When motivation dips, let it.

When motivation soars, let it.

When motivation has gone, be patient.

The trick is to make it so clear why and so easy, that motivation becomes you.

How did you stay motivated? How did you keep going? Why did you keep going?

A common questions posed to anyone who has succeeded in something challenging they set out to do. I have absolutely no doubt that anyone reading this could take a moment and think of something they struggled with, ‘failed at’, considered stopping, yet stuck out, found a way and eventually reached their goal.

So, what was it that meant they didn’t take the easy route and packed it all in?

The greatest performers we see out there in the world all struggle with motivation. The CEO, an actor with an Oscar or an athlete atop the podium have ALL been through times where motivation has vanished.

Where they struggled to get out of bed in the morning.

Where the obvious and seemingly best thing to do has been to pack it in and never look back.

Where people have suggested they ‘look for something else’.

Where they have felt change within themselves and the dream that once fired them up is now a mere smouldering pile of embers.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably not being honest.

We are humans and motivation fluctuates.

But all the people this has happened to, who then go on to succeed, have something in common. They all have a self awareness, conscious or not, that makes them aware that those embers were still smouldering. The energy is still there, deep down. Diminished perhaps, but still there, and this is the important thing.

Self awareness gives us just enough information to pull back from the brink.

So how do we get back on track?

The first thing is to remember or re-find the true meaning behind the goal.

‘WHY am I striving towards this target? ‘

Those who really know in their very core, will have less fluctuation in their motivation. When it does come, they will quickly reignite that power. It’s imperative that we understand why it is we’re working towards our big goals. A true motivation.

Second, consider the habits that allow us to do the work we know we need to do. The goals of high performers are often far reaching ‘stretch’ goals. Difficult things to achieve, years in the making. As we’ve established, motivation will always ebb and flow so it’s important to make the simple tasks required so simple and so easy that you’ll be able to do them even when you don’t feel motivated. You may not want to, but you know you can, and you remember your why, so you will.

Performing when it really matters is not about the moment. It’s not about that last step across the finish line, the delivery of an important line in a movie, or one big deal in business. It’s about doing the small things consistently well day in day out, often for decades. The last step is generally the only bit people see. What has been done before is what really matters.

So, those daily, consistent steps must be as simple as possible.

There are no answers here, but two points that, if implemented, will help when the inevitable motivation dip happens.

1. Motivation rises and falls. Know it, expect and accept it.

2. How far it dips and how long it takes to comes back depends on how deep and meaningful your why is.

When you are motivated, find ways to make the small steps that get the job done as easy and simple as possible. This way, when motivation drops the work that needs to be done, will still get done!