Finding Your ‘Why’- A Motivational Blog

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Do you remember a time when you saw something on TV and thought “I can do that!”? Other times you feel completely devoid of motivation, and find yourself searching for a motivational blog, songs or books. Desperate for motivation. Motivations are all around you, even if you don’t realise it. What you see around you and the emotions that you feel inside can be powerful drivers for your actions.

In truth, what motivates you is linked to your sense of purpose for doing something. Without purpose, many of us will simply abandon tasks or simply not begin them in the first place. Therefore, lacking a purpose or a sense of ‘why’ can affect you in all sorts of ways.

At work, a lack of motivation can prevent you from excelling, building relationships, achieving a new promotion or expanding your business.

At home, low motivation levels can stop you from trying new hobbies, learning a new skill, getting to the gym or even socialising with family and friends.

If you’ve ever felt unmotivated, don’t worry because you’re just like the rest of us. It happens to everyone. Fortunately, there are some easy ways of taking back your sense of purpose to motivate yourself and excel at home and at work.

In this motivational blog, we’ll look at ways that you can better understand the driving forces behind your actions and stay on top of your motivations.

What motivates you?

We all have different motivators. Many theories of motivation would tell you that it is common to consider multiple things as motivations, potentially all at the same time. If you take a second and imagine all the things that encourage you to take action in your life, you might come up with a pretty long list:

Competition;
Athletics;
Independence;
Learning;
Money;
Reputation …

… the list can get really long, depending on the person.

There might be a wide range of motivations, but there’s still some commonality to how we all find motivation and inspiration. Actually, the two terms are quite different despite often being used interchangeably.

Motivation is the thing that comes from within yourself whereas your inspirations are things from the outside world that encourage you to take action.

Sound confusing? Well, another way to separate the two terms is to think of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation – or, more simply, internal and external.

To use an example, if you work really hard to get a promotion and excel in your career, try asking yourself why you do it. The thing that puts the fire in your belly is the thing that drives you forward.

You might fight for a promotion at work to get more praise and a higher salary. These are examples of external motivators. Or, you might climb the corporate ladder because you enjoy the sense of fulfilment, learning and self-development that goes along with it. These are internal motivators.

Whatever the case, both are examples of motivations in your life. They both help you get the job done, although internal motivators often lead to better successes and longer-term commitments.

To keep yourself motivated (or find motivation in the first place), the best thing you can do is to find your ‘why.’

What makes you lose motivation?

Even with the best intentions, sometimes you’ll struggle to take action. Motivation naturally comes and goes for everyone, so don’t beat yourself up over it. Reading a motivational blog or listening to an inspiring podcast might help get you back on track.

What kinds of things can stop you from reaching your goals?

Burn-out: If you’re working yourself ragged trying to achieve your ambitions, you might become unmotivated. You’ll start to ask yourself if it’s all really worth it and you’ll lack the courage to push through. If this is happening to you, consider taking a rest to recharge – your goals might not be obtainable overnight so don’t let them prevent you from living a happy life.
Anxiety and stress: Mental health conditions can also rob you of your motivation. Sometimes stress can paralyse you and force you to stand still. If you find that anxiety and stress are harming you in seriously negative ways, consider consulting with a mental health professional who can help you work through the tough times.
Limiting self-beliefs: Self-doubt can prevent you from completing your job, whether professional or personal. It can be anything from writing a poem to applying for a new job, or even to asking your crush out on a date. If that sounds like you, don’t let the voice inside your head prevent you from staying motivated!
Procrastination: Procrastination happens when there are lots of distractions in your life. If you frequently procrastinate, try to de-clutter your life of unnecessary distractions like cellphone apps or TV.

Misunderstanding: You sometimes stop a task simply because you don’t see the value in accomplishing it. However, if there’s one thing you’ll learn from this motivational blog, it’s that finding your ‘why’ can help fuel your motivation.

Tricks to boost your motivation

Here are three practical things that you can do to develop lasting motivation:

Get together in a group. Group-based activities can help increase accountability toward meeting your commitments. With everyone working toward a common goal, the group environment can help increase focus and foster a passionate motivation for accomplishing a task. It can work great for boosting your gym attendance or for students who need to motivate themselves to study.
Take control of a situation. Sometimes being the leader is a motivator in itself. Especially for work and office settings, try taking the lead on a project to help motivate yourself and excel. Just be sure to be conscientious to your colleagues and team members. An important step is to be conscious of the way you communicate. Pick up some tips from the Johari Window.
Write it down. If you want to achieve something, try writing it down. Keep the description short, actionable and measurable. Be sure to post the goal in a visible place like on your wall, mirror or desk. This trick can work in almost any situation but it’s an especially powerful tool to use at home, where a simple written reminder can help you ignore distractions.

How coaching can help

To boost your success in finding a driving force for your actions, you should consider a life coach.

A coach is someone who can assist you to get motivated. They’ll help you discover what your ‘why’ is and how to prevent yourself from being trapped by procrastination, anxiety or burn-out while on your way to achieving your dreams.

While a coach can be a great external resource to get you motivated and inspired, just remember that they’re not a personal cheerleader.

If you want to get motivated to get to the gym more often, don’t expect your life coach to ring your cellphone at 6 a.m. to convince you to pack up your workout bag and head out the door. You will need to do that yourself through self-coaching.

Instead, a coach will help you find your own motivators, develop inspirational routines and help you unlock your sense of ‘why’ so that the early morning journey to the gym won’t feel like such a drag.

They’ll give you the tools, but you need to learn to use them for yourself and practice them to perfection. Only then will you get the most fulfillment and motivation to see your dreams through until the end. Hopefully, this motivational blog can get you started!