Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other. ~ Carlos Castaneda

Motivation isn`t a one-size-fits-all thing. What works for you may not work for others, so the key is to pick what fits you better and use it over and over. The following are 11 techniques you can use when feeling down, or unmotivated. Pick the ones that resonate with you and try them.

How to Motivate Yourself

1. Cut fear out of energy

Starting quickly is the key to getting lots of things done in a very short time. Mel Robbins calls it the 5-Second Rule and Grant Cardone calls it Starving Fear Out of Time. Regardless of the labels, you must train yourself to act fast despite any negative self-talk.

To learn this:

• Pick a habit/skill that you want to build
• Set a trigger
• Commit to act as quick as possible once that trigger is on.

If you want to go to the gym, for instance, let your alarm clock be the trigger. Once you hear it, get dressed ASAP and leave the house. Once you`re invested, you`re less likely to get back. (Sometimes I search the hamper for the dirtiest t-shirt I can find and wear it for a minute so I`m either going to the gym or taking a cold shower… Don`t to that :D).

2. Don`t leave your mind alone

Talking loudly to yourself can distract your mind from negative thinking. One study found that basketball players passed the ball faster when they motivated themselves through loud self-talk which was also seen by another study as a huge sign of sanity.

You can use affirmation to lift yourself in down times or simply state your goal out loud for several times as some people found that if you can beat procrastination by simply repeat the words: “Do it now” until you take action.

3. Shrink da Ting

Chunking down your scary goals into smaller ones will motivate you. If you want to lose 50 pounds, focus on the first ten, lose and celebrate them, and then move to the second ten. If you chunk down anything that scares you then nothing will stop you because there`s always some point, to begin with.

4. Self-exposure

The key to self -xposure is to realize that everything you do —good or bad— serves a reason. Ask any relationship coach and they`ll tell you that some people unconsciously overeat to reject themselves instead of getting rejected by a potential partner, whereas a woman may pick a fight with her boyfriend just to win back his attention.

Humans are so complicated, and you must understand your own hidden agendas to reach your peak. How? Through journaling.

5. Parkinson Law

Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. – Parkinson Law

Sometimes you feel unmotivated when you look at how long it`ll take to finish a task. To avoid this, you can set shorter deadlines and challenge yourself to work as fast as you can so you can finish early and enjoy more rest time.

7. The Da Vinci Way

This was how Leonardo Da Vinci motivated himself to work. Instead of working on one project, he would jump from one to another so work feels less boring.

You can do this by changing your schedule so that, instead of working on a single project for three hours, you work on six projects, 30 minutes each. It won`t always be practical, but this can help survive when work feels like a burden.

7. The Hemingway Way

Anytime you feel hesitant, take the first step and leave. There`s a huge chance you`ll come to it later because humans are inclined to finish unfinished businesses.

Ernest Hemingway used this technique to write every day. He would leave a line or paragraph unfinished so the next day he feels motivated to work.

8. Go 10X

Set a big goal that challenges you and the thrill will motivate you. Aim for 30 sales calls/day instead of three and challenge yourself to write 100,000 words in a month instead of 30,000.

The key here is to realize that even if you fail, you will still do better at 10X than at one or 2X. You may not achieve the bigger goal, but your new results will always outperform the original goal.

9. Avoid the sad and the unlucky

This may sound harsh, yet it`s true. Many studies have found that the company you keep determines the type of life you will have. If you hang around healthy, funny, creative and financially successful people, there`s a big chance their positive traits will rub off on you without even realizing it.

10. Watch what you eat – Seriously

“Once you optimize your personal energy, all you need for success is luck.”

Eat as clean as possible. A poor diet will increase fatigue, reduce your energy levels and lower your productivity.

Exercising, eating healthy and getting enough sun exposure will make you more motivated more productive, more creative, more positive, more socially desirable, and more able to handle life’s little bumps.

11. Avoid the bushes

A tough job will become effortless if you first identify future obstacles and plan to override them. The difference between clarity and obscurity is like the difference between taking the highway and driving your car through clumps of bushes. The first will make you drive at full speed whereas the later will get you stuck.

What about you? What is one thing that you normally do to motivate yourself? You can share your comment in the comment section below 🙂

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