Motivation & Self-Discipline

People say motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – which is why we recommend it daily. Zig Ziglar.

It’s easy to be excited about a new project, and be willing to commit to everything that it entails in order to succeed. The initial euphoria and excitement when thinking about being successful that carries you through the beginning. When it comes to bigger projects that are more personal it can be difficult to keep that enthusiasm. What can you do to keep going?

Let’s start with self-discipline and building it into a habit. This has become a popular thing to say when people lose motivation: “Oh you just need to have self-discipline and build it into a habit.” Yes you can develop self-discipline and new habits that will help you succeed in your endeavor. There are times however, where that just sucks. Especially when it’s a project that you are very passionate about and you turn it into a chore.

Building your environment to support your project is a great way to help your motivation. As you start committing an area to your new project, there becomes that part of you that gets motivated when you walk into that environment. You will need items related to your project in order to even start it. You can also use pictures, furniture, and music to help set the tone of where you work on your new project.

Researching on your project can help build your motivation. You can find others who are pursuing similar goals or who’ve accomplished them. They may have best practices that you want to adopt to help yourself be successful. There might be a workshop or competition you can join to help better yourself. You might just find interesting aspects of the project as a whole that you didn’t know before hand.

Building your network/community of individuals you interact with related to your project can be a great source of motivation. You can bounce ideas off of one another. The ability to get someone else’s feedback can help you decide which way you want to continue your project. At times it can be nice to just discuss what you’re working on to have that moment of pride.

You may not feel motivated 100% of the time and that’s okay. Having those moments where you just don’t want to work on your project but you do can help you breakthrough that low you are in. If not, look for something to help you continue your project. If it’s a passionate project give yourself the opportunity to make it fun!