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Motivation Killers are a real thing when you are trying to expand your personal growth. Everyone has their own version. However, they all fall into the same categories. Motivation killers are little thoughts that can be sneaky because they sound really smart in the moment.
You have things to do and things to get done. You know what you want your life to look like. You may even have clarity about who you hope to become. However, you just can’t find the motivation to make the changes needed or take the steps called for. You might think you don’t know where to start. Maybe you are great at starting but have yet to get anything finished.
The good news is that all motivation killers live in your head. Yep, as big as they seem, they are just pieces of thoughts, much like whisps of smoke. The even better news is that when we know that motivation killers are just thoughts, we also know a thought can be changed.
A thought can be changed by understanding and embracing a counter-thought that makes just as much sense to you. In other words, motivation killers are about your beliefs. A belief is just a thought that you think about a lot.
Change the thought with something that really makes sense to you, and you change the belief. Change the belief, and you change the action. So let’s shine a flashlight on 8 mistakes and motivation killers to your personal growth. Unraveling The Truth: 8 Big and Common Myths About