If self-motivation were rated in terms of relevance in the workplace it should top the list. We are all constantly trying to figure out how to kick ourselves into gear and get things done in a time-efficient manner. This doesn’t end at the office—the real dream is to accomplish all of our goals in life before we are behind on payments; piecing relationships together; or at the doctor receiving the bad news that we are overweight, have high blood pressure, or some other medical issue that is the result of years of self-neglect.
While there are literally millions of self-help and motivation books on the shelves (a recent search resulted in 9.6 million), I am going to rely on what I like to call “the cutting edge of common sense.” Sometimes we just need things narrowed down and put at our fingertips to easily digest. Here’s my list of the top five motivational tips that are easy to put into action:
- Embrace Your Fears. Fear is good! If you are not taking action or lack motivation in a particular area, you simply need to make a list of all of the bad things that will happen if you don’t take action. Let your imagination go wild to create as much fear as possible. Fear is what got us to this point in history, and although most of us don’t fear being eaten on our way to work, we do fear being put out of business, overlooked for a promotion, coming home to an empty house, getting cancer, and so on. Embrace the fact that fear is a part of the equation and use it to your advantage.
- Visualize the Person You Want to Be. Focus on who you want to become, not what you get from work, relationships, or other areas your life. The answer to this question is what helps you sleep at night and builds the solid foundation you need to withstand any threat and keep moving in a positive direction. Do you want to become lazy or disciplined? Do you want to become a victim or be accountable? Do you want to become part of the problem or part of the solution? Do you want to become trustworthy or dishonest? Do you want to be healthy or unhealthy? Do you want to be rich or poor? These are the big questions, and the answers can drive you forward when the road gets hard and we start thinking about what we’re getting out of doing the right thing.
- Surround Yourself With Motivators. Water seeks it own level. Take a look around you and see what kind of people you have surrounded yourself with. If you are lacking motivation, you might be around people who are not doing anything with their lives and are not pushing you to be your best self. Stop playing video games and find motivated people who will inspire you to raise your game. You will be inspired to rise to the occasion to belong in the same circle or you will feel out of place with the movers and shakers.
- Start from Top to Bottom. Work from the big to the small items on your to-do list. Look around your life and get the big things done first. We often get overwhelmed with all the details and we don’t even start with the obvious stuff. You don’t need to be a nutritionist to know that you should stop eating fast food and walk a little now and then to get healthy. You don’t need to be a business expert to know you should get to work on time and give the customer your best. Progress inspires progress. Do something that feels like progress and gain momentum.
- Light Your Own Fire. Tell people what you are going to get done and then have them pressure you to make it happen. Good old-fashioned peer pressure is a powerful thing. I’m not talking about posting on Facebook that you are going to clean your garage or improve your sales results. I’m talking about close personal friends, co-workers, or family members—trusted people you respect who know what you are up against and will push you to change the game. I told a few people I was going to write this article and boom! Here it is.
Now get to work!
Lain Hensley is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Odyssey Teams, a corporate training and philanthropic team building company that works with some of the world’s largest companies. Learn more at odysseyteams.com.
