JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- With the New Year upon us, let’s take a moment to reflect on the people in our lives who have cared for us in some way, not just early in our lives, but in the recent past as well. These people have supported us, and want to see us reach our potential.
We often begin a new year with excitement and enthusiasm to achieve new (or old) goals, but quickly get overwhelmed with hurdles and distractions. Life, as well as our brains, will always provide ample excuses to not reach for our goals or dreams, but we can learn ways to stay motivated and keep our sights set on accomplishing great things.
Motivation is tricky, some days we seem to have a lot, and others we seem to be barely hanging in there. That’s okay, and normal. Every goal has a price, or opportunity cost, and when we are motivated it’s easier to bear the inconvenience of action, than the pain of remaining the same. The important things are to stay focused on what you are working to achieve, and why. Some days will be more productive than others. Don’t be hard on yourself, and celebrate your progress.
Some tips for staying motivated:
- Write down your goals or aspirations and put them everywhere – in the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom; see them when you wake up and before you go to bed to stay on track.
- Tell a friend, co-worker or boss, someone that can keep you accountable. Maybe someone you don’t want to disappoint.
- Balance your thinking. Believe that you can accomplish what you are working on, and if you get off track, do not beat yourself up with negative thoughts – use positive words to describe your efforts, and remind yourself why you are engaged in a change process.
- Utilize the power of ritual. Schedule time for your goal into your daily routine. If you don’t have a scheduled time when you work out every day, then you’ll find yourself saying things like, “I just need to find the willpower to do it.”
- Celebrate milestones. Create little incentives to keep you on track. As you continue toward your goals and hit a milestone, reward yourself with something nice – just not something that runs counter to your goals.
By putting some or all of these tips into action, you can create and sustain motivation to keep working toward your goals. There are other ways to keep up the motivation. If you have ones that have helped you, feel free to reach out to those around you and share what helped you with your motivation. Let’s not only keep ourselves motivated for 2021 but also our loved ones, friends and co-workers. Spread the motivation!
For questions, contact, 363 ISRW ART @ 363ISRW.ART.363ISRW@us.af.mil