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How to keep yourself motivated for anything

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Aug 14, 2015 3:21:00 AM

Rambo without guns

How to keep yourself motivated for anything

These principles I picked up from reading a lot of self help and business books, but also by applying them to my training. I am a step dad of two teenagers where I entered their lives in puberty, ran three marathons so far, moved from Germany to Ireland to work, changed jobs twice (the ones that pay bills, not the ones you just have to get by while your traveling), bench press 135kg and entertain a blog and YouTube channel. So this might make me someone to take advise from on how to stay motivated or not. Your decision to read on.

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Writing your thoughts down

The first step to keep you motivated is getting into the habit of writing. Writing down your thoughts will help you to collect your thoughts, brainstorm, refine your ideas, and getyour brain free. I twill enable you to go back to what worked and what did not work for you and let you connect with your younger self to see if you feel better or worse as time passes by.

Define guiding principles

Define guiding principles for your life by which you want to progress. These are not specific goals but rather more overarching goals which apply to everything you do in every possible way. I personally find the old Greek philosophers a good source for overarching principles, but you can make up your own. Think for this in sentences like "Every citizen has a right to vote" or "Men and women should be treated equally". My guiding principle in all I want to achieve is:

"Tread as others as you want them to tread you"

Not everything that christianity ever came up with is crap (in fact I think that a lot of the things in the new testament should be more wholeheartedly embraced towards all religions and not be exclusively from chrsitians for christians...).

Have a go to motivator

A go to motivator inspires you in terms of what you want to achieve. The ideal situation or goal you want to strive towards and build. To visualise this goal will help you to get you through tough times or being flexible & innovative when circumstances demand it. My personal go to motivator is:

"Be the best you can be"

Have a away from motivator

In addition to a go to motivator it also helps to define away from motivator. An undesirable that you never want to occur again or that you simply do not want to happen. This also helps you when you feel like that your current goal is completely unachieveable to look at what happens when you degress and lose focus. My away from motivator is:

"I am not the limiting factor to the dreams of the ones I love"

Be inventive about options

Whatever goal you may formulate be inventive about the ways on how to get there to fond the ones which will be the most pleasing, easiest, challenging or least favorable options. Avoid to get stuck in one way thinking because every challenge can be looked at from a multitude from angles, if you have an open mind.

 

Further reading