Tips For Staying Motivated When You Need a Boost

When navigating fluctuating circumstances in life, sometimes your energy levels and motivation can take a dip. Maybe you are feeling burned out, or maybe you feel like your effort isn’t translating into the results you’d like to see.

As ironic as it is, these are often the moments where it’s most crucial to kick yourself back into gear. Afterall, the difference between victory and failure often comes down to giving your best effort when you feel the least motivated.

#1 Reach Into The Cookie Jar

The “cookie jar” usually refers to moments where you far exceeded expectations and accomplished something extraordinary. As much as these moments can provide you with a spark of pride or confidence, in this case I am actually using the term to refer to the opposite.

Sometimes it helps to have a few trigger words or situations to refer back to when you feel like you need a boost. Some examples could be “lazy” or “loser”. Another example could be the time you went broke and had to ask a family member for money because you were slacking off too much.

Thinking back on these things doesn’t have to have the same negative effect it might have had on you at the time. You no longer have to identify with them as being a reflection of who you are. But you can still use them to propel you forward, to prevent slipping back into the positions you worked so hard to transcend.

#2 Use Others As Inspiration

The beauty of social media is that you are able to have access to people from all around the world, and of all different positions in life. Folks that you might not see on an average day walking around in your community.

One of the best sources of motivation can be to recognize that if you work hard, you too can be in a spot similar to those you admire.

Think of all the professional athletes who came up watching their favorite sports teams only to go on to play in the same league themselves. If it wasn’t for the players before them showcasing the right way to do things, chances are they wouldn’t have made it to where they are today.

#3 Count Your Blessings

No matter what your position is in life, chances are there are things within your situation that you are taking for granted. We are all guilty of that sometimes.

When you take time to intentionally promote gratitude, it tends to boost your overall energy levels. And if you feel like you have nothing to be grateful for just go back to #1 on this list and reach into the cookie jar. Think back to the time your community was out of power for a few days when you had a tropical storm. Or the time you were sick with the flu and couldn’t get out of bed for a few days.

When you regularly take time to list the things you are grateful for, what you will realize is that your life is far greater than you probably realized. Maybe you were so caught up looking at everyone else that you overlooked the beauty of your own situation. And with that can come the enthusiasm to get back up and keep living.

#4 Reflect on Death and Old Age

One of the benefits of living in an area with a lot of older people is that you can see firsthand the effects that emotions like regret and resentment can have on a person. You can see that in many ways, the effort you are putting into the present will dictate the position you are in later on.

Unfortunately, many of the people in my community did not grow to become particularly successful human beings. At least that seems to be the way they feel about themselves, based on the body language and behavior I frequently see. Seeing this as a young person provides me with a spark of motivation every single day.

Minimizing regret is one of the most popular sources of motivation you hear people refer to online. I can’t begin to fathom how painful it must be to live with the failure of knowing that you didn’t grow to become the person you were capable of being. It’s something that gets me out of bed in the morning, and keeps me focused in moments where I feel like taking it easy.

#5 Take Your Health into Consideration

Keeping your health in check can be one of the most significant reasons to stay motivated. And when I say health I am referring to mental health, physical health, and financial health.

People that are unmotivated and unfocused tend to deal with pretty severe health consequences. The guy that drinks too much soda and not enough water goes on to have kidney and prostate issues. The guy who doesn’t get enough sleep at night goes on to have cognitive issues later on. And the person who doesn’t keep their finances in check goes on to have financial struggles that can contribute to a wide range of health impairments.

The more you can recognize this now, the more you can save yourself a lot of suffering in the long run. By living an active, healthy lifestyle, you’re ensuring that you’re getting the most bang for your buck in the present, and keeping yourself in good standing moving forward.

Thank You For Reading

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope it has served you well. Please continue to stay motivated, and stay healthy.