How To Stay Motivated, With Revolution Hive

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If you’re feeling a little bit stuck at the moment because of coronavirus and the changes this year has thrown your way, don't fret! Our pals at Revolution Hive - who provide inspirational PSHE education through workshops & programmes that prepare young people for life beyond the classroom - are here to give their top five steps to staying motivated and reaching any goal. Over to them...

Honestly…you have every right to feel less driven, a little frustrated and as if the wind has been taken out of your sails due to the challenges that the coronavirus outbreak is causing us all to face.

Some of you reading this may just have been gaining momentum with your GCSEs, planning for the first year of Sixth Form or College or considering how to kickstart your career and then…everything has come to a halt. Definitely not ideal. 

These five steps are a proven method, based on science, that me and my team have been delivering at schools, colleges and universities across the country for the last few years. Ready?

Step 1: Identify a current topic of concern and confirm the SMART goal

First, you need to identify a specific area of your life, or to keep it focused it could be your move into the next phase of your education, that you know you are not performing so well within. 

Don’t select an element of your personal character such as ‘motivation’, ‘confidence’ or ‘focus’ as these are tools that help you reach a goal, or by-products of you pursuing a goal. They cannot be the goal itself. Examples of a topic you might choose could be “effectively balancing all of my school work”, “securing a work experience opportunity or first job” or “participating in extra-curricular and community activities”. These are just a few examples, but you can identify topics not directly related to education if you want.

Once you have this topic then you need to make the goal SMART.

SMART is an acronym that you can use to guide your goal-setting. It stands for:

Specific: your goal must be focused on a clearly defined result.

Example: To get a 2-week experience opportunity within a media company.

Measurable: you should be able to state where you are now to where you want to be.

Example: I will send emails and apply to 2 companies per day.

Achievable: start with what you know you are capable of if you just showed more discipline and commitment.

Example: This is possible as friends of mine with similar grades and from my school/area have secured their own work experience placements.

Realistic: be honest with yourself, you know what you are capable of.

Example: There will be some roles that I am not qualified for, but I won’t be put off of applying for others.

Timebound: your goal must have a deadline

Example: I expect to achieve this goal in the next 2 months.

Find out more about SMART goals here.

[SMART GIF HERE]

Step 2: Remind yourself you are COMPETENT

The first issue we face when trying to maintain the motivation to achieve a goal is the fact that we believe the journey is going to be hard. Now, it might be, but the journey is made easier when you fully embrace the fact you possess several skills and abilities that are needed to succeed.

So, take a moment to list at least three things you are good at in the topic area you chose. This is where you can focus on specific activities that are needed to try and reach your goal and whether you seem to do some of those fairly easily or comfortably.

Step 3: Identify the CONSEQUENCE

This may be the most important step if you want to talk about straight up staying motivated. Knowing what the consequence will be of you achieving your goal is going to fuel your fire like nothing else. Just think, what will the impact be on your personal life, professional life and the way you will be able to help those around you when you achieve this goal?

So, take a moment to state why the goal is truly important to you. This is where you identify exactly how you and the people you care about will benefit from the new results or progression you will make.

Step 4: Involving the COMMUNITY

This is key for many people who struggle with intrinsic motivation – which doesn’t make you bad by the way. Simply put, you are going to be more motivated when the people you engage with, interact with and who have the most influence on you, are also motivated and working towards goals. Or, better yet, they know your goal and hold you accountable to achieving it.

So, take a moment to list five people you spend the most time with and consider if they are a community of people that will help you reach this goal. This doesn’t mean you get rid of your friends if they don’t seem to fit the bill for helping you reach this goal, but it does mean you need to expand your circle of influence to include those that will help you stay motivated.

Step 5: Exercise the CHOICE you have for how to act

This final step should hopefully be the most empowering as this is where you are able to put your own stamp on the actions you are taking to achieve your goal. You are more motivated to achieve a goal when the approach you are taking is one that you created and not the one prescribed or demanded of you by someone else. 

So, take a moment to identify two unique actions you will take on a regular basis in order to reach this goal. This might mean that you make use of your artistic side and create a visual CV to send to employers; send a short poem about why you want each job you apply for; or make a game of seeing how long each employer takes to make contact with you after you apply then try to make it shorter every time.

Once you have all your above lists, confirm how you will remind yourself to put them into action regularly. This may be through sticking them up in your room, making it the wallpaper on your phone or putting it on your computer. 

So, there you have it. Five steps that are guaranteed to keep you motivated in the pursuit of whatever goals you want to achieve! And for daily tips on self-improvement, as well as understanding your place in the world, follow us on Instagram @revolutionhive