Gauri Chhabra
When I was in Grade VI, I flunked in Mathematics examination. I was devastated. I had scored 39 out of 100 and the pass marks were 40. Guess what happened? I bounced back. I got a whopping 93 when I retook the examination.
When I was sixteen, God gave a rude shock to me. I lost my dad. The world fell apart. That was one of the toughest times in my life. Guess what happened? I started to live and move on. Because that’s what Dad would have wanted.
When I was twenty-two, I interviewed with four different candidates at a well reputed college of Punjab and was ranked pretty much last in every round of the interview. I didn’t get the job offer. I was frustrated. Guess what happened? I bounced back. I have my dream job now.
What I’ve noticed over the last thirty years of my life is that there is a recurring pattern to successfully motivating myself. This pattern helped me get back on track, even during times that felt like I had hit rock bottom. I’ve also asked numerous executives to what their secrets to motivation are. From my experience, I can guide you towards some factors that would make you derive strength from your inner drive:
Task Identity to Task Significance
“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Mark Twain.
If I told you that it was your job to sort through a pile of resumes and arrange them in an alphabetical order, experience wise in an excel spreadsheet, would you like this kind of a job? Would you feel a strong sense of purpose? Or would you feel like a cog in a machine? Now, what if I told you that by sorting out the resumes, you were creating the data required to build recruitment software that would streamline the assembly line of recruitment processes we follow in the company, would you still feel that the job you are doing is trivial? Or would you change your perspective and your sense of purpose in the work?
Now that you understand the purpose of the work, you have moved from ‘task identity’- of just identifying the task and doing it to ‘task significance’- being an important part of the entire value chain. Does it potentially change your attitude or perhaps even your choice of work? Everyone’s got a different definition based on their experiences in life and their own set of values.
Ask yourself: What does purpose mean to me?
The big picture syndrome:
“Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe.” – Oprah Winfrey
Admit it. There will be days when work will feel boring. When tasks feel repetitive. When you feel like you have a hundred things to do on your checklist. Or when you’re just plain irritated. The easy thing to do is to feel frustrated and to give up. Or you could stay focused on the big picture.
Last year, I started a weekly training program in my company on Business English and it met with an overwhelming response. Gradually the entire company enrolled into it and our hands were full. One of my co-workers was upset because he felt like it would end up creating more work for him. If I caved and stopped doing the trainings so that my co-worker wouldn’t feel obligated to do more work, do you know what would have happened?
We wouldn’t have created got almost 6 B1 visas approved this time. Almost all of them who took the training found themselves high on confidence.
Do not let obstacles sap you. Just keep your eye on the big picture.
Put Mind over Mattress
“Be wise, early rise”
– Robin Sharma.
Get up early. That would automatically give you more productive hours in a day. Do it for a few weeks. Go for work outs. Research has shown that working out multiple times a week for a reasonable period of time can reduce the symptoms of depression. Exercising for thirty minutes can also increase levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, which can help to reduce stress. A lot of times it’s hard to get motivated if you’re not in a good mood. I’ve noticed that when I exercise for at least thirty minutes especially in the morning, I’m a lot more relaxed throughout the day, less stressed out, and am able to think much more clearly.
Also, if you’re pushing yourself in your workouts, you’re testing your boundaries, and this can be really healthy. It would help you to think-”If I can do this, what else am I capable of?”
Pushing yourself physically will also motivate you to push yourself intellectually and in other parts of your life, like your career.
Have a confidante
“Surround yourself with people who push you, who challenge you, who make you laugh, who make you better, who make you happy.” – Anonymous
Share your goals with your confidante. Let’s say you set a goal of taking up a certification. Guess what? You’ve just signed up an accountability statement and this is a great way to keep yourself motivated at work. Don’t believe me? Just wait until you hear someone down the hall say, “Hey, how are you doing in your goal of the certification?”
Have a fight song
I might have only one match, but I can make an explosion…I will be strong…This is my fight song…
– Rachel Platten.
Endear yourself to a song or a quotation that motivates you. This should become your fight song. Listen to it every day, print it out and tape it to your mirror. Or if you want to get fancy with it, take a marker and write it on the mirror!
That’ll take you places!
Create chewable goals
Every year we set some goals for ourselves, and by the middle of the year, they fizzle out. At times they are so loft that they slip through the cracks of life. Set yourself high and lofty goals but also make sure to break down that goal into bite-sized, consumable goals. This way, you’ll feel like you’re making progress in your journey and you’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment when you complete the smaller goals. A feeling of progress and achievement is a beautiful combination.
Have fun, be disruptive
“Black and white is boring”
– Anonymous
There’s no fun in a perfect life. So take a risk. Take a chance. Go where the wind takes you. Have fun. If you’re having fun, you’re going to be more motivated to do great work. This is true for 90% of the people. Okay, I have no proof that is statistically true, but I’m pretty sure for most people this holds true. Do you notice that when you’re having fun, you’re more charismatic, upbeat, and optimistic? Do you notice that you’re more productive because you’re actually enjoying the work? Do you notice you’re motivating other team members because you’re making the work environment awesome?
Go out there and have the time of your life!
Calm yourself:
“Meditation is not a means to an end. It is both the means and the end.”
-Krishnamurti
We live in a mayhem of information. We move from one task to another like jumping on hot coals. Because of that, our brains sometimes get overstimulated, and that’s not a good thing. That’s why we need to get rid of our knotted nerves by meditating.
Calm down. Close your eyes. I understand you’re probably sitting in front of a computer. Just sit up straight, then. Breathe slowly in and out. Do you feel a sense of calm wash over you? Do you notice thoughts starting to creep in? Push them out and focus only on your breathing. By clearing your mind, you’ll have a renewed sense of focus.You’ll likely feel happier since your stress will be reduced. When we’re happy, we tend to be more optimistic about the future. That optimism can often be a very powerful motivational force. Not all of your ideas will be good. It doesn’t matter. Write them down anyway. Your great ideas will come when you least expect them. Eventually, after you jot down a hundred ideas, chances are that you’ll have at least one good idea. That’s incredibly motivating.
Think about what you’re going to achieve. Think about the impact you’re going to make. Think of the future you’re going to create.
Mirror it. Reflect upon it. Make it happen, NOW.
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