From the course: How to Motivate Yourself to Do What’s Most Important

Get in touch with your why

From the course: How to Motivate Yourself to Do What’s Most Important

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Get in touch with your why

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- [Instructor] When you're feeling unmotivated, one of the best things you can do is go back to first principles. Why do you want to accomplish something? Why does it matter? When you reconnect with your purpose and see the impact that work can have, it can often inspire you to take action, even when it feels hard or unrewarding. Here are three powerful questions you can ask yourself. First, how will what you're doing make others' lives better? That could be long term, maybe you're working on a project that will transform your customer's business, or it could be short term, because your edits made a colleague's presentation better. Whether it's something small or large, think about the ways you're making a difference. Second, who are you a role model for? Some days, you may not feel like doing anything. But you can refocus on the people who are looking up to you. Maybe it's your kids and showing them what it means to be a hard worker. Maybe it's your team members who deserve a great boss that watches out for them. One way or another, you probably have people who are looking to you to see what's possible in their own lives, and your success has powerful ripple effects for them. Third, what progress did I make today on meaningful goals? Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile says that "one of the most powerful things we can do to create a sense of forward momentum in our professional lives is to make even tiny progress on goals we find meaningful each day." Even on busy days, you can probably find some small way to move the ball forward. And that matters. By asking yourself these three questions, you can get in touch with the reasons your goal matters and give yourself a boost of motivation to get it done.

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