motivated because you can't decide which one you want to pursue first.

3.You may be ambivalent about a goal and can't get motivated because there are things you equally like as well as dislike about it.

4.You may be lazy! You aren't used to consistently pursuing a goal, because when the going gets tough, someone always bails you out!

5.You may have attempted to attain a goal, then gave up trying and have become indifferent about it, because of repeated failures.

6.You may not be motivated to attain a goal because that would bring you in conflict with someone you love or respect. (Example: If you attempt to attain a higher position than that attained by a domineering parent or spouse)

7.You may not be motivated to attain a goal because you believe you won't be able to handle it if you did!

So how do you get motivated!

There are basically two ways to get motivated. One way is to become aware of all the things that stop you from being motivated. The other way is to focus on all the things that help you get motivated. We've focused on the first way. Now let's focus on the second way.

1.If you're not aware of what motivates you. Make a list of things that you want. After writing down as many things as you can think of. Create another list, rating those things on a scale from 1-10, in order of importance to you. This exercise helps you become more aware of what motivates you and gives you a list of goals to focus on pursuing.

2.If you can't decide which one of two goals to pursue, make a list of their pros and cons. Rate them from 1-10. Alternately imagine how you'd feel if you had either one. Randomly pick one and pursue it. You may find that once you've done this, you become aware of the one you really want to pursue!

3.If you can't get motivated to pursue a goal because the pros and cons seem of equal importance, imagine how you would feel if only the pros existed. Then how you would feel if only the cons existed. Stop focusing on the goal for a while. Come back to it at a later date. Sometimes it's easier to make a decision once you done this.

4.If you aren't used to working at attaining a goal, You can train yourself to do so. Create an action plan and a deadline to accomplish your goal by. Spend a specific amount of time on it each day. Start with what you can handle. Gradually increase it. Don't allow anyone to bail you out! Keep at it!

5.If you've failed repeatedly trying to attain goals, It may be difficult for you to feel motivated, because based on past experience; you see no reason to try because you expect to fail again! But you're different now! Review the attitudes and thoughts you had then. What can you learn from those experiences? Is the goal you want to attain now attainable? Are your expectations about it realistic? You're not limited by past experiences. Every time you take new stab at it there's another chance you'll succeed this time around!

6.If you're holding back self-advancement to avoid the disapproval of a significant person, decide if your advancement is worth more than that person's displeasure! Decide whether you're going to live for yourself or to maintain that person's approval. Decide whether you deserve to advance in your career, regardless of who likes it or not!

7.If you're resisting attaining a goal, because you're not sure you can handle it. How will you know until you try to handle it! Research the goal. Find out everything you can about it. Talk to others who've done it. Pursue it! Once you've attained it, seek assistance from others involved in the field. Don't be afraid to ask questions. There are No dumb questions! Hang in there!

Here's one last thing you can do.

Use a chart, graph, or calendar, to keep track of where you are in relation to your goal. Track your progress, adjustments you can make and anything you can do to speed up the attainment of your goal.

For those of you who weren't clear about it, hopefully this article helped clarify what motivation is, what you can do to get motivated and maybe even added a thing or two for those of you who already knew this.

Now that you're aware of some of the things that can hinder you as well as help you get motivated. The next step is up to you!

But don't stop here!

Let this article spur you to create your own creative ideas about how to get movtivated and to stay motivated!

Copyright 2000 EL Veasey Publishing

El-Veasey holds Ph.Ds in counseling, political critiques and psycho-social commentary from the University Of Hardknocks Ghetto Town, USA. http://el-veasey.blogspot.com/