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How do I keep myself motivated ?
I am a senior in high school
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7 answers
Paul Goetzinger MPA
Academic and Career Consultant and Freelance Writer
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Paul’s Answer
There are six elements that I follow to stay motivated. They could possibly provide some insight to maintaining your motivation:
1. Set Achievable Goals. This will help to keep your focus and establish a path towards achievement
2. Keep It Fun. The path to success should be fun, and motivation can wain if what you are doing is not fun.
3. Be Accountable. You need to own the path you have chosen. It is not another persons goals, they are your own. So plan your path and take responsibility for achieving it.
4. Grow your Passion. You need to love what you are doing, and sometimes we need to find inspiration in the form of books, stories, and other forms or mediums to find motivation in what we are pursuing. So look for inspiring examples, mentors and other people in life.
5. Keep up a good attitude. Surround yourself with positive and inspiring people. Nothing kills motivation faster than associating with a negative, self centered sourpuss.
6. Celebrate Small Wins. Achieving goals is a path, much like climbing a mountain. The higher you go the closer you get to attaining the top. So celebrate those small achievements along the way.
1. Set Achievable Goals. This will help to keep your focus and establish a path towards achievement
2. Keep It Fun. The path to success should be fun, and motivation can wain if what you are doing is not fun.
3. Be Accountable. You need to own the path you have chosen. It is not another persons goals, they are your own. So plan your path and take responsibility for achieving it.
4. Grow your Passion. You need to love what you are doing, and sometimes we need to find inspiration in the form of books, stories, and other forms or mediums to find motivation in what we are pursuing. So look for inspiring examples, mentors and other people in life.
5. Keep up a good attitude. Surround yourself with positive and inspiring people. Nothing kills motivation faster than associating with a negative, self centered sourpuss.
6. Celebrate Small Wins. Achieving goals is a path, much like climbing a mountain. The higher you go the closer you get to attaining the top. So celebrate those small achievements along the way.
Updated
Ahmad’s Answer
Whoa - this is a heavy question. And I don't think there is a clear 1 size fits all answer. Personally for me, the answer lay in the concept of the "Flywheel".
*Firstly, I would start with the WHY.*
What is the WHY behind what you're trying to stay motivated for. For example trying to stay motivated to hit the gym everyday - the WHY might be trying to get/look/feel healthy. If you're trying to stay motivated in school - the WHY might be so you can get into a good college to become a doctor, etc.
It's going to be hard to stay motivated for things you're not interested in.
*So what is the Flywheel?*
A flywheel is a machine from back in the industrial revolution days which once you cranked the lever a few times, the momentum of the gears would keep the machine running and gaining speed (google it). Applying it to this question of staying motivated, I think you need to create this flywheel effect for yourself, so eventually it feels effortless to keep going at what you're trying to do or accomplish.
*How can you do this?*
One way I find works for me is to surround myself with the things that interest me - and dive deep into them. The more I'm learning about the space or area of interest, the more NEW things I learn and discover and the more my motivation to continue continues. It's like a boulder rolling down a hill - the farther down it rolls, the faster it goes and the harder it's going to be to stop it.
It's worked for me regarding staying healthy and hitting the gym, as well as with work. I followed a bunch of gym and fitness related accounts, blogs and went out of my way to befriend those in my social circles that were into the gym. This kept me in that frame of mind and kept me going to the gym, and most importantly, having fun at the gym.
On that note, surrounding yourself with people doing what you want to do, is key. If it's with school - start a study group, and invite the smartest kids in your class, and study with them! It's crazy how much more you will learn with this strategy.
With work, the same thing. I started following, reading and talking to people related to the key projects at work, and it kept me motivated to keep learning about it - and it kept giving me better and better ideas for the work projects which snowballed into better quality work, and it just grows from there.
Hope this helps!
Write down WHY you want to stay motivated - what are you trying to accomplish at the end of the day?
Write down 1 thing you can do TODAY to get started (action)
Make a list of people you want to spend more time with who you can learn from or will be the right influence
Spend more time with that list of people
*Firstly, I would start with the WHY.*
What is the WHY behind what you're trying to stay motivated for. For example trying to stay motivated to hit the gym everyday - the WHY might be trying to get/look/feel healthy. If you're trying to stay motivated in school - the WHY might be so you can get into a good college to become a doctor, etc.
