Motivating Yourself

The motivational coaching industry is a million dollar one with some of the highest paid coaches with the necessary expertise getting paid in the thousands of dollars per session. But what of individuals who desire a boost to their morale without spending hard earned dollars on a coach? How, in other words, do you motivate yourself?

•	Try to take in a few personal motivation seminars every year, especially at the beginning of the year. Go online and scour your area’s listings for such workshops which are frequently held across the country. Whether they are weekend training seminars or a single day’s course, you’ll find that even a short program will leave you feeling recharged and ready to face your job and life with new vigor. These programs help you see things from a new fresh perspective, and that can make all the difference.
•	Invest in a few inexpensive motivational CDs or books. Make it a habit of reading these materials first thing in the morning before you have to leave for work. Keep a stash of motivational CDs in the car, so you can listen to them on the drive to work. Keep a list of motivational quotes on your table top or in a place where it can be the first thing that you see when you wake in the morning. You don’t even have to purchase plaques with motivational quotes; just go online search for a few great quotes, and download these for an instant perk me up.
•	Invest in your physical health and your emotional health. Pay attention to your diet, and exercise regularly. Exercise releases endomorphins that have been found to greatly enhance moods. A better mood always makes for higher motivation levels. Fatigue and tiredness will get you down and ensure that you don’t feel charged about anything.
•	Avoid the company of negative people. They sap your energy and fill you with negative emotions. Seek out positive people who are enthused about their lives and have an optimistic outlook for their future. Positivity can be infectious!
•	Join a circle of people with similar interests as yours. Whether it’s a hobby that you enjoy or activities related to your wok, being with other people who are interested in the same things as you are will help keep your enthusiasm for what you’re doing on a high level.
•	If you’re a manager, you could try adding some changes to your work or the business. Adding a new product or service or tweaking an existing one, creating a newsletter or brochure could help you add variety to your work and help you get more charged about the daily grind. A certain amount of uniformity of pattern is desirable for people in the workplace, but it should be balanced with some changes and enhancements to routine. Otherwise, you may run the risk of being burned out by boredom.
•	Reorganize your life and work spaces. A cluttered environment depletes energy levels and leaves you feeling fatigued and depressed. Make an inventory of all the things you don’t need lying around at home or on your work table and dispose of these. Organizing your space will leave you feeling more refreshed and in control of yourself.
•	Understand that not all days will be full of million dollar sales and great successes. Some days will be very productive while others might not be as productive. Realize that this doesn’t reflect badly on you, it’s just life. The sooner you realize this truth, the easier it will be to handle it with your chin up when there’s a slump at work.
•	When you do have great successes, make it a point to pat your own self on the back. Reward yourself with a short trip or a day out with your family and friends. Little treats like this can help you understand and focus on the reason that you work hard and the people who mean the most to you. It helps keep things in perspective.
•	Maintain a journal. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate diary. Just jot down the things you accomplished that day. It could be something as simple as taking your kids to the zoo, or something as spectacular as signing a large business deal. The point is to celebrate your accomplishments in a small way and to remind yourself of all the potentialities that exist in every single day. When you’re feeling a little lacking in motivation, whip out your journal and go through earlier entries, and you’ll find your self more enthused about the present.
•	Individuals who don’t enjoy what they do will find it hard to stay motivated in their careers. Complaints with your job are normal if they are few in number but if your entire work schedule is filed with chores that you don’t enjoy, and you feel stifled in your job description, it might be time to find a vocation that you really enjoy. Sometimes, all the motivational coaching in the world can’t help someone who doesn’t have a passion for what he’s doing. If cultivating a passion for the job is not an option, you might find it easier to motivate yourself if you step out of your comfort box, and look for avenues that make you happy.