How to Improve Motivation and Keep Others Motivated as Well
Staying motivated is a key hurdle in life and work. There are times when it is hard to stay motivated under difficult circumstances. However, there are a couple techniques that can help improve motivation and keep others motivated as well. Here are two practical ways...
How to Avoid the Hedonic Treadmill
The hedonic treadmill or hedonic adaptation is the theory that people will always return to a set level of happiness no matter what happens in their lives. For example, a person who wins the lottery may be happy with the fact that they have more money than they’ve ever had before, but they will return to the same general mood that they were in before once they get used to their new lifestyle. By the same token, someone who has suffered a grave misfortune such as the death of a loved one or an accident that has left them disabled may be miserable for a while, but their mood will improve over time as they settle into their new life.
Depending on who you are and the life you lead, the hedonic treadmill sounds like a depressing concept. You might feel better about your life if you get a better-paying job, start a new relationship, or buy something that you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford before, but what’s the point if your newfound happiness doesn’t last? At its worst, the hedonic treadmill drives people to constantly spend more money and take greater and more dangerous risks.
So, now that we have an idea of what the hedonic treadmill is, can we avoid it? Some might argue that we cannot. Nothing lasts forever, and every emotion that we experience is fleeting. On the other hand, there are things that you can do to cut down the “treading water” feeling that you might be getting from life. First of all, you can make sure that your life includes several things that give you small pleasures such as having a cup of coffee in the morning or spending time with your friends. Plan for these small pleasures throughout the day or the week so you can look forward to them. That will make them all the more pleasurable.
Second of all, try to vary your pleasures. As much as you might enjoy eating your favorite food, it will start to taste kind of boring if you eat it all the time. Pay attention to what you truly enjoy and how often you enjoy them, and try to mix things up every so often.
Finally, find a hobby that you enjoy, preferably one that takes a lot of work. You may not get instant gratification when you sit down to write a story or draw a picture, but the feeling of accomplishment you feel when you’re done will be much more powerful.
Perhaps more than anything else, the key to avoiding the hedonic treadmill is to savor the things that bring you pleasure. Nothing lasts forever, so enjoy life while you can and never take anything for granted.
How to Become More Self-Disciplined
Self-discipline is critical to achieving goals that you’ve set for yourself whether in your professional or personal life. Sometimes, it may be difficult to attain the goals because you’re having trouble creating the self-discipline required. Here are a few ways to become more self-disciplined.
Cut Out the Bad
Start by removing the temptations and distractions in your environment. Depending on what you’re looking to gain more discipline over, it could be something as simple as cutting junk food out of your diet, turning your cell phone off if you’re trying to focus on your work. There’s an app called SelfControl that you can download to your computer that will actually block Facebook, YouTube, and even your e-mail from opening for a set period of time. Setting yourself up for success begins with getting rid of distractions and temptations.
Plan
Sometimes, improving self-discipline means that you’ll have to make a change somewhere in your life. Waiting for the moment when it “feels right” to make the change won’t help you in your journey for more self-discipline. If you have a goal of paying attention during meetings at work, here’s where you can plan ahead and leave your phone at your desk. This also helps you cut out a distraction.
Embrace Failure
Failure actually is an option. It’s okay to fail and you should expect to fail at something at some point in your life. If you go into your goals knowing that failure could happen at any moment, one mistake or setback won’t make you feel that all of your efforts were for naught. Similarly, when you experience success, you need to celebrate that success. You should absolutely allow yourself a reward but just keep the big picture in mind. Let’s say that you’d like to close four large deals at work and you do just that. Don’t reward yourself by taking time off from work as a mini-vacation. Instead, do something like going out for a celebratory dinner with friends.
Improving your self-discipline will help you in all areas of your life. If you’re at a point where you feel you’re ready to begin improving, pick one area in your life and start. Just remember to cut out distractions, plan ahead, embrace failure and celebrate your successes!
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