As we go into 2022's home stretch, with all the holiday stress and busyness the year's end brings, it can be tough to stay focused on our longer-term goals. So we’ve put together a few tried and true tips to help you boost that internal, or intrinsic, motivation so that we can finish out these last few weeks of the year strong.
Intrinsic motivation is a drive fueled by your personal desires rather than external forces (rewards, praise, or the opinions of others). Although both intrinsic and extrinsic (external) motivation are valuable in achieving goals, some of us tend to rely on extrinsic motivation alone, and doing so can cause us to lose touch with our own wants and needs.
It is important to do things for ourselves simply because we want to – to do what makes us feel happy, confident, and fulfilled.
Which brings us to our first tip: remember your purpose. If we are to achieve any goal, we need to have a reason for it – a “why” in selecting the goal in the first place. This gives us direction, steering us toward the outcome we’re wanting to see for ourselves.
If you find your motivation lacking, really hone in on your purpose. Your goals are for you, because of you. Remind yourself why you started, what you’re hoping to achieve, and how you’ll feel once you accomplish it.
While other people shouldn’t be your motivation for taking on a goal, it’s okay to ask for help, guidance, or simply a few inspirational words from others. There have been, and may still be, times when your confidence in yourself and your capabilities are shaken, and it is tough to come out of that alone.
If a new habit or project is proving difficult to stick to, try reaching out to friends, family, or those in the Vitality Fam to see what tips and tricks they have up their sleeves. They’ll likely offer a new perspective, will become someone to confide in, and will give you the boost you need to keep trekking on this journey.
Sometimes we just need to be reminded that “we got this,” no matter what “it” is. There’s no shame in that. You do “got this,” but if your confidence is wavering a bit right now, reach out to that friend who will remind you just how awesome and capable you are.
When the journey is a longer one – spanning weeks to months or even years – sometimes the end seems so distant that we forget just how much work we’ve already put in. If you're nearing the achievement of a goal, if the end is closer than the beginning, that doesn’t mean the final stretch isn’t daunting.
To put it in running terms, the last push to the finish line is always the hardest until you realize just how close you really are. In that moment, your motivation kicks back into gear, your pace quickens, and your mood is instantly uplifted knowing that you are so close to getting there. Why? Because as long as the run had felt before that moment, you’ve now realized how much progress – how much accomplishment – you’ve already experienced.
In retrospect, those previous miles were challenging but currently seem to have passed by like a breeze, and there’s no way you’re giving up now when you can see that finish line around the corner.
Visualize your goals in the same way! Give yourself some credit for exactly how far you’ve come. You’ve put in the work, taken on new habits day after day, and guess what? You made it through. Use all that you’ve achieved thus far as your final push across that finish line.
