Business success comes from knowing you’re headed in the right direction, and being prepared to seize opportunities for growth.
Success also depends on performance - doing your work with speed, efficiency, and the motivation to achieve great things.
So says Siimon Reynolds, author and coach, in this article in Forbes.
In his piece, Reynolds outlines four ways to stay motivated in your life and work.
Four Ways to Stay Motivated and Achieve Great Things
Commit to Personal Excellence
Most people have a commitment to get work done, but the desire to do so in an excellent manner is more elusive. Reynolds has found by simply deciding to do everything as well as you can (in the time you have) you end up with better results, as well as a dramatic boost to your self-respect, self-image and personal motivation.
“This commitment to excellence must be adhered to regardless of the mediocrity of the people around you,” he says. “You are choosing to be outstanding, no matter what.”
Remember Your Strong Points Every Day
As a veteran executive coach, Reynolds has found business leaders around the world “beat themselves up for their weak points” all the time. “I would say that many say at least five negative things to themselves for every one positive.” As a result, these otherwise ambitious individuals “feel defeated and not good enough.”
If you’re guilty of doing this too, he says, “this has to stop. Today.” Instead, spend two minutes every morning reminding yourself of why you’re so good (or soon to be so good) at what you do. Put down in writing why, as he puts it, “you’re so damn good.” The reasons you choose can relate to your training, experience or other positive personality attributes.
By focusing daily on your strong points, you will “forge a far more powerful sense of self, which will lead to dramatically higher motivation.”
Tell Yourself You Are Unstoppable
In his experience, Reynolds believes many business leaders work on envisioning themselves as successful, “but then find they fail often in the course of their daily work.” A conflicted self-image emerges, hampering their motivation.
Instead, by changing your view of yourself to “unstoppable,” you can hold onto a positive mind-set in the face of life’s inevitable challenges. “It may seem like a minor change, but try it for a month and you’ll see a huge lift in your motivation.
By the way, when Reynolds says view yourself as “unstoppable,” he means write the word on a Post-It note “and put it where you can see it every day.” This way, it stays in your conscious mind.
Congratulate Yourself Every Night
Ambitious people rarely acknowledge their own achievements, tending to focus instead “on the one or two things that haven’t been completed or weren’t done superbly.” This attitude eats away at one’s motivation and as a result, performance suffers.
You can counter this negative tendency by taking a couple of minutes every evening to remember “all the good stuff you got done.” When you get in the habit of listing your achievements (“however minor”), “your self-image will improve and your drive and motivation to do well the next day will be powerful.”
Motivation doesn’t just happen, Reynolds says. But he claims these four techniques have helped many business people become “super motivated” and he urges you to try them, too.
What’s your secret to stay motivated?
