Wesley Lewis
Special to In Motion
Every morning I struggle to get out of bed. I ask myself, what’s the point? Do I really have to get up?
Does this sound familiar to anyone? Don’t be ashamed if it does. Millions of people struggle to find the motivation they need to keep moving forward. This is something I struggle with on a daily basis.
A simple definition of motivation is “the desire to do things.” We may lack this desire for many reasons. Some people are full of pessimism and the fear of failure, some don’t keep their goals in mind and others feel that they can’t overcome a great disadvantage or set back.
But that’s no excuse to be unmotivated. Some of the world’s greatest achievements came from people who had the greatest disadvantages and setbacks. Beethoven. for instance, became deaf early in his career, but did not let it prevent himself from composing some of the greatest musical masterpieces of all time.
Stephen Hawking is another great figure that history will remember. He became completely paralyzed and lost the use of his body, but did not let his misfortune take his mind as well. Through the use of technology he was able to use his great mind to change science, forever altering our perception of the universe.
People either lose sight of their goals or set them too high. A way to stay motivated would be proper goal management. We do this by breaking our goals down into bite-sized chunks. No matter how big the task, if we break it down into smaller more manageable pieces then even the most intimidating things can be achieved.
Pessimistic behavior and fear hold us back. I have spent hours contemplating what I should do. If you have ever asked yourself this very question, Francesca Gino and Ting Zhang, who are professors at Harvard Business School, have an answer for you. They say stop asking “What should I do?” and replace it with “What could I do?”
By simply swapping should for could you may relieve the pressure, opening up possibilities that might otherwise be overlooked.
Here’s a story that inspires me to keep pushing forward every time I feel like I’ve hit my limit.
Sian Welch entered in the Iron Man competition in 1997. She collapsed a few yards away from the finish line. Her body was physically unable to stand up, but she was determined to keep going until she crossed the finish line. So with every last ounce of strength in her, she crawled the remaining few yards across the finish line on her hands and knees.
When I was in the military, my drill instructor used to tell me and other recruits that when we felt as though we couldn’t go on— “If you’re still alive and breathing you still have the strength to push on.”
Try it. You might surprise yourself.