10 Key Questions To Get You Motivated

I’ve noticed that if I have someone visiting me I’m motivated to tidy up.

If I have a meeting to attend I’m motivated to prepare for that meeting. The quality may or may not be to the standard I'd like, but I've taken action and prepared something.

If I’m faced with a project that’s exciting, challenging and uplifting in just the right measure I’m also motivated to take action. I'm motivated, however, in a very positive way, and in this kind of scenario I often produce great results.

As a Life Coach I find that my clients have similar experiences to myself - they need a catalyst to motivate them into action.

It is said we each have a natural tendency to be motivated towards tasks and outcomes we like (those we see as 'pleasurable'), and away from those we don't (those we consider 'painful').

So how do we turn a task we're simply avoiding, into something we're spurred on to tackle?

The following 10 questions may help you to begin facing up to those tasks you'd rather ignore: 

1. Can you focus on how you’ll feel once you’ve done what you’re dreading? If you keep the end in mind all the time and focus on that feeling of satisfaction this can sometimes be a huge motivator

2. Can you outline to yourself all the benefits (pros) of doing what you don’t want to do?

3. Can you outline all the negatives (cons) of not doing what you don’t want to do?

4. Could you imagine the worst-case scenario for yourself if you don’t complete the task facing you?

5. Can you change the image you have in your head of the thing you don’t want to do? For instance if the image in your mind is one of pushing a boulder up a hill, could you change the image so that it becomes a pebble being kicked along the ground? Does the change in image have an impact on your motivation? If so how?

6. Could you in some way hold yourself accountable by sharing your objective(s) with someone you trust? Telling someone about your task or project can sometimes give you the edge you need to get started.

7. Could you work with someone on your task? Often when we're on our own with a task not only can we feel lonely and isolated, but the task itself can seem more daunting than it actually is. In addition, seeing someone else's approach may sometimes make the task easier to undertake.

8. Can you think of three instances in which you felt completely de-motivated but pushed on and successfully completed your task anyway? Do you remember how you felt afterwards? Again, this can give you the confidence to know you can push through your own limits.

9. Could you give yourself a challenging time limit that would spur you on? Could you make it a race against time to see how quickly you can complete your task?

10. Could you reduce the amount of time you spend on the project you don’t want to tackle? Even if you spent just five minutes in the first instance you will have done something – even if it’s just to think about the project for five minutes.

These are just some suggestions I have used to help move my clients and myself from a state of apathy to one of action. I hope they prove useful to you too.

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The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Life Coach Directory are reviewed by our editorial team.

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