7 tips to get (and stay) motivated this year

That feeling is spine-tinglingly awesome and it's called motivation!

But what if you're someone that struggles to find motivation and stay in the zone? We've got a few tips up our sleeve to help you harness motivation and ride its good vibes.

Firstly, let's break it down.

Motivation is essentially our desire for something and the behaviour we employ to achieve it. It's wanting something and working for it. Most often motivation can't be forced; it needs to manifest organically.

How does motivation happen in the brain?

Motivation happens as a response to dopamine being released in our brain. Dopamine is a vital neurotransmitter that's responsible for many functions such as movement, motivation, memory, behaviour and cognition, attention and sleep. Traditionally, dopamine has been labelled as the ‘rewards' chemical as it was thought the chemical was released at the rewards stage, however recent research suggests dopamine is released before reward and stimulates our motivation, behaviour and anticipation for reward. Low levels of dopamine can hinder our drive for reward resulting in being less likely to exhibit motivated behaviour.

How to get motivated and stay motivated, here are 7 tips to help start you off

1. Seek out inspiration that might jump-start your own motivation.
2. Is the reason you are committing convincing enough? Try weighing up the pros and cons and reviewing the benefits you might gain for committing to your goal.
3. It's easier to maintain motivation when you are passionate about your goal. Genuine interest and gaining enjoyment out of it are ideal motivation harnessing tools.
4. It's great that motivation develops from something you want to do but what if you have to do something that you don't want to do? This is where you'll have to dig deep. You will need to assess the purpose and whether that purpose resonates with you. If it doesn't, then you need to explore what does.
5. Break your goal down into smaller more manageable pieces. This way you can gain small wins more quickly and therefore keep your motivation up.
6. Maintain the flow of motivation by constantly introducing new and stimulating things to your goal.
7. Surround yourself with people or an environment that encourages your enthusiasm.

Feeling motivated to do a short course? Short Courses by CIT Solutions have over 200 recreational courses for you to explore and get you pumped learning a new skill, or even feeling enthusiastic about an old hobby!

Has your lack of motivation persisted for longer than you'd like? Seeking professional advice from your GP may be a good place for you to get back on track.