The Importance Of Finding Out What Motivates You

Written by Ryan Whiteside - 20 Comments
Categories: motivation

First, let’s find out what the importance of motivation is exactly. Simply put, motivation is that driving force which allows you to achieve your goals and go after what you want in life. If you want to change your personality for the better, get a promotion at work, start a new habit, be a better person who is part of the community, become a better parent for your kid – all of these things would be easier accomplished if you are properly motivated.

As long as you have a strong personal motivation, you can achieve almost anything that you want from life. However, remember not to fall into the trap of looking for short-cuts to achieve your goals. It’s perfectly fine if you have to take a long and winding road to achieve your goal. It will even be a sweeter victory when you finally achieve your goal, knowing that you have had to go through several hurdles to attain it.

How Can I Develop Motivation in Life?

So how can you develop motivation in life? If you wish to accomplish a goal – be it short-term or long-term in nature – how can you find it in you to be properly motivated? Here are a few things that you should keep in mind:

  1. Focus on one goal at a time.

This should be partnered with the fact that you should make sure that your short-term goals all help in achieving your long-term goals. One of the best ways for you to focus on one goal at a time is to make a diary of your goals – yes, write it down – so that you will have a visual representation of the things that you want to achieve rather than letting it all get lost in your head.

  1. Get rid of all the distractions which might prevent you from achieving your goal.

Let’s say that you are a writer who wants to finish a book. How can you type away on your keyboard one chapter after another if there are many distractions surrounding you like television, friends chattering away or the lure of aimlessly browsing through the Internet. In order for you to stay properly motivated, make sure to steer clear of any distractions.

  1. Completely block out any negative influences.

Finally, make sure that you are completely blocking out any negative influences in your life. If you feel that you are being distracted from your goal by a problem which does not seem to go away, ask yourself what you can do to eliminate such a challenge and distraction in your life. Maybe you are being sidetracked by negative thoughts and feelings because you have no faith in yourself. Addressing the root of the problem, completely blocking out any negative distractions and thinking purely positive thoughts is the best way for you to develop motivation in your everyday life.

Constantly Work At Motivating Yourself

A goal doesn’t do you much good unless you are constantly thinking about, and working towards it. Write down your goal and place it somewhere that you will see it at least 1-2 times a day. If you have a weight loss goal, place your written goal beside the refrigerator. If your goal is to get physically stronger, place your written goal near your weight bench so you can see it when you are working out. This provides the extra motivation you need for those tough days.

A great way to motivate yourself with business goals is to put up a motivational quote beside your desk. Do a Google search for motivational quotes, then print off one and put it inside of a picture frame. Keep it there and read it occasionally throughout the day. Whenever you find yourself not looking at the quote anymore, or it no longer provides the inspiration that it once did, it’s time to change the quote. It’s perfectly OK to change this quote every 1-2 weeks for maximum motivation.

Some people make a habit of reading their goals either when they first wake up or right before they go to bed. When you read your goals upon arising, you may begin to notice that you find yourself doing more each day to help you reach your goals. Similarly, when you read your goals right before bed, you may notice that you wake up with good ideas that you never thought of before.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to have motivation in your life. Motivation is the fuel that you need to continue striving for your goals. Soak up motivating things in your life on a daily basis. Read great books that will inspire you. Read great blogs that are both positive and informative.

It’s human nature to have days were you aren’t very motivated. However, if you continue to surround yourself with positive and motivational things, those days will be few and far between.

Ryan Whiteside is a Guest Blogger for PicktheBrain. To learn more about personal development and how to set goals visit the Ultimate Guide To Personal Development.

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter!

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  • http://www.asparkstarts.com Frank

    Finding the right motivation can be just the spark that can take you from good to great. In my professional career I lacked the drive and motivation that was needed to progress me further in my line of work. After working with my manager and using a ton of other resources I was able to find out my lack in performance was due to a lack in motivation. Now that the motivation has returned my performance has greatly improved. Just a testemant of if you use these techniques that can change you life. Great Job!

  • http://www.richardshelmerdine.com/blog/ Richard | RichardShelmerdine.com

    Some raelly intriguing points. One goal at a time is something that I struggle with. I always want to accomplish so many things at once. It’s the byproduct of an overactive mind I guess.

  • http://www.asparkstarts.com Frank

    Richard,
    Me and you have a whole lot in common. I just wrote a post today about that very issue. I can’t even explain in words how much I can relate to you. I too must just have a really overactive mind.

  • http://divorceforguys.com Jeff

    For me it is very hard to keep motivation because my mind like to race around and I am easily distracted. I use all of the above tips to keeps motivation and believe me it is a constant battle.

  • http://staffofpower.net/blog/ Ralston Heath

    Keep in mind that, from time to time, something has to happen in order to free you from monotony, so don’t be surprised if, at a certain moment in time, instead of being afraid of change, you desire it with all your heart.

  • http://habitchange.com Steve Levinson, Ph.D.

