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Encourage Motivation with Mental Training

Motivation is the driving force of progress.

Encourage Motivation with Mental Training

Wednesday November 28, 2018,

3 min Read

It does not matter if you do not want to start or have a trailer in the middle of it: we all have phases of demotivated tribulation. Mental training can then help give your motivation a new lease of life. Try the following five steps.


Step 1: Beware of negative self-talk

We talk to us all day. In addition, mostly not very positive. Sometimes the inner critic is at work. Sometimes we may just be lazy. When you work from home, it is very difficult to motivate yourself. You always find something more important. I know this because when I worked at SenPerfect, it was too difficult to turn on my laptop and start writing. However, no matter where the impetus comes from: Inner phrases like "I cannot get it anyway", "that will not matter anyway" or "I really do not feel like it" are not exactly suited to boost your motivation. Try to get rid of such negative self-verbalizations. For example, press loudly on a squeak-duckling or throw five euros into the coffee-cup when you catch yourself again.

Step 2: Rather go for positive feelings

Become positive. Because it is the positive affects (good feelings) that often keep us on the ball. If we do not feel good about something, we can leave it. Then our unconscious decision-making system ("Listen, I can not do that anyway") only becomes solid where we consciously want to implement a decision ("I want to lose weight now").

Step 3: Become aware of your achievements

How do you get good feelings to convince the inner saboteur? Quite simple: For example, call to mind all positive experiences that come to your mind only. Every small success ("diet book bought") will make you believe in yourself a bit more and encourage you to go on.

Step 4: Capture everything in pictures

Your good feelings become especially strong when you imagine your achievements as pictorially as possible. Our brain works with images, which is why images have the greatest impact on them.

Or stick small memories ("no chips bought in week 5") or photos on paper, fridge doors and so on, and keep them visibly in mind.

Step 5: Think and plan

And last but not least: thoroughly thinking through and planning your plans can be motivating. Your plan works as a kind of external motivation. A scaffolding that gives you stability and allows you to walk along. So, when the next diet calls, do not forget your plan on how to tackle it.