Motivation: Use it to Succeed in Your Endeavors and be Happier

We’re two months into the 2021 calendar year and starting on our third. It may be too early to have lost motivation in your New Year’s Resolution(s). But considering all that’s going on this year that was carried over from 2020, I wouldn’t be surprised if your motivation is at an all-time low.

During this pandemic, people talk about how it’s a great time to start something like a business, a hobby, etc. Maybe you started something because you were encouraged by the idea and you started an endeavor. Now, almost a year since the beginning of this pandemic, let’s check-in. How’s it going?

I personally struggle with keeping my motivation up and have a tendency to pile on a bunch of tasks only to burn myself out. I will start something, ramp up, and then stop after some time. I’m just taking a break, I tell myself, but really, I’ve run out of motivation and am procrastinating.

(Related: Why Slowing Down and Doing Less Can Actually Bring You More In Life)

So, what can we do when we’ve run out of motivation? What are the reasons that this happens, and how can we get back our motivation to succeed in our endeavors?

What is motivation?

Motivation is the driving force behind your action. The word itself derives from the Latin verb movere meaning ‘to move’¹. Although this may seem straightforward, take a look at scholarly articles about motivation and you’ll find a whole wealth of literature on it. And not everyone is in agreement. And not all of the literature is in consensus.

In this post, I plan to try to make this a simplified version. Perhaps, in future posts, we’ll revisit and look at motivation in a more nuanced way.

What motivation boils down to is why you decided to do it, how long you’re willing to keep doing it, and how hard you’re willing to work for it¹.

The simplified formula for how much motivation you will have toward your goal is expectancy x value = motivation¹. Depending on the success you expect from your task and the rewards or accolades it will bring, you will be more or less motivated to work on it. Add to that the value of the rewards and how you feel when you engage in the task and you get your total positive motivation.

Now, you don’t need to sit down and actually calculate these out. It may be impossible to accurately do so. This formula is to help you get a better understanding of how much motivation you will have with some tasks versus others.

Become motivated

In order to succeed in your endeavor, you will need high motivation. Researchers believe that motivation works in a cyclical relationship meaning that a positive cycle of ‘high motivation leads to high achievement which feeds back into high motivation’.

This idea sounds simple, and it really is too simple to be applied to our complex lives. But imagine for a second if you chose to do things that you were highly motivated to do. You would want to wake up each morning, energized and excited to get to work and to get going for the day. Wouldn’t that be nice?

In reality, you’re probably doing a mixture of things in your life you are more or less excited to do. You can start by doing something that you are somewhat motivated to do and that motivation can grow as you work on it or it can dwindle as you go on.

Both are natural and perhaps it’s only really bad when we stop listening to how we feel about something that we hurt ourselves.

Set-up mini-motivators

Let your original motivation be natural. If you are trying to create a product because you are trying to solve a relatable problem in your life, great. But since the journey is long and difficult, set small goals with rewards³.

The rewards can be anything. They can be small trips/vacations (I know this one is difficult right now), food or dessert treats, or something you find enjoyable. If you’re ready to share your progress, share it with friends and/or family and bask in their compliments.

Besides having your main motivator, having little motivators can keep you charged and going.

However, don’t think that you can take on a huge task with just these little rewards as motivators alone. You’re going to need a deeper motivator that really resonates with you for your foundation.

The why behind your motivation loss

Think back to the reason you started. Were you trying to solve a problem? Did it make you feel good and bring joy to your day to work on something?

Sometimes, all we need to do to reinvigorate our motivation is to remember why we started in the first place.

As you go along a path, you’ll meet difficult obstacles and might even have your confidence shaken at times due to failures and rejections. It’s easy for your original motivation to be overshadowed by the present.

So, take a moment to think back and remember. Write it down somewhere where you can be reminded of it or repeat it to yourself like a mantra when you’re having a tough time. Whatever you do, hold on to it.

Remember why you started.

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You might have lost your motivation because you are no longer motivated by your original reason. That happens.

Or perhaps your goal was not specific enough. A vague goal can hurt motivation. Make sure your goals are organized with a timeline and with smaller tasks and reminders along the way².

You may also lose motivation if you are tired or have been doing too much and are now burnt out. So, give yourself a break, even if you don’t think at this point it’s well-deserved.

If you want to keep going with what you’re working on, don’t just “push through”, take a moment to reflect. It’s a lot better to stop for a bit now to figure things out than it is to keep going in a direction down a path that you won’t make you happy.

Accept that it wasn’t meant to be and change directions. There’s no shame in pivots.

A pivot with a new motivation could be just what you need.

Having motivation can lead to your success and happiness

Motivation alone is not enough to be successful nor is it enough to make you happy.

It would be like a dream to only do what you are highly motivated by and feel amazing about what you do all of the time.

There are always things that must be done that are not very motivating at all like setting up various legal documents and completing tedious administration tasks for a new business.

However, if we only chase after what we are highly motivated to do, we might only involve ourselves briefly and therefore not accomplish much at all.

The ebb and flow of motivation

Motivation ebbs and flows. We need to be reminded of it because it can escape us.

It’s hard to be happy when you don’t feel motivated. It also works the other way too when you’re feeling down, it’s hard to get motivated.

Artists have to inspire themselves for their next painting or design collection. You too may need to inspire more motivation from yourself at times.

They say though that having the right motivation in the first place is what matters and I do think that’s true. It’s also true that self-discipline to complete a task should remain constant even as your motivation wanes at times.

Motivation is important to help you achieve your goals, solve your problems, change your old habits, and deal with new challenges and opportunities².

(Related: Start a New, Better Habit to Improve Your Life)

Having motivation can make you happier

It can be enjoyable and exciting to work toward a goal and achieving a self-set goal is one of the most rewarding things you can experience. A true challenge can be motivation in itself if you let it.

Endeavors with the right level of difficulty can challenge you in a stimulating way that allows you to “get in the zone” or find your “flow”⁴. During these periods of time, in this mental state, you will find your special blend of peak motivation and happiness⁴.

Boosting, remembering, inspiring your motivation is going to help you with your journey to meet your goal whether that was to keep up with a new hobby you’ve started, your New Year’s Resolution, a project/side hustle, or something else equally exciting. 

So, get back up on the “pony” and hold on to your motivation. Or find something new with a stronger motivator and go for it.

You’ll be happier that you did.

Live happier,

Nicole

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References

1. Dörnyei, Zoltán & Ushioda, Ema. Teaching and Researching Motivation. Applied Linguistics in Action Series. 2nd Edition. Pearson Education Limited 2011.
2. healthdirect. Motivation: How to get started and staying motivated. 2020 Mar. Retrieved from https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/motivation-how-to-get-started-and-staying-motivated.
3. Hicks, Tyler. 6 Simple Ways to Find Motivation in Your Everyday Life. Success. 2020 Aug 31. Retrieved from https://www.success.com/6-simple-ways-to-find-motivation-in-your-everyday-life/.
4. Clear, James. Motivation: The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated. James Clear. Retrieved from https://jamesclear.com/motivation.