My issue with motivation in the long-run (the reason I signed up to this forum!)

[Immortal1ty]

So lately I've just been taking a hard look at my life, where I am heading, and what is getting in the way of where I want to be...

The thing I have found is, I typically use a lot of emotional leverage to accomplish a goal. For example, a bad semester coupled with the backlash from my parents might push me towards having a great semester following that bad one. But what ends up happening, is that emotional leverage "runs out" so to speak, and so I may have a great next semester, but a so-so one after that. It sort of just fizzles out... and its not just with school, but with everything. At the beginning I may feel pumped, and really perform with excellence, but then I fall in to disarray, start procrastinating hardcore, and just go back to my old patterns of being in general.

So it goes like this... laziness and procrastination... leads to bad performance... leads to bad feelings... leads to emotional leverage for the next goal... leads to excellence... leads to laziness and procrastination... leads to bad performance... leads to bad feelings... and so on. The cycle just seems to continue over and over again...!

My question, how do I keep that same level of determination and strenght throughout my life, rather than in small spurts of say a few weeks, or a month or two? Is it even possible? How can I reach a "middle path"? What strategies, mindsets, lifestyle shifts, etc. do I need to employ?

Please help!

[Anna Conlan]

Do you really want to do any of the things you're trying to motivate yourself to do? How do they fit into what you want to do with your life?

Real motivation tends to comes from an interest in something, a real desire and readiness to achieve your goal and to become the person who can reach the goal.

You can of course pursue things that you only feel lukewarm about, but in my experience, it's harder to get motivated for those things.

[Logodae]

Willpower only takes you so far. Even enthusiasm only takes you so far, in my experience. Both of these kinds of "emotional leverage" -- nice term, by the way -- only work in spurts. That's normal.

I think the trick is to apply the lever strategically. Don't just use your energy to get your schoolwork done, as if your energy level is going to be a constant for the rest of the semester. Instead, ask yourself: What would it take for me to keep getting my schoolwork done, even when I'm in a low-energy state? How can I set things up so I don't need to keep applying willpower?

I'm still trying to figure this out myself. But I think the key is to establish habits, and basically make things as automatic as possible. Making decisions drains willpower... and if you decide when to do your homework every day, how likely are you to start deciding to do it "later," once you're not quite as motivated? Decide to make a habit of doing it at a particular time, and you might actually stick with it.

[Immortal1ty]

Originally Posted by Anna Conlan

Do you really want to do any of the things you're trying to motivate yourself to do? How do they fit into what you want to do with your life?

Real motivation tends to comes from an interest in something, a real desire and readiness to achieve your goal and to become the person who can reach the goal.

You can of course pursue things that you only feel lukewarm about, but in my experience, it's harder to get motivated for those things.

I REALLY want it. It's like... I WANT it, I KNOW its good for me, but I STILL won't complete it with 100% of my ability. Things I begin often fit in to my life by having purpose in shaping the type of person I want to become... i.e. my major is in Finance because I want to graduate and work in NYC.

I do not feel it's a lack of desire... but more of a lack of consistent work ethic.

Originally Posted by Logodae

Willpower only takes you so far. Even enthusiasm only takes you so far, in my experience. Both of these kinds of "emotional leverage" -- nice term, by the way -- only work in spurts. That's normal.

I think the trick is to apply the lever strategically. Don't just use your energy to get your schoolwork done, as if your energy level is going to be a constant for the rest of the semester. Instead, ask yourself: What would it take for me to keep getting my schoolwork done, even when I'm in a low-energy state? How can I set things up so I don't need to keep applying willpower?

I'm still trying to figure this out myself. But I think the key is to establish habits, and basically make things as automatic as possible. Making decisions drains willpower... and if you decide when to do your homework every day, how likely are you to start deciding to do it "later," once you're not quite as motivated? Decide to make a habit of doing it at a particular time, and you might actually stick with it.

I like this idea of automating things so it becomes a habit, but how exactly does one begin this?

[john louis]

hi,
I think self confidence and self esteem helps in motivating yourself,Don't worry.everthing will be allright.when somebody motivates you,it means he/she is standing with you.
Motivation is necessary to achive everthing in your life.