How Do I Stay Motivated?

Motivation is subjective, and looks different for every person. But, to stay motivated you must have long term goals, with short term goals to see progress. Sometimes things take longer than they should, and you find yourself lacking motivation to finish things. It’s always important to keep the big picture in mind. There is a quote by Usain Bolt, Jamaican track-star and world champion, that he states, “I trained 4 years to run only 9 seconds. There are people who do not see results in two months, give up and quit.” This quote has resonated with me since I first heard it. Sometimes it is hard to results and that can be frustrating when you feel like you aren’t reaching your goals, but things that are worth doing and are rewarding usually take a long process to achieve that goal. You won’t wake up one day and be ready to be a professional sports player, you have to work everyday to perfect your craft. I find this to be true in all walks of life. Nothing that you want will appear in front of you, you have to work for it.

Let’s take a college degree as an example. Sometimes you don’t know how much you’ve learned or retained until you’re challenged to do something. Even then, you probably won’t be an expert on it and it will take repeated repetition to successfully have a concept down. This is similar to when you get or have a job. Difficulty and an adjustment periods are normal, but it’s learning what can combat that for you in order for you to be successful.

Everybody has different things that motivate them. For some it’s family, others its to put food on the table, and other people want a more comfortable life. It’s really up to you to decide what motivates you, but it’s worth it to take the time to figure out what that is, and then use that to motivate you to be at your highest potential.