I didn't grow up being excited for my mornings. All I remember is that I dreaded waking up. Then I found coffee, my best friend for years. It managed to wake me up and get me going.
I was constantly looking for extrinsic motivation. External rewards or punishments that were outside of my control. Something that would push me to move forward.
During the last 90 days, I left my good old friend, coffee. I left it to prove myself I don't need outside chemicals for my brain to be awake and fresh. I left it because I was curious about my own brain and started measuring my brainwaves. That's a story for another time but leaving coffee is changing a major habit and for that you need motivation.
So here are some ways I hack my motivation:
- Curiosity is a great driver of motivation. If you are curious about something then you will investigate, research and talk about the topic. If you let your curiousity fill you up it would be your greatest resource.
- Proving people wrong: "The watch me" attitude has served me as a way to get motivated. When people told me I couldn't code, I went taught myself and taught 500 girls to code so none of them would be told they can't do it because they can't code.
- Serving people: When you realize it's beyond yourself, it's for a greater cause. This can powerfully bring up the best motivation to move to action. Even if your work is not social or volunteering you can find meaning in your free time. You can apply the skills you use for work and use them to serve people and bring more significance to your life.
Hacking your motivation is a trial and error process to see what works for you. Don't take everything on the books or even my own advice. Try it and keep what works for you. Start hacking your future now.
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