Staying motivated is one of our greatest daily challenges. Take a few minutes to look over five motivation-affecting factors that people don’t often consider, and consider whether they’re affecting you.
1. Too Much Social Pressure
Telling your social circles about your high expectations and ambitious goals can build up a great deal of unnecessary pressure. Keep that pressure low by focusing on achieving those goals instead of broadcasting them. Success speaks for itself.
2. Lack of a Good Plan
Some say having a goal is all the motivation they need, but this will only work out for the extremely lucky. Most of us need to rely on a strong strategy to achieve success. Preparation for the journey now prevents serious problems down the road.
3. A Poor Diet
Most folks don’t understand how much a poor diet affects their mood and motivation. Bad eating habits lead to low energy levels, and staying motivated is nearly impossible when you feel perpetually tired. Eating clean will do wonders for your mood and motivation.
4. Being Too Comfortable
Comfort is the slow, creeping death of motivation. When we’re at ease in our living situation, it’s dangerously easy to stop pushing ourselves. We can end up living a repetitive loop without striving for anything new. Making more money is the biggest culprit of comfortable laziness.
5. Your Environment
Related to the last point, having a safe environment can be a problem for motivation. It’s natural and healthy to relax and rest on your laurels once you’ve reached a substantial goal — the danger lies in staying in this relaxed phase too long. Never forget to aim higher and bigger, no matter what success you’ve achieved.
Motivation is affected by a lot of factors. Common sources of demotivation include rocky relationships, poor work conditions, and low income. There are also many demotivators that fly under the radar, and it’s important to be able to spot them before they ruin our efforts.
[Guest post by Team ICON Steven Benedict. Professional Track Athlete & Olympic Qualifier - Motivational Speaker - Published Fitness Personality - stevieyb.com - @steviey_b]