How Do You Motivate and Stay Motivated?
Written on July 23, 2009 by Susan Payton
Welcome to Spark an Idea Thursday. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired! Today’s topic? Spark an Idea for Motivating Others.
As entrepreneurs, it can be hard to keep your motivation up. If you work from home, it’s even harder, as there are so many distractions (cookies, laundry, children, cookies). Keeping yourself motivated is one thing, but what about motivating someone else? Maybe your partner, or a friend or family member? How do you keep them going?
Here are my tips. Use them for yourself or others.
- Use inspiring words. We all feel like failures at times, so let your friends know they’re doing a great job and you’re proud of them. Let them know this obstacle is only temporary, and, as Po from Kung Fu Panda says, “There is no secret ingredient.”
- Take a break. If it’s you you’re motivating, stop what you’re doing and have a coffee. If it’s a friend in need, pick up an iced coffee and force them to take a moment to unwind.
- Help. If your friend has a task that seems daunting to her, give her a hand. Nothing’s as hard with twice as many hands!
Here are some tips I got from Twitter and Facebook. When asked how they motivate people, my contacts said:
from @brianmoran: Sometimes with a carrot; sometimes with a good swift kick in the arse.
from @septer: keep a list of ideas…simple low-hanging fruit that you can knock off easily for those times when progress is hard to come by
from @roaddoggz: I prefer to inspire someone to do what they love and should be doing. Then they don’t need motivation.
from @kevinmannion: Tell the truth, point out the downside and well as the upside, and say why you ‘believe’ in the upside (but only if you do)
from @webfugitive: rolling stones, sympathy for the devil gets me amped up
from Doug Haslam: Asking others for help in getting, well, motivated. Actually, that was a serious answer…
from Robert Adler: Cake. And cookies! And money.
from Chuck Welch: Make sure my environment is conducive to what I need. Plenty of sunlight, music, and fresh air.
Do you have other suggestions for maintaining motivation? Let’s hear them!
