Motivation is not something that is easy to come
by, especially when you have grown up in a neighborhood or household
that is generally laid back and easy to please. But as you grow older,
you may come to realize that motivation is key to many human
activities. For one, you cannot simply sit back, relax, and watch your
deadlines go by in school, or you may never get your ticket to go to
college.
You cannot simply slack off in college and drink yourself to death (or
a series of F’s), or you may never get a job. And when you are finally
sitting at your desk or driving your car or working or contributing to
the economy, you cannot simply leave all your duties and lie down at
home. You will need to do as you did in school: meet deadlines,
complete requirements, finish reports, and in general, live your life
without losing your energy.
How can you motivate yourself? For a lot of people who have been burned
out in school, college, or the workplace, this can be a difficult thing
to achieve. However, there are a few tips that you can consider when
you feel that you cannot push yourself further or farther.
- Know what exactly it is you want. What are you motivating yourself to
do? Do you merely want to finish a job, or do you want to earn a lot of
money? Set tangible, or at least manageable goals for yourself. If you
know exactly what you want, you can get it, and you can motivate
yourself to get it.
- Give your work a purpose. The problem with a lot of people is that
they work hard but they don’t know what their work is for. Do they want
money? Are they simply working toward money? Do you want money, or does
your money have a purpose? Give yourself a tangible purpose so that you
can know what you are working for. Striving for money is an empty goal;
striving for money so that you can get a good house and a nice car
might be more tangible; striving for more money so that you can help
your siblings go to college, your parents to enjoy their retirement,
and your family to have a better house and car might be even better.
- Take a break. Sometimes, being burned out means that you need to stay
away from things for a moment, have some time alone to yourself, and
get an outsider’s view of your situation. When you start getting
fatigued more often, your body might be telling you to slow down; and
slowing down can mean re-energizing yourself by taking a vacation, or
even just taking a walk. You may want to set aside some alone time each
day for you to recharge, so that you are not constantly being barraged
with work.
- Don’t be afraid to say no when you are offered yet another duty.
Sometimes, you can get so much work that you are saturated with stress,
and you reach the point where you simply want to give up and not start
working. Keep your work to a manageable level. You need to stay sane to
keep on working in the long run.
- Reward yourself for a job well done! Plan out a trip for yourself, or
promise to take yourself to the movies if you complete your work.
Little rewards, such as snacks and a cup of hot chocolate, can work
too.
