10 effective ways to stay motivated.

Shruti Sinha*, software engineer, thought it was end of the road for her when she was not selected for an
overseas assignment. "I was completely sidelined and to top it, two of my team members were chosen
over me. For the next few days, I was at home, crying helplessly as if my whole life was over. I was totally
without any motivation in life and didn't even want to go back to work anymore. I still feel lousy."

Shruti just wallowed in misery and didn't give it a second thought, but let's take more a serious look. Was
it all so terrible? Why did she assume her career was over or out of her control? Are any of our careers
really out of our control? If so, in whose hands do the controls lie?

Our bosses? Our circumstances? Or we, ourselves? There are times when you feel like you are on a roll,
and nothing can get you down. And then there are times when it seems that the road to success is filled
with nothing but boulders and gaping potholes. It is on this rutted road that you need motivation the most.

Motivation comes from within. You might be inspired by achievements of others, but, to go far in life, you
need to feel charged and determined to achieve your goals.

Try these tips on how to be self-motivated to get your work life back on track or to keep going top speed
on your career path!

1. Be confident. If you don't believe in yourself, why would anyone else? We all have something we are
good at. Have faith in yourself and try to work on your niche skills. Drive the fear of failure far away from
you. Remember, what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger!

2. Be clear. Fuzzy, undefined goals are difficult to focus on. How will you proceed when the path seems
all foggy? Request your manager for defined, measurable objectives and tasks.

If your manager is not very forthcoming, take some initiative and work with him until you have clarity about
your role and what you will be appraised on, at the end of the year. Self-motivated people work best with
clearly defined objectives in life. Even if the targets seem a little hazy, house-bred motivation can come in
real handy!

3. Work on yourself. Nothing works better as a power shot of motivation than the knowledge that you are
good at what you do! Be on top of things at work. Identify your weak areas and get them out of the way.
Enroll in courses that will raise your market value and also your motivation levels. Getting a few
certifications and qualifications in your functional skills will definitely instill a great deal of confidence.

4. Take criticism positively. Even though the other person has no such intentions, turn all negative
criticism into a positive driving force. Failure is a state a mind. If you think you can succeed, you will.
Always think positive. That way, instead of brooding over past disappointments, you will route your
frustration into positive energy required for working harder. It works like magic.

"My boss was always running me down. Even when I did a good job, he never praised me. Initially I used
to feel terrible and slowly started to look for excuses to avoid official meetings when he would once again
find reasons to discourage me. I contemplated resigning and finding a new job where I did not have to
prove myself over and over again," recounts Mohit Sethi*. "But then, there were no guarantees that my
next boss would be better to work with. So, I took it up as a challenge. I started reporting to work early and
always finished my tasks before time. My team members started to respect me more because I helped
them when my work was done. Gradually, my boss took a back step when he realised that I was now a
highly productive member of the team. If I had not been self motivated to prove a point, thoughts of having
failed and run away would have chased me forever."
5. Look out for challenges. If the current job demotivates you, not to worry. Be open to try out new
things if your present role has become too boring to continue even a day more. Talk to your seniors to
redefine your role to optimise your capabilities. Establish your reputation as somebody who is not scared
to take on new challenges in life.

6. Be persistent. Most things may not work out right the first time. This just means that you need to try
harder. However, ensure that you set your heart on goals that are really important to you and will help you
progress in life. Save your efforts for things that matter. Do not waste your energies on peripheral things.

7. Keep the company of successful people. Try to surround yourself with confident people who are
driven and high on life. Read books that fill you with optimism. Put up motivating posters and quotes on
your workstation that will spread positive energy and drive away any depressing thoughts. Look around
for successful people and try to emulate them. Find out what makes them tick and include that in your
working style.

8. Celebrate life. If something doesn't shape up like you thought it would, it does not mean everything
else is doomed as well. Do not feel stressed; high stress leads to low motivation. Take active interest in
things happening around you. Live your life well. Continue to have faith in yourself and get involved in
things that give you happiness. That itself will generate enough motivation for you to glide over waves of
setbacks.

9. Start today. List all that is important for you to achieve your goals. Divide long-term goals into smaller
milestones and celebrate each accomplished goal. Procrastination is a killer so keep it at bay.

10. Keep dreaming. Lastly, do not forget to keep dreaming. Dream big! Let your dreams fuel your desire
to get closer to your goals. Write your dreams for yourself in a diary or a journal and constantly refer to
them so that you do not forget or lose sight of the objective.

THE LEADERSHIP CENTER AT WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY

24 WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF

• Put your plans on paper. Spell out your goals and ways to reach them.

• Be specific. The advice you give yourself must be such that you can put it into
practice.

• Break the task down into small pieces so that you can handle them easily.

• Establish checkpoints on your progress as well as rewards.

• Remind yourself of the benefits you expect from your tasks completion.

• Avoid temptations and circumstances that might sidetrack you.

• Recognize your limitations. Don’t set unrealistic goals.

• Take advantage of your own energy peaks!

• Use negative motivation. Remind yourself of the consequences of inaction.

• Keep a time-control budget. Don’t let one task take control over others.

• Set deadlines and hold yourself to them.

• Make an honest distinction between “I can’t” and “I don’t want to”.

• Get started now. Don’t stall.

• Improve your self-persuasion ability. Learn the difference between reasoning and
rationalizing.

• Be optimistic. Your chances for success will increase.

• Decide how you want to start, what needs to be done first.

• Read, especially literature related to your situation.

• Use self-signaling devices – notes, signs, cues, reminders.

• Promise yourself rewards.

• Use the stimulation provided by good news to do extra work.

• Recognize conflicts and make a choice.

• Give yourself the right to make mistakes. No one is perfect.

• Exercise your sense of humor. Laughter indicates a realistic point of view.