On your journey to success you’re going to experience hardship and frustration; there will be times you’ll wonder if you’ve got what it takes to keep going, or why you decided to start in the first place. Anyone who has achieved anything great has endured pain and failure, but what separates the best from the rest is how they respond to adversity. Here are five things you can learn from motivated people to get out of a rut, and thrive:
1. They Focus On Actions, Not Feelings
Motivated people don’t take counsel from their feelings – especially when those feelings aren’t getting them closer to their goal. Ask any successful person if there have been days they didn’t feel like putting in the work because they were tired, stressed, or busy. The answer is going to be a resounding yes. Motivated people understand that feeling tired will lead to acting tired, and feeling stressed will lead to acting stressed. I’m not saying to discount your feelings, what I am saying is to act in spite of them. When you are truly passionate about what you want to accomplish, you’ve got to understand that you will run into obstacles, and experience frustration many times, but it’s about identifying what you need to do to be successful, and then doing it – regardless of if you want to or not. If you only put in hard work on the days you feel good, you won’t get much done.
2. They Reconnect To Their Purpose
When you discover why you do what you do, you’ll have more power to do it. The reason you might be experiencing frustration is because there is a disconnect between your actions and goals. Realign your day with your mission, and live your life on purpose, with purpose. As long as you know your “why,” you’ll experience detours, but not dead ends. If disappointment has clouded your view, use these three questions to create clarity:
1. Why do I do what I do?
2. What do I want to accomplish?
3. How do I want to be remembered?
3. They Think About Their Hero
Take some time to think about someone you truly admire. The person you’re probably thinking about has overcome some tremendous adversity, which is one of the reasons why you have so much respect and admiration for them. If you find yourself between a rock and a hard place, ask yourself, “What would [insert your hero] do?” This question will help you step outside yourself and find the strength to act in a manner that you wouldn’t otherwise do.
4. They Win In The Morning
Motivated people appreciate the gift of a new day. Every morning is an opportunity to start fresh, so take advantage! You don’t have to carry yesterday into today, so be sure to take control of your life, by taking control of what you do when you wake up. Motivated people understand that while there are many factors that are out of their control, they choose to focus on what they can control. If you’re in a slump, try this:
1. Write down what time you’re going to wake up tomorrow.
2. Write down your plan for the first 60-minutes after you wake up (i.e. workout, write in your book, meditate, etc.).
3. Wake up on time and do it (refuse to snooze).
4. Repeat every day.
5. They Look At The Bright Side
If you want to be frustrated, focus on frustrating things. If you want to be more positive, you’ve got to learn how to flex those optimistic muscles! It may be difficult at first, but do your best to look on the bright side of things, and see the good that is happening around you. This doesn’t mean being unrealistic, but it means accepting that your situation may not ideal. Identify not only what you’re going to do about it, but ponder how it will make you better and stronger. Motivated people understand that they give power to what they focus on. Why dwell on the negative when seeing the bright side is going to help you succeed.
Featured photo credit: Ed Gregory via stokpic.com