    Getting motivated is easy. Staying that way is a different story. To stay motivated you have to stay focused on what you want to achieve and why it’s worth going to the trouble to achieve it. The kicker is that staying focused is a lot easier said than done. That’s because the mind contains some leftover primitive wiring that makes us extremely distractible. So our good intentions – along with the motivation that supports them – keep getting lost in the shuffle.

    A clinical psychologist, I spent years working on a solution called the MotivAider. I used it myself to stay focused and motivated while carrying out a long and complicated project that I knew would take years to bring me any rewards. Every few minutes all day long, this simple electronic device automatically prompted me to “remember” what I was trying to achieve and why. Honestly, I became a lean mean achievement machine!

    Whether you use a MotivAider or something else, staying focused is a key to staying Motivated.

  • http://www.hypnosis-self-help.com Sherri Frost | Self Hypnosis

    Yes! One goal at a time is the best way. When I try to do too many things at once, nothing gets done. The idea of having perfect balance in one’s life is a misconception. Focus on one area at a time if you want results.

  • http://www.richardlindo.com Richard Lindo, on motivation

    Hi friends,

    This is an excellent article post by Ryan Whiteside. I couldn’t agree more with what he’s saying. All of it makes sense and is practical.

    Ryan you are a great writer, keep up the good work.

    Warmly,
    Richard Lindo

  • http://guyfarmer.wordpress.com Guy Farmer

    Thank you for your insights Ryan. It’s so valuable for people to find what they love to do in life and discover ways to include more of that in their daily routine. When we focus on our passions and on living our genuine lives we tend to be much more motivated because we look forward to doing what we truly enjoy.

  • http://topsy.com/trackback?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pickthebrain.com%2Fblog%2Fthe-importance-of-finding-out-what-motivates-you%2F%23more-1428&utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2 Tweets that mention The Importance of Finding Out What Motivates You – PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mark Januszewski, Mark Januszewski. Mark Januszewski said: Motivation is not about quotes…short read about motivation http://bit.ly/aqZTKF [...]

  • Matt Hitchman

    I believe there are deeper causes to the problem of fnding motivation.

    The problem for most people isn’t that they do not realise they need to be more motivate. Writing down goals is great if you have the self-discipllin to follow them, but what if you dont? The problem behind the symptom of procrastination is normally a self–worth issue. If you valued your time, which you would if you valued your self, then you would not waste it procrastinating.

    Don’t get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with doing nothing, so long as it’s after you’ve done something, you need to earn the time off to appreciate it. ‘Without work there is no play’ (Sir W Churchill again).

    Self worth is a pre-requisite for motivation and self discipline. My Argument is that we have to value ourselves and our time to a point where we do not want to waste such a valuable commodity. If you hate yourself and think everything you do sucks, then who cares about your time.

    So the answer to increasing personal motivation and self- discipline is improving your sense of self worth. Ironically enough, being self disciplined and motivated improves self –worth. So you need to change your behavior and cheat yourself into a cycle of self improvement. You can’t just find motivation. You need to build it step by step setting small goals that point in the right direction. Believe you are worth working on, work on your self-worth and motivation will come.

    ‘live your life as a work of art’

  • http://www.argeseajans.com Matbaa

    Güzel bir yazı olmuş, teşekkürler

  • Fred

    Good article, I struggle with finding motivation. I go through phases….in facy I’m in one right now.

  • http://www.ido-doi.com Stella Aghenie

    How to self-improve fast, You will have times in your life when you will feel like you’re the most unattractive person to walk the Earth. You will need somebody to pull you aside and say – you will not reach higher with your hands in your pockets. You can set many records, if you do guarantee yourself that you will do what you promise yourself, and listen to your dreams, to self-improve faster.

  • http://www.motivation-emotion.com Tobias Eichenwald

    Motivation is triggered by emotional needs. These needs are universal but intraindividually different. The three basic needs are:
    power
    performance
    and social contact.
    The first rule of motivation is that your goals need to fit your personal needs. It doesn’t make sense to take a job if you have strong social needs and your boss expects higher performances every time.
    Automatization, as mentioned, truly is a good way to make things “easier”.

    great article and awsome picture by the way :-)

  • http://www.yourpersonaldevelopmentandsuccess.com/ Personal Development

    I like your way of thinking. I am currently looking for different views on the subject of personal development and success and here�s one interesting article about it: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/why-do-we-need-personal-development-to-be-successful

  • https://sixminutes.infusionsoft.com/go/success/JimmySuc/ JimmySuccess

    “If you work hard on your job, you will make a living. If
    you work hard on yourself, you will make a fortune.” -Jim
    Ron

  • Tammy

    Great information! I often find myself overwhelmed with to many tasks spining in my head and need to slow down and focus on one goal at time. By the way- Is that a photo of Fedor chasing a carrot? Just curious.

  • http://tammyfaulkner.wordpress.com/2011/12/04/think-about-what-motivates-you/ Think about what motivates you! « Defining Motivation

    [...] us to reach our goals. In my research of defining what exactly motivates me I came across this encouraging site.  It offers some inspiring tips that help narrow the way to motivation! I like the way the author [...]