The motivation we all need for the rest of 2019

We’re at that point of the year when we say “time has flown by!”. It’s that moment when motivation starts to decay, we feel like the resolutions we had in January were blown by the wind and only want Christmas to arrive.

This can happen to all of us and it’s normal. But it’s no excuse to think “the year is over and I didn’t do anything”. It doesn’t need to be that way. That’s only a symptom of lack of motivation.

The time for an extra dosis of motivation is now

This is the perfect time to revisit your goals and use every hour and minute that’s left in the year to achieve them. We have 152 days, 3.672 hours and 220.320 minutes left of 2019 (if we are counting from July 31st) and every moment abounds with opportunity.

To get that dose of motivation I talked to my sister Juli and her colleague Ingrid León. They both work in human resources and are experts in boosting people’s professional ambitions. They gave me these great set of tips that I hope are as useful to you as they have been for me.

How to find the motivation you need?

#1 Rethink your objectives

The mid-year mark is the perfect moment to rethink your goals and what makes your motivation spark. This can be a point zero where you either decide to continue with the routine or rethink what you want.

Look at your goals and ask yourself: What do I want? Why do I want it?

This is the ideal opportunity to analyze which goals are connected with your essence and aligned with who you want to be. Do the homework of rethinking your objectives and discerning which ones will serve as a compass of motivation for what’s left of the year.

 #2 Ground your goals and make them a priority

Thinking about your goals is not enough, you have to ground them in your reality.

Write them down. Create a plan of action and list out what you need to do to achieve and commit to each goal.

The most important thing to do is committing yourself. Give your goals and dreams priority. Whether they are professional or personal, give them the priority they need. Make the space to commit yourself to your dreams.

Think of your goals as priorities and give them the attention they deserve. The more goals you achieve, the more motivation you will have to continue working.

#3 Organize yourself: Set dates for your goals

Achieving goals depends on the key factor of organization. It’s very easy to get lost in the routine, even if you have the motivation to act, and not plan accordingly.

It’s important that once you’ve grounded your goals, you think in detail about the objectives you want to achieve each month. If it’s a big project, it’s good to break it up into smaller tasks. Write them out alongside your goals. Afterwards, organize yourself to accomplish them.

Start the exercise like this:
1. Choose one of the goals you wrote down and ask yourself: Which one do I want to prioritize?
2. Once you’ve made your choice, create a calendar where you write down what you need to achieve that goal (the smaller actions). Check out the time you have to dedicate yourself to that objective and ask yourself: What will I be doing with these hours?
3. Make a decision and set a time and hour for each activity.

What more motivation do you need to begin?

#4 Relax and reconnect

In a world where everything moves so fast, it’s normal that we stay focused in the constant doing and give less importance to rest. But, if you want to achieve your goals you need to make time for yourself and reconnect.

Those phases of barely sleeping and feeling overworked are exhausting, although sometimes necessary. But it can’t always be that way. Being constantly overwhelmed kills motivation. Just how you manage to create spaces in your calendar for meetings and social life, you have to create the space to rest.

Sleep the hours your body needs to feel well. Find rest in reconnecting with yourself, in simple and subtle moments. It can be 10 minutes a day to meditate, to do your gratitude practice or just to pause, breathe, say something nice to yourself and thank your body and mind for all it does everyday.

Make time for self love. Investing time in yourself is healing and gives you the necessary motivation to continue the road towards your goals.

#5 Celebrate your achievements

Have you ever looked back and admired all you have achieved to this day? If you haven’t, this is the right time.

It’s very easy to forget all your accomplishments. But once you do it, there’s no better motivation to keep moving forward.

If you do something today, do that. Write down a list of all you’ve done this year. Small and big achievements. Every small goal met gets you a step closer to your dreams.

As an extra, you can also make a list of the compliments and kind words other people have said to you, such as your boss or colleagues. It’s a good way to perceive how your environment feels your success and motivation.

“There is no external motivation that makes up for your inner appreciation”, says Juli. Reconnecting with your achievements is recognizing your own creative abilities, your infinite potential and the awareness that small steps build the way to attained goals.

Try it out. Write down your goals and celebrate yourself. Motivate yourself with all you’ve created in your life. It’s no small feat!

Remember, the year is not over, the second half is only beginning. But, be mindful because the time for action is now. Finding the motivation to reach your goals is up to you.

What will you do to conquer the rest of 2019?

Photo Credits: Andrés Espinosa