4 Motivational Triggers to Get You Started Right Now
By Viraj Deshpande
August 18, 2016 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
We all get stuck in a rut every once in a while.
Sometimes that rut is too deep to climb out of, and procrastination doesn’t help. It’s probably change that terrifies you, or starting something new feels like an impossible task, and you keep putting things off for tomorrow until you finally give up.
“Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin.” – Victor Kiam
You might’ve had countless opportunities to get up and running, and you might’ve missed them all.
And that is more because of a lack of motivation than anything else. Lack of motivation leads to procrastination, which leads to your same old boring routine.
Don’t you want to get out of it?
Take a look at these tips to trigger your motivation and get you pumped and ready to take charge of your life:
1. Use Your Current Situation as Motivation
This seems obvious but it is something you should be doing more often.
Do you want to get out of your dead end job and start freelancing? Do you want to start a business of your own? Are you tired of your corporate job and want to teach kids in a foreign country?
Look at yourself now. Look at your current state. Is it something you want to be stuck in for the rest of your life? Of course not.
Don’t let failure or life’s monotony dampen your spirits. If anything, they should be what motivates you to get your ass up and get moving. Remind yourself constantly that the only way is forward and staying still won’t get you anywhere.
Eventually, you’ll find that failure is always the greatest motivator.
See Also: Why You Should Forget Success And Strive to Fail
2. Set Small (and Achievable) Milestones
We’ve all got ambitions.
Some of them a bit grounded in reality, some of them probably impossible to attain.
For people like you and me who find it hard getting motivated, it is better to set small goals that can be achieved quickly and effectively.
These small goals are like milestones that count down your road to success.
Start with something really minimal like, “I’ll wake up at 7 every day.” Then wake up at 7 next morning, and then set another target.
“I’ll start building a client list.”
“I’ll write an article for a blog.”
Increase the scope of your goals as you go along, completing every single one of them.
One of the things we lack the most is a sense of achievement, and that leads to a lack of desire and drive to succeed. Seeing every single one of your objectives getting fulfilled elevates this sense of achievement, and you grow in confidence with every passing step.
This is the kind of confidence makes world-beaters.
3. Surround Yourself with Successful People
The company you keep matters.
Surrounding yourself with people in the same boat as you makes you complacent. You tell yourself, “I’m not alone,” and you sail along waiting for the right moment.
That moment won’t come. Ever.
Not until you change your company. Surround yourself with the right kind of people – people that are more successful than you are.
What this does – you start aspiring to reach their level, or even surpass them. This will give you the kick that you need to get going, and to never look back.
4. Join Groups Working Towards a Similar Goal
It can be any group – a mastermind group, a LinkedIn/Facebook group, an online forum, a Meetup or even a Whatsapp group.
People in such groups tend to help each other out as much as possible, and you can learn things you never would’ve otherwise. You get tips, you get resources and you get experienced individuals offering you valuable first-hand advice.
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Also, when you see other people, like you, starting from scratch and progressing steadily, sometimes that’s the only motivation you’ll ever need to get moving.
See Also: The Top 3 Habits That Made Steve Jobs Successful
Use websites like LinkedIn and Facebook to find groups in your niche. Join a few good ones and interact daily. Join a Meetup in your city, and regularly attend its events.
Join a forum, ask questions and provide answers. Even popular bloggers in any niche generally have their own forums or communities; try to become a part of those.
Or better yet, you can create your own group. Network, connect and invite individuals you’d like to be a part of it. Use apps like Whatsapp or Hangouts to create a collaborative space that acts like a virtual mastermind group.
Doing this, you’ll realize that groups are the best motivational triggers for anything you want to accomplish.
When all’s said and done, it’s really up to you. Nothing’s stopping you from taking charge of your own life, except you yourself. Just follow these tips, and you’ll never find it hard to get motivated to succeed.
Viraj Deshpande
Viraj Deshpande is a generalist, freelance writer, musician, movie buff and sports fan. He likes writing about self-improvement and motivation among other subjects.