Increase Your Motivation With These 5 Steps
In the 21st century, one of the biggest reasons why someone cannot accomplish a goal is most of the time due to lack of motivation. How many times have you heard someone say that they know exactly what to do but for some reason, they don’t have enough motivation to turn their knowledge into action?
As an experienced hypnotherapist, I’ve heard this from many clients. Especially from those who want to lose weight, make more money, and/or attract the right people into their lives. They know the steps, but they cannot take them for an unknown reason.
Unfortunately, there may be many reasons from self-sabotaging to lack of self-esteem as to why your subconscious mind doesn’t want you to do all those positive things for yourself. Before you check your subconscious belief systems about yourself and your life, here are a few steps that will help you get going. After you have momentum, you may find that your goal is not that hard to achieve after all!
1- Plan your steps ahead
Benjamin Franklin said, “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”. I find this quote very accurate. If you want to change something in your life, that means you have to go out of your way and do something different so that you can get different results. Often times we get caught up with our daily routines and what we are used to doing. In the end, we simply forget or end up not having time for that extra step.
There is a solution: The art of planning. Take a pen and paper. Start planning your next day, your next meal, your work out plan, etc. What time would be the best time to do this new activity? What would you need to buy from the market to be able to cook that healthy meal? Plan your task with important details such as time, place, and setting. This way your mind becomes already conditioned to do the task.
Take a pen and a paper. Start planning your day, your meal, your workout or whatever you are struggling with!
2- Set realistic expectations
One of the reasons why many goals end up unaccomplished is the unrealistic goals that have been set. Your goal may be too small or too big and this will affect the way you perceive your task.
Start with breaking your goal into small tiny tasks that your mind cannot resist. Remember, after all, to change your life you are going out of your way to do new tasks. Our minds like to repeat the same patterns and habits. So, make it easy for yourself and your mind.
For example, if your goal is walking for 1 hour a day, you may find yourself canceling constantly. This is because 1 hour is a big commitment. Start with a 15 minute-a-day walk. As you get in the habit of walking, you can increase the time.
Another example can be that someone who wants to lose weight targets to stop eating sugars altogether. Stopping sugar intake altogether is a big goal. However, instead, if you set yourself to not eat sugars after 5:00 pm, you are off to a great start.
3- Find intriguing motivators
This step is almost like a mind-bribe. The mind is set to look for rewards and using this mechanism can help you achieve your goal.
Think of the activities that you actually enjoy doing such as playing with your dog, spending time with friends, or napping. Set these rewarding activities right after your task. For example, tell yourself that you can only take a nap after you do your daily walk, or you can only meet with your friends after you write your journal for the day, etc.
4- Empty your mind bucket daily
Imagine that we all have an empty mind bucket when we start our day. During the day with physiological and emotional stimulators, the bucket gets filled. The reasons can be anything from lack of sleep to a big argument with a coworker. When your bucket is not emptied daily, you will be carrying all the stress and tensions to the next day. Therefore, you will start the next day with an already half-full bucket. Imagine how quickly that bucket is going to be filled!
A filled mind bucket will demotivate you and make you feel exhausted. You may find that you have no energy to accomplish your tasks or your mindset is leaning towards the negative.
To avoid this distraction, simply make sure to empty your mind bucket daily. You can do simple mind exercises such as journaling, meditation, or self-hypnosis. Moving your body in a mindful way can be helpful as well. For example, practices like Yoga, Tai Chi, or even simply walking can help you release daily stress and tensions.
Finally: Check your belief systems
You tried everything. You also tried all of the steps above and nothing seems to work for you to accomplish your goal. The reason may be that something greater in your subconscious mind is stopping you to achieve your goal. In other words, your toxic belief systems may be standing in the way of your dream life.
Subconscious belief systems are mostly established from the time we are born until we are about 8-9 years old. They are established through observing our parents, our culture, and the environment. For example, if you grew up in a household in which you heard that rich people are not happy or money brings stress, most likely, this is also what you believe as an adult unconsciously.
There are many unconscious belief systems that may be stopping you to take an action. The most common toxic beliefs are:
- Fear of failure
- Fear of success
- Negative ideas about self
- Finding self worthless
- Not trusting resources and capabilities
If you suspect that you have any of these negative beliefs or another toxic belief; without changing that belief, you will not go very far. This is where hypnotherapy comes into play.
Hypnotherapy is a form of subconscious therapy that will help with understanding toxic belief systems, how they were established and also, changing them. In daily life, the mind is usually very busy and mostly works on accomplishing day-to-day tasks. Therefore, it is impossible to reach and understand deeply embedded subconscious beliefs. During hypnosis, the mind takes a step back and has a chance to focus and listen. During this time, some past memories may even surface themselves along with hidden emotions that have been pressured for a long time.
When should you try hypnotherapy?
Hypnotherapy is a great tool especially when the person is committed to the change. For example, sometimes people “think” their life could be better without a toxic habit. In these cases, it may take some time to develop a strong commitment towards the change. On the other hand, some people “want” their life to change which results in the strong motivation to take every necessary step towards the change.
Are you committed or are you interested?
Famous motivational speaker and coach John Assaraf always asks the most important question for people who are seeking change: Are you interested or are you committed? If you are interested, chances are you will be in the same place 5 years from now. If you are committed, that’s when your life is already changing!
Make your decision now!