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Motivation is difficult to find sometimes, especially if it involves going out in the cold for a run, when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa with a blanket! Our intentions start off well, but as those dark nights creep in, it gets much harder to maintain!
I think this is especially true if you’re doing something new for the first time, like trying to get out of debt or starting a new way to budget. Seeing results can take a while in both cases!
Motivation will wax and wane – you won’t always feel “on it”, but here are some ideas for how to keep yourself on track as much as possible. It’s ok if you fall off the wagon from time to time, but do your best to get back on it and keep working on those goals!
Dopamine
Us humans are reward driven creatures – we can blame dopamine for this! However, the good news is that we can use this to our advantage when it comes to self motivation. So let me ask you a question…how often do you STOP to congratulate yourself on a job well done?
If you’re a ruler-personality type especially, you can find it hard to literally stop and smell the roses. Rulers are highly driven individuals and often chase moving money targets and strive to achieve more and more. They very rarely, if ever, celebrate their wins.
But not every money-personality type is like this. In fact, the romantic-types are pretty much the opposing opposites of rulers. They prefer a less stressful way to roll and would think nothing of treating themselves to even the smallest of goodies for a job well done. We can all learn a thing or two from a well balanced romantic!
So the moral of the story here is – treat yourself in a bigger way when you reach a big goal you have been working towards and treat yourself in a smaller way when you reach a milestone on the path towards that big goal. The journey is much more fun, plus the dopamine keeps you going!
Fun fact: “STRESSED is DESSERTS Spelt Backwards”…
Connect With Your Desire
How often do you CONNECT with your future goals and dreams? We often tell ourselves that we want to achieve something (early retirement/start a business/own our own home etc), but how often do we believe that we can achieve it or even do anything about it? There is definitely something to be said for thinking about this goal and ACTUALLY taking the steps to manifest it into your life!
I have a vision board that I regularly connect in with. I keep adding pictures of how I want my life to be and I’m taking steps to ensure that it happens.
Connecting with the life you’re working for will make it a lot easier to get there. Athletes do this and it has been show to improve their results. So what plans could you put into place RIGHT NOW rather than “put it off until x-happens” – because life is so unpredicatable, you never truly know if what you want to do will work on the time-scale you set for yourself. There will NEVER be a right time, so it may as well be now. It’s a great way to stay motivated!
Connect With The Future You
If you’re ever lacking in motivation, ask yourself – what would “future me” do? In order to have those things you want in life, what sort of person would you need to become?
If you want to save up for your first house, what sort of attributes would a person have who has done this already?
Organised?
Budgeting regularly?
Tracking their spending?
Spending less than they earn?
You better believe it!! Couple that with fact-finding and researching what it possible and you have uncovered the person you need to be in order to achieve your goal. So start to act like you’re the person who has already got to where you want to be and it will definitely help you to take actions in the right direction.
Give Yourself A Deadline
I don’t know about you, but I need a deadline to make things happen. Unless it’s booked into my diary, it won’t happen, and that includes rest time.
So if you’re struggling with motivation, look at your deadlines. Have you given yourself a goal? Perhaps you want to be debt free by the end of 2021? Or be in your own home by Christmas. Whatever it is, give it a time frame and you will be more likely to stay focused and motivated to achieve it.
Beware though – make it realistic. There is no point saying your want to be a millionnaire in 2 months if you don’t have anything in place to get there (lottery tickets don’t count). I think this is a sure-fire way to disappointment and giving up, so give yourself enough time to make it comfortable and do-able, but not so slack that it isn’t motivating for you. If you’re a maverick personality type, you’ll love this concept because mavericks love a challenge! And being motivated by a personal challenge is a great way to keep going!
Make It Easy
There is something to be said for making life easier for yourself. If you struggle to save, commit to smaller amounts and set up a direct debit to take your money out on auto pilot.
If you’re in debt and credit cards are your downfall, stop using them – take them off your amazon list or your phone pre-sets. Chop up the cards or freeze one in a metal tin. Make it easy to have good habits and you will definitely be more motivated.
5,4,3,2,1
As I said at the start, motivation will wax and wane. Some months you’re be on your budgeting-A game. Other months you’ll wonder where all your money went. It’s TOTALLY normal. It’s the same with anything we are working towards that feels hard to do – there is always going to be the temptation to quit.
But on those days, try using the 5-second rule by Mel Robbins. She turned her life around by saying “5,4,3,2,1” to herself before doing something she didn’t want to do – like get out of bed, go for a run or speak on stage. It’s so simple, yet totally works!!
So try it – on the days you don’t want to budget or track your spending. You can’t afford (literally) to wait for motivation to come back around again, because it might not, and then you’re back at the bottom again. No one is perfect, and everyone has bad days, so dust yourself off and try again.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, these tips will help you feel more money motivated! A lot of people struggle to keep themselves driven when they have a lot of work to do. This doesn’t have to be a chore, though, and can actually be a fun if you let it!
One other thing you can do is buddy up with someone who is working on similar goals to you. Feel free to join my private Facebook Group if you one – we all talk money in there and it’s very friendly and supportive. Buddying up is definitely a great way to help keep eachother motivated and on track!
See you again soon,
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