Staying Motivated after the Shine Wears Off

I’ve written recently about the four aspects of getting motivated and the first step is to have an objective – something you want to get or stay motivated toward. The more clear and specific you can get with your objective (vision boards and success metrics and the like) the more success you are expected to experience toward it, yes?

Getting Motivated and Shiny Objects

The thing about shiny objects is that they’re so…SHINY! The shiny new job, the shiny new promotion, the shiny new forty less pounds you weigh, the shiny house and kids and vegetable garden. Held up as an idea (goal, objective, vision, etc.) these hopeful hopes positively shimmer with possibility. They make our pulse pitter pat and our engines rev and they get us all in the feels with how we will feel when we’ve ticked the boxes and are basking in the shiny glow of accomplishment. And to achieve them, those shiny objectives just have to be good and SMART, right?

Staying Motivated after the Shine Wears Off

The thing about objectives – SMART or otherwise – is that as soon as we set one, the shine can start to wear off. It’s too big, it’s too far, it’s too meh. And then all we’re left with is our own motivation toward it – with no shine to act as the gravitational pull. Suddenly, our feet and mind are clay and the whole idea makes us tired. Why is that?

Brain Says No

The human brain is wired to ensure we survive. the best way to survive is (usually) to stay where you are and make no sudden (or other) movements. Staying put minimizes risk, increases familiarity with surroundings, decreases chance encounters with unknown predators and the like. So it goes like this:

You: I have just created a shiny SMART objective and am excited to move toward the shiny possibility of my best shiny self!

Brain: Uh, nope.

You: What? Why not?

Brain: Because you might fail or be hurt or get lost or not know how or not like it when you get there or lose friends or make a fool of yourself or get tired or….

You: Dammit. *grabs piece of cake and/or takes nap*

Staying Motivated by being Energy-Aware

So how do we get out of the downward spiral of de-motivation with our friend Brain? We pay attention to energy. By identifying and eliminating our energy drainers and by identifying and increasing our energy boosters, we can overcome Brain.

• Energy Drainers are things that make us go “ugh”: Expectations we have of others that aren’t met, the expectations others have of us that we don’t want to meet, things that we have to put up with as part of the journey toward our goal and other flotsam and jetsam.
• Energy Boosters are things we naturally enjoy, that put us into that feel-good flow-zone, that give us as much energy back as we are putting into the thing itself.

When you start to feel your energy toward your goal start to wane, take stock. List your energy drainers and see if you can eliminate, reduce or work around them. List your energy boosters and see if you can incorporate or increase them.

Brain be damned.

To learn more about your unique motivation factors and how to stay motivated, please join UPschool where the powerful program What Motivates You? is available through membership.