Staying Motivated In Trying Times
This is a guest post by Joseph Lalonde . He is a youth leader and leadership blogger at JMLalonde.com. Joseph shares leadership tools and encourages you to become a better leader. Follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his blog .
Have you ever been driving to work, needing to be there on time only to come upon road construction? It’s happened to me a time or two and I’m sure it’s happened to you.
It sucks. We have to slow down. Watch out for construction crews. And maybe face a roadblock. It happens. That’s life, right?
Well, as we pursue our dreams, we come across roadblocks. The roadblocks will try our resolve and destroy our motivation.
If we let it.
Image by TheDigitel Myrtle Beach
We need to stay motivated in trying times. Just like road construction and roadblocks, the trying times are only temporary.
Some roadblocks may be:
Cash flow problems
Relationship issues
Lack of progressing in your career
When we hit trying times like this, it seems like we can’t go on. Truth is, you might not be able to go on.
But that choice is up to you.
You Make The Choice
Your response to the trying times is up to you. The response you give will shift and guide your attitudes.
How do you respond to hardships? Do you:
Complain?
Beat yourself up?
Give in?
These reactions are the actions that lead to defeat. When you complain, beat yourself up, and give in you’re putting forth a victim mentality.
You’re saying there’s nothing I can do so I’ll do nothing about it.
Instead, take the posture of a champion. Begin:
Speaking positive words: Complaining will get you somewhere. But it’s not where you want to be. Instead, begin speaking positive words about the situation. Look for the positive even in the most trying of times. Even a job loss can be looked at in a positive light. Think of the free time you have to spend with your family, to get into shape, or to write that book you’ve always wanted to write.
Surround yourself with motivated people: The quickest way to get demotivated is to stay around unmotivated people. They’ll bring you down to their level and it’ll be hard to free yourself. Find those that are uplifting and motivated. They’ve got a goal and know they’ve got to obtain it. As they’re racing for their goal, they’ll be more willing to lift you up as well.
Measure the small successes: An easy way to get depressed is to ignore the trees in the forest. In the grand scheme of things, the trees seem a small part of the larger forest. In reality, each tree makes up a part of the forest. Take away the trees and what do you have? Not much. The same is true with our successes. At the time of the success it might not seem like much. It’s just a small victory. Truth is, it’s part of your whole success. Begin writing down the successes in your life and you’ll soon discover you are moving forward!
As we progress on our life changing journeys it’s imperative that we stay motivated in the trying times. With these 3 steps, you’ll be well-equipped to do so.
Question: What techniques do you use to stay motivated? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
