Motivation
10 Ways to Super Charge Your Motivation in 10 Minutes
You want to make waves don’t you?
Become a CEO; build a super-successful startup; write a bestseller.
But do you ever have those moments? When you doubt whether you will achieve your goals? When you wonder if it’s worth it? All your hard work, all the sacrifices you are making?
You are in good company!
Every successful entrepreneur I have known have their moments of self-doubt.
But you know what the same people do really well?
They have ways to quickly get back in the game. They shake off their self-doubt and plunge right back into the fight. Because they know that the only thing that really stands between them and their goals are their limiting beliefs. And if they want to reach the stars, they can’t waste a single minute of their time.
What if you could do the same? What if you could quickly banish your moments of self-doubt and return to your quest with renewed motivation?
Here are 10 ways to supercharge your motivation in just 10 minutes…
1. Put Jobs on the job
Watching a Steve Jobs interview is every bit as energizing as a rock concert. It makes many of us want to put our own ‘dent in the universe’.
Who are the titans that inspire you? Mark Cuban? Jack Welch? Keep a few of their interview videos or podcasts in your phone. 10 minutes of listening to their words is all you need to get back in the game.
2. Get Physical
Our bodies have an astonishing influence on our mood. Doing a few pushups or a quick round of shadow boxing will give you a rush of adrenaline and set your heart racing.
And no, you don’t need training in boxing to throw a few punches! You just need to invoke your motivation to fight. Bring out the warrior in you and clash with your challenges head on.
3. Power Song
Do you have a song that can magically lift your mood? A ‘power song’ that you just have to shake your body to? Think ‘Rocky’ or ‘Superman’ soundtracks or anything else that gets you moving.
Keep a playlist of power songs on your phone that you can switch on anytime.
4. Borrow some Energy
Motivation is contagious. Just pick up the phone and call a friend or colleague who’s doing really well.
10 minutes of hearing about their success stories is all that it will take for you to hang up and get back to work!
If they can do it, why can’t you?
5. Write down your BHAGs
You might have SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Bound), but do you have BHAGs? (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals).
Your BHAGs should stretch the limits of your potential. They are long term goals that challenge you to think way outside your comfort zone. Write your BHAGS in large letters and place the sheet where you can see it multiple times during the day.
6. Get a Quick Win
When the odds look overwhelming, get a quick win. Do a quick task from your to-do list, perhaps a task that you had kept on the backburner.
How does this work? By giving you a feeling of progress. If you are feeling stuck, a small feeling of momentum is often all that you might need to recharge your motivational batteries.
7. Rewind and Flashback
Are you ignoring your past successes? Haven’t you cracked some really tough challenges in the past?
Think about your past successes and give yourself a part on the back. You can simply visualize them or you can write them down. It might be a great idea to keep a list of achievements and milestones in your computer that you can look at occasionally.
8. Make a Movie
Why are you doing all this? What are the rewards along your journey?
Take 10 minutes to close your eyes and visualize the rewards that lie ahead. Play a mental movie visualizing yourself in the future, reaping the rewards of your adventures. The more specific details your mental movie has, the more motivated you will feel.
9. Visit the Idea Factory
When you feel stuck, a great way to feel motivated is to churn out new ideas. These ideas can pertain to the current problem that you are facing, or they can be about your business strategy as a whole. Just keep writing down as many ideas as you can in 10 minutes.
The point of this exercise is not to arrive at a groundbreaking solution. Rather, it’s to energize you and make you remember the fact that there are a million possibilities out there. Just remember that you will figure out a way to achieve your goals, no matter what!
10. Use your X-Ray Vision
This is probably the least ‘flashy’ method but this works miracles for me.
Just take a look around you right now…do you see a successful business?
A pen, a table, a phone, a computer, a building. Each of those things is made by a company which at one point of time started really small! A company which is now running successfully and is growing.
In fact, wherever you look, you will see signs of success. Often by people who may be far less intelligent and started with far fewer resources than you have.
Ask yourself a simple question: If they are succeeding, why can’t you?
Keep Moving Forward
Most people will not believe in you and your dreams, and that’s ok. It’s also ok if you doubt yourself from time to time.
But, what is not ok, is if you don’t push ahead even during those moments of self-doubt. That’s what distinguishes the successful from the average…they keep moving forward no matter what.