It's going to be hard to stay motivated for things you're not interested in.
*So what is the Flywheel?*
A flywheel is a machine from back in the industrial revolution days which once you cranked the lever a few times, the momentum of the gears would keep the machine running and gaining speed (google it). Applying it to this question of staying motivated, I think you need to create this flywheel effect for yourself, so eventually it feels effortless to keep going at what you're trying to do or accomplish.
*How can you do this?*
One way I find works for me is to surround myself with the things that interest me - and dive deep into them. The more I'm learning about the space or area of interest, the more NEW things I learn and discover and the more my motivation to continue continues. It's like a boulder rolling down a hill - the farther down it rolls, the faster it goes and the harder it's going to be to stop it.
It's worked for me regarding staying healthy and hitting the gym, as well as with work. I followed a bunch of gym and fitness related accounts, blogs and went out of my way to befriend those in my social circles that were into the gym. This kept me in that frame of mind and kept me going to the gym, and most importantly, having fun at the gym.
On that note, surrounding yourself with people doing what you want to do, is key. If it's with school - start a study group, and invite the smartest kids in your class, and study with them! It's crazy how much more you will learn with this strategy.
With work, the same thing. I started following, reading and talking to people related to the key projects at work, and it kept me motivated to keep learning about it - and it kept giving me better and better ideas for the work projects which snowballed into better quality work, and it just grows from there.
Hope this helps!
Ahmad recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Rebecca’s Answer
Thank you for your question. Many students have similar questions. You also need to identify a time management tool to help, e.g. your phone calendar, MS Outlook, etc.
Below are my suggestions :
1. Put down the time you have to attend school in time management tool.
2. Choose the subjects that you have interest in high school.
3. Assign some time every day to do your revision and assignment
4. Make sure you have enough time to do sleep and do exercise
5. You can allocate some time for leisure, e.g. your hobbies, gathering with friends & family, etc.
You don't need to fill up your schedule completely. Leave some 'Me' time for relax and reflection.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Below are my suggestions :
1. Put down the time you have to attend school in time management tool.
2. Choose the subjects that you have interest in high school.
3. Assign some time every day to do your revision and assignment
4. Make sure you have enough time to do sleep and do exercise
5. You can allocate some time for leisure, e.g. your hobbies, gathering with friends & family, etc.
You don't need to fill up your schedule completely. Leave some 'Me' time for relax and reflection.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
Updated
Chirayu’s Answer
Staying motivated can be challenging, but there are several strategies you can use to help keep yourself on track. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated - Identify what you want to achieve and set specific, measurable goals for yourself. Break your goals down into smaller, achievable tasks so that you can see progress and stay motivated. Figure out why you want to achieve your goals. Having a clear sense of purpose can help you stay motivated, even when the going gets tough. Establish a daily routine that includes time for studying, exercise, and self-care. This can help you stay focused and on track. Keep your space clean and organized, and use a planner or calendar to keep track of your schedule and deadlines. Surround yourself with people who support and encourage you. This can include family, friends, teachers, and mentors. Celebrate small victories along the way. Recognizing your progress and achievements can help you stay motivated and committed to your goals. It's important to take breaks and give yourself time to recharge. This can help prevent burnout and keep you motivated over the long term.
Updated
Nicole’s Answer
Hi ISAIAH. Thanks so much for posting this very honest question.
If it helps at all, it is a question that many of us adults have to answer for ourselves from time to time.
First, I LOVE the answers you have gotten so far. I hope you find them helpful. I will, though, provice a few additional points. With respect to the "FlyWheel" scenario. In my opinion, this is key. So not only jotting down or expressing to yourself why you want to do "a thing" but also making the time, even if it is a little bit each day or each week..but making the time to actually doing it.
In my view, one of the most important things that keep motivation levels high is progress. In my view, one cannot see progress unless one is actually "doing the thing". I use learning math as an example. There are some people who are highly gifted. They can get a math concept into their heads and understand it the first time they hear about it. For us mere mortals, though, :), that is rarely the case. Most of us have to work at getting good at math. If one seeks to get good at something, it requires putting in that time and using that time to focus on one concept. Generally speaking, when that focus is applied, one can see that they are getting better in understanding that concept. How can they see it? Tests (ugh), quizzes but even more importantly, when an individual understands how something works, they know it and when they don't understand it, they know that too.
So getting and staying motivated, in my view, is about learning..and once an individual has sufficiently learned something, the hope is that having mastered something, that individual is motivated to go learn about something else...because they have proven to themselves that they can learn something new...AND be good at that new thing and thus be motivated to learn more, new and exciting stuff :).
Hope you find this answer helpful. And best of luck to you.
If it helps at all, it is a question that many of us adults have to answer for ourselves from time to time.
First, I LOVE the answers you have gotten so far. I hope you find them helpful. I will, though, provice a few additional points. With respect to the "FlyWheel" scenario. In my opinion, this is key. So not only jotting down or expressing to yourself why you want to do "a thing" but also making the time, even if it is a little bit each day or each week..but making the time to actually doing it.
In my view, one of the most important things that keep motivation levels high is progress. In my view, one cannot see progress unless one is actually "doing the thing". I use learning math as an example. There are some people who are highly gifted. They can get a math concept into their heads and understand it the first time they hear about it. For us mere mortals, though, :), that is rarely the case. Most of us have to work at getting good at math. If one seeks to get good at something, it requires putting in that time and using that time to focus on one concept. Generally speaking, when that focus is applied, one can see that they are getting better in understanding that concept. How can they see it? Tests (ugh), quizzes but even more importantly, when an individual understands how something works, they know it and when they don't understand it, they know that too.
So getting and staying motivated, in my view, is about learning..and once an individual has sufficiently learned something, the hope is that having mastered something, that individual is motivated to go learn about something else...because they have proven to themselves that they can learn something new...AND be good at that new thing and thus be motivated to learn more, new and exciting stuff :).
Hope you find this answer helpful. And best of luck to you.
Thank you for giving me advice.
ISAIAH
Updated
PwC’s Answer
Have a good balance – make plans that excite you so you have something to look forward to like a vacation or even a movie night.
Updated
Scott’s Answer
Hey Isaiah, staying motivated can be tough, especially as a senior in high school. But don't worry, I'm here to offer some tips to help you stay on track!
First off, it's important to set goals for yourself. Think about what you want to achieve in the short-term and the long-term. This might include getting good grades, getting into college, or pursuing a specific career path. Once you have your goals in mind, break them down into smaller, manageable tasks that you can work on each day.
Another way to stay motivated is to find a support system. This might include friends, family members, or even a mentor or counselor at school. Having people who believe in you and support you can be incredibly motivating and can help you stay focused on your goals.
Additionally, try to find activities that you enjoy and that give you a sense of purpose. This might include volunteering, joining a club or sports team, or pursuing a hobby. Having something outside of schoolwork that you're passionate about can help you stay motivated and give you a sense of fulfillment.
Finally, don't be too hard on yourself if you have a bad day or if things don't go as planned. Remember that setbacks are a normal part of the process, and that you have the power to overcome them and keep moving forward.
You're doing great, Isaiah! Keep setting goals, finding support, pursuing your passions, and don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work.
"Mistakes are proof that you are trying."
Remember that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and that they can actually be a sign of progress. Don't be afraid to take risks and make mistakes - they can help you grow and become a better version of yourself.
First off, it's important to set goals for yourself. Think about what you want to achieve in the short-term and the long-term. This might include getting good grades, getting into college, or pursuing a specific career path. Once you have your goals in mind, break them down into smaller, manageable tasks that you can work on each day.
Another way to stay motivated is to find a support system. This might include friends, family members, or even a mentor or counselor at school. Having people who believe in you and support you can be incredibly motivating and can help you stay focused on your goals.
Additionally, try to find activities that you enjoy and that give you a sense of purpose. This might include volunteering, joining a club or sports team, or pursuing a hobby. Having something outside of schoolwork that you're passionate about can help you stay motivated and give you a sense of fulfillment.
Finally, don't be too hard on yourself if you have a bad day or if things don't go as planned. Remember that setbacks are a normal part of the process, and that you have the power to overcome them and keep moving forward.
You're doing great, Isaiah! Keep setting goals, finding support, pursuing your passions, and don't forget to give yourself a pat on the back for all your hard work.
"Mistakes are proof that you are trying."
Remember that mistakes are a natural part of the learning process and that they can actually be a sign of progress. Don't be afraid to take risks and make mistakes - they can help you grow and become a better version of yourself.