How to Stay Motivated
It’s time for another “mailbag” episode of “Aim Higher,” where we answer our listeners’ questions. This week we cover a lot of ground and discuss:
- How to manage the rapid pace of technological change
- Managing remote teams
- Putting some boundaries around a “transformation” initiative
- Protecting your organization from ransomware
- Staying motivated
As always, my guests provide a lot of solid, actionable advice on these topics.
Keeping the Fire
The one I’d like to pause on for a moment, though, was the question about how to stay motivated. The writer of the question had just listened to my interview with Inky Johnson, who is an incredible motivational speaker. But how, they asked, do you keep up that level of motivation in the hours, days, and weeks after getting a powerful shot-in-the-arm from someone like Inky?
On the one hand, motivation is going to be very different for all of us. What do you want to accomplish? What are your goals for today and your long-term dreams? Where are you on that path? Are you at a point where you’ve just made a breakthrough and can rush forward even further because of that momentum? Or have you had a setback, learned something important, and need some time to reflect?
The only universal, always appropriate, highly effective advice I have for you—no matter where you are today—is to surround yourself with positive people. I don’t mean that they wear “rose colored glasses” and always look on the bright side. Relentless, generic cheerfulness in the face of challenges can be just as dispiriting as someone with an “Eeyore attitude.”
I mean that you should try to cultivate relationships with colleagues who value your success. People who want you to go as far and fast as you can. People who respect your vision and see themselves as part of your journey.
Inky was successful both as an athlete and, later, through a series of really challenging times because other people—his family, friends, teammates, teachers, and coaches—believed in his strengths, his attitude, and his abilities.
Who’s on your team? Do they cheer for you when you achieve an important milestone? Do they provide resources when you need help? And are they able to listen—to fulfil your need for understanding and support? Motivation looks very different at different stages of our careers and lives. But if the people around you respect your values, goals, talents, and vision? They’ll give you what you need to stay in the game.
Staying motivated is essential for achieving our goals and fulfilling our dreams. But when our enthusiasm wanes, and we find ourselves in need of an extra push…that’s when the power of surrounding yourself with the right people becomes truly evident. The people we choose to have in our lives can profoundly impact our motivation levels.
Image Credit: Chang Duong
