Where in The World is My Motivation?

How to stay motivated during a job search

 The road to happiness lies in two simple principles: find what it is that interests you and that you can do well, and when you find it, put your whole soul into it- every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have."

 John D. Rockfeller III, Philanthropist

     I believe that everybody once in a while is asking himself this "powerful question"- especially if you are chasing a life-important goal like changing a career, looking for a job,  improving a relationship, going to school or just simply if you decided to have more fun in your life- this is now in our goal list too! 

      Since it’s happening to everybody  I wanted to dig deeper in the subject and find out why we are loosing focus, being down in the 'hole" and actually how we get out of there....

     Here we are- with my experience on the subject- practical and theoretical.

     It's generally agreed that motives are energizers of behavior, but how indeed they operate or originate is still a continuing source of debate...As we all know there are biological drives such as hunger, thirst and sex.

    There are also learned motives such as affiliation, achievement and competitiveness. And of course there are emotional motives such as pleasure- from a mild pleasing sensation to ecstasy and negative- pain, including anger, fear and frustration.

     The basic motive actually behind all behavior is to avoid pain and seek pleasure.  

    What's the resource of your motivation- negative emotions and feelings (like frustration, anger, pain) or positive (seeking more pleasure, satisfaction or achievement)?

     Translated to your job search motivation is actually avoiding the negative consequesces of being without a job- being without money, unble to pay your bills, feeling useless or looking for a better career, being more successful and achieving extraordinary results- whatever success and failure means for you.

     Whatever is the answer- try to expand and enlarge it, make it bigger- on a physical and emotional level. It's not logical especially for negative emotions, but if this is what drives you toward your goal- it makes sense to reinforce your motivation. That will be your motivation core, the driving force towards your goals.

     Answering these basic question will give you an answer what stays behind your motivation. From there on here are some tips and rules to avoid gaps and valleys, when trying to achieve your goal:

Rule #1: Focus on what's working instead of what's not. If I'm stuck lets say in writing my resume, but at the same time I have an opportunity for networking, I would recomemd you to focus on what's easy at this moment and not to go agains the flow.

2. Concentrate on what you want, instead of what you don't want. If I keep complaining that my boss is giving me hard time- guess what- he'll write me down probably tomorrow.

3. Make your "Emergency List of Things"-  what are the things that will make you feel good (example: going to a movie, playing tennis, reading a book, taking a walk, talking to a friend)- anything that comes to your mind and you feel good about it.

   Needless to say- take the list out and start doing the things from the list when you are "stuck". We all have our ups and downs and the purpose is to make the “downs” as shorter as possible.

4. Take a few days break- if you come to a point where you don't know what to do next, you don't have any ideas, nobody is calling you for an interview- or you just feel diagonally parked in a parallel universe- don't force yourself to chase your goal when you don't have a desire to do so.

5.Visualize- even though this does not work for everybody, it may work for you.

     Draw a picture in your mind how you would feel when your goal is accomplished, make it as vivid as possible and repeat it as often as possible. Our mind doesn’t know that this picture is "fake" and will mobilize all resources to make it reality.

6. Talk out your fears and doubts to a friend- or someone you trust and who will not judge you. This helps to get clarify of your thoughts and will make your fears smaller.

7. Write it down- sometimes our friends are not available for such confessions- so write down your feelings, emotions and fears- throw them on a paper and this will make space for new ideas!

8. Make a plan when looking for a job or changing your career and stick to this plan no matter what. It’s a commintment to your goal- without a commitment we can’t achieve anything.

9. Participate in a Mastermind group – if you don’t have one- be the initiator. These people will help you with resources, referrals, leads and will brainstorm ideas for you for free. They’ll hold you accountable and keep you motivated.

     I don’t know any successful person who does not participate in an Advisory Board or Mastermind Group. In addition to that have an Accountability Partner. You be helping each other along the way.

10. High energy attracts high energy- have fun, even if you have to put that on your "to do list".

11. If you want something new, be prepared and open to having it come from anywhere, any place, any person. That will mean being detached to the outcome and just enjoying the journey. 

   Don’t overlook opportunities just because you are shortsighted and can’t see other possibilities along the way. 

12. Finally- be consistent and crystal clear of what you want. Every day do one little thing that will take you just a little bit closer to your goal when looking for a job, or in a career transition.

 “Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. “

Lou Holtz