How to Motivate Yourself
Do you struggle with motivation? What can you do if you lack the desire to do anything or get things done?
We all have moments where we need help getting motivated, life throws curveballs and it can be a little difficult to overcome them at times.
I’ve certainly had my share of demotivating experiences.
Here are 10 ways I motivate myself when I need it.
Disclosure this post may contain affiliate links.
1. Affirmations
The affirmation/quote that has gotten me through many hard times, especially my divorce and homelessness was:
“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.” ~Carl Jung.
Affirmations are everywhere in my home. On my mirrors, in my wallet, on my screensavers for various devices and I repeat them to myself, with conviction.
By selecting affirmations or quotes that resonate with me or inspire me and changing them every few weeks, I am more likely to be inspired by them rather than keeping the same one for ages.
The Carl Jung quote has stuck with me for years though.
Some of the quotes and affirmations that help me are shared on a daily basis on my social channels, Facebook and Instagram.
2. Visualise
Having a clear visual of what I want, a moment in my future I am aspiring to or whatever it is I want from what I am facing helps.
A few examples come from when I was fighting for custody or when I wanted to travel more.
When dealing with custody (it dragged out for years), I had a clear picture in my mind of the final day in court, everything going my way.
I knew how I felt, what I wore, how the courtroom smelt etc. All of it.
It was real to me and the day it happened, it went exactly how I had visualised.
Also through court, I had a visualisation I could bring to mind of my kids and me in the Solomon Islands. Read more about that and tips for winning at court.
Funnily enough, we got locked down there in 2020, going to the beach and weddings while the rest of the world was locked in their homes.
Whenever I felt unmotivated or that the things I was working on weren’t going to happen, I’d focus on these visuals.
I’ve done it for housing, including when we repatriated to Noosa and I wanted a house on the beach.
Or more recently when we moved to NSW and again, I wanted to be within walking distance to everything, including the kid’s sports and by the beach.
Visual reminders are powerful for me. The more real I can make it with feelings, smells etc the easier it is to bring to mind when I need some motivation.
3. An Attitude of gratitude
Too often we underestimate the power of our thoughts.
When struggling with any difficult aspect of my life, one of the most useful actions I can implement is to write a gratitude list.
It has taken time to get used to doing it and I tend to stay in a funk for longer if I don’t do it.
Once you put it into practice you can do it mentally whenever something challenging happens that slows your motivation.
To do it, get out a piece of paper. Think about what is happening right now that has demotivated you, what is going on in your life then at the top of the paper write “Reasons I can be grateful for … (whatever issue you are facing…)
Then underneath that, list out the reasons you could be grateful for what is happening, lessons you can learn from it and what positives might or are coming from it.
In my experience, the more I focus on the negative the more negative things seem to happen.
Whereas when I express more gratitude and appreciate the good things in my life, more good things happen.
Read more on how to have an attitude of gratitude.
4. Exercise
Exercise helps me to clear my head, gets my blood pumping, gives me great ideas and enables me to cut through whatever it is that is going on in my head to get back on track.
Try going for a run, doing a gym class, swimming at the pool, anything that gets the blood and endorphins pumping will make you feel good, energized and refocused.
Sometimes all you need is a quick break from what you are doing and a pump of endorphins through exercise to help you get back on track.
5. Motivation wall
My motivation wall includes my vision board, quotes and affirmations, my goals including graphs tracking my savings for certain goals and anything I find motivating.
I found this more effective than the vision board on its own.
The process of creating a vision board is something I love doing.
When making mine, I am visualising the life I want, fully energised and am quite clear on all of it.
It always surprises me how much it motivates me having it all there and how much I achieve through it or how much comes into my life that I put up there.
Having an entire wall dedicated to my future, motivation and my life is powerful. Check out how to create a vision board.
6. Talk To Someone
Counsellors, friends, being part of a mastermind group or even talking to online friends/acquaintances in private Facebook groups can be helpful to get you motivated and back into whatever you were doing.
I have a few groups on Facebook I have found to be very supportive.
Alternatively, create your own group or a mastermind group that help each other.
If you have someone who knows about your challenge, when you feel like giving up, they can help you see how much you’ve achieved or why you will achieve it and shouldn’t give up.
7. Read
I read blogs relevant to whatever I lack motivation for.
If it is finances I will go to my favourite finance blogs, or I might Google finance blogs and see what comes up.
Books are incredible too and I have a selection of books I love as well as books I intend to read.
Physical books on my bookshelf, digital books on my phone and audiobooks are all useful.
Some that have helped me significantly when it comes to motivation and changing my life are:
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level.
Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out Of Your Head And Into Your Life
Lucky Bitch: A Guide For Exceptional Women To Create Outrageous Success
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power
Atomic Habits: A Revolutionary Guide to Using Tiny Changes in Behaviour to Transform Your Life
8. Help Someone Else
Volunteering where possible or doing random acts of kindness is a great way to not only help the community but also feel good.
It gets you out of your own head and involved with other people.
You should help others out of the kindness of your heart not just to make yourself feel better though.
Helping with a cause you are passionate about, doing fundraisers or simply helping others on the street can be a great way to change your perspective.
9. Time Out
Sometimes you are simply burnt out.
You have been doing too much for too long and need to step back, take a break and look after yourself. Check out how to stop feeling overwhelmed.
I do this regularly and will go somewhere that has no internet connection sometimes or at the very least will switch off my devices and go do something I enjoy.
Getting completely away from it all is confronting at first, you feel like things will fall apart without you there, but it’s liberating once you get into it.
The world won’t end because you took some time out.
I love to go bushwalking, spend the day at the beach, go fishing and cook over the fire etc. Especially with my kids.
Basically, getting out in nature, switching off to everything else and enjoying the moment helps refresh us and keep me motivated.
10. Music
Create a playlist to motivate you for different things.
Music is powerful and can have a significant impact on your mood.
Having a playlist for specific things such as working out, writing articles, cleaning and other tasks helps me stay focused and motivated to complete them.
Putting the music on also signals to my brain that it’s time to do whatever task it is and I find it easier to get into it.
What tips do you have to motivate yourself?
Resources In This Article
Here are all the links to articles, books and resources mentioned in this article.
Tips for winning at court
How to have an attitude of gratitude.
How to create a vision board
The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level.
Unf*ck Yourself: Get Out Of Your Head And Into Your Life
Lucky Bitch: A Guide For Exceptional Women To Create Outrageous Success
You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life
We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power
Atomic Habits: A Revolutionary Guide to Using Tiny Changes in Behaviour to Transform Your Life