The Definition of Motivation is "a Reason(s) for Action" – something on the outside that compels us to action.  By understanding those outside forces and the impact they are having on our inner wisdom, we can start to take back control and reignite our mojo.

Traditionally motivation was all about the Carrot and the Stick –

 If I/you do this there’ll be some reward in it for you – money, holiday, a discount, chocolate  or,

 If I/you don’t do this then you’ll lose your job, get fat, have to cancel your night out.....    

These approaches often work in the short term but won’t sustain motivation for long.

6 ways to Rekindle Your Mojo

1.  Get Clear about what affects your quality of working life….

Every one of us is unique – research shows there are 8 Key Factors which affect the quality of our working life (outside of monetary reward)

• Friendly Co-Workers/Belonging/Fun
• Feel Knowledgeable/Skilled
• Opportunities to Learn
• Flexible Working Hours
• Receive Meaningful Feedback
• Sense of Purpose/Achievement
• See Ideas Implemented
• Autonomy/Control

Which of these appeal to you most?  How can you bring more of these into your work?

2. Understand your preferred way of doing things – Which Specialist(s) are you?

• Control Specialists – Like Decision Making, Getting Things Done – Want others to be Efficient
• Information Specialists – Conscientious, Interested in Detail and Quality – Want others to be correct
• Harmonising Specialists -  Loyal, Supportive, Dislike fast paced change – Want others to be sincere and mindful of the impact on people
• Communication Specialists – Creative, Spontaneous, Like to Influence, Share – Want you to be enthusiastic

Learning to play to the strengths of ourselves and others who we work with, acknowledging what makes us all tick, leads to better teamwork and builds great relationships 

3.  Unlock Your Inspiration

Many years ago I attended a workshop that was called “Best Year Yet” - that workshop really moved me; it inspired me to take action because I no longer felt that my job in the corporate world was where I wanted to be.

I came away with a real focus on what mattered to me – my personal values of Learning, to support other people to get out of “Stuck” and “Frustration”, Independence, Integrity, Feeling that I’ve made a difference – these became the foundations of my business

INSPIRATION IS LINKED TO OUR OWN CORE VALUES AND THE FEELINGS THEY STIR UP

Not sure what your core values are?  Ask yourself

• What in life is most important to me?  Come up with a list of 7 things e.g. Money, freedom to work the hours I choose, 
• Then for each one ask, What does that mean for me?    e.g. for Money -  It means I’ve achieved something, or I feel financially secure
• Therefore, 2 of my values are:  sense of achievement, financial security

When your values are missing from your life, you can feel out of sorts and demotivated.  Now you need to take action to get those things back into your life 

4.  Have Clear Goals

Remember the old saying “if you don’t know where you’re headed, that’s where you’ll end up”?

Know what you want out of life. If that feels to big a question think about what you'd like more of - what excites and inspires you?  Then, what would you like less of in your life - what are you tolerating or putting up with?   

Create a sense of purpose, something to aim for and then take positive action towards it. 

5.  Clear the Path

Observe, Listen to Your Inner Guide and Understand the obstacles and challenges that you face.  Think about how you can:

• Reduce them,
• Remove them or
• Agree that they exist and accept why they cannot be changed. 

6.  Make Your Heart Sing

Do something every day that makes your heart sing.  Reconnect with things you enjoy doing, that make you smile, laugh or feel really content.

We can't be on top of the world all day everyday, life has a habit of getting in the way of that.  However, we can take steps to ensure that our loss of mojo is short-lived.

As Steve Jobs said:

“If you haven’t found it yet – keep looking” 

www.achievemorelivemore.com