How to maintain motivation and focus

It is amazing how much I read about people and their lack of motivation for what they do and more amazed at all the unqualified people I see offering to provide the ultimate solution. The media does not help with so many stores talking about job dissatisfaction, boredom, saying you need to re-energize your life. People believe what they perceive is true and therefore as you are reading this blog you may be thinking about how you would like to improve your life.

The reason why I wrote this particular blog today is that I was reading some advertisements by a few life coaches saying they could get you to re-focus on what is important and have you re-gain your motivation. Great, until reading their biographies I see no qualifications in coaching, nothing in psychology and in fact nothing to provide me with confidence they actually know anything. Anyhow I wanted to communicate what I believe is one path to having strong motivations and focus.

1. Know your brand (know thyself)

Who are you really and what do you stand for? What do you like or dislike? What do you believe in? Take the time to think this through rather than just reacting to the events around you. Reacting will lead to lack of motivation as you are not in control of what is happening and quite often those actions are not aligned with your core values.

2. Create a vision and purpose

....for your life. This doesn't mean you have to meditate for hours or see a guru at the top of the mountain in Nepal. It is also not an exact science and can be flexible. Create some clear goals around what you would like to achieve during your time on this earth. Imagine looking back at your life, hearing what others had to say about you - hold that vision and begin to understand what your purpose could be (hey, if it's all about brunch and shopping so be it).

3. Have an action plan and schedule

Have you ever found yourself wondering what you are going to do next, tomorrow, the weekend or next month? Again it comes down to living your life by reacting rather than being proactive in your actions. If you wake up not knowing what you are going to do your next step will be a reactive one. In my experience this only causes issues after a period of time when you start to realize your are 'wasting time' on something not important to you eg. a job you hate or do not know why you are doing it. Ask yourself why you didn't think this when you first started your job? If you do not have a clear plan to support your vision and purpose (both a reflection of who you are or 'brand you') then your goals will be only dreams and will not be realized. Having such a plan maintains focus and motivation as you are continually achieving in something that is important to you.

My last tip is to focus on the daily tasks once you have your plan in place. Most of us need to see progress and looking at a long term goal can be daunting if the path becomes rocky and obstacles are put in your way. Have a micro plan with a macro vision and simply do what you know has to be done.

Identify your life needs

Everyone has been told at some stage of their life that there are wants and needs.....this has most likely been passed on from a parent when they say you should focus spending on needs first and then wants. I used to think wants were more important as they appeared to provide me with a higher quality of life then needs - needs being defined as the basics you need to survive.

However upon further reflection perhaps it is the needs that should be focused on if we look at our needs in respect to satisfying our core values. If we redefine needs as those things that are necessary to provide us with a fulfilled life and wants as a short term influence from the social environment in which we live then it appears that needs are more important.

An example and one that relates to myself is the desire to lead a life with financial independence. This means having the finances to not have to work for money ever again if I choose not to. What will it take to achieve this? Well apart from winning Lotto it will take hard work, dedication and good investment principles over a period of time. However because of the social environment I live in I am influenced to party, eat at good restaurants, drink at expensive bars for the purpose of enjoying life. However the life to lead to fulfill my needs and my wants are not aligned so in some way are in conflict. You may want that expensive jacket, flashy car or to stay in a six star hotel.....but you need to ask yourself what you are getting from that and whether it is aligned with your personal needs (thus values). The law of diminishing returns exists here - if you do not live life according to your personal values then the activities you think you enjoy will become less enjoyable over time.

The answer is simply to know yourself, know your values, know your purpose and be disciplined to do what is necessary to achieve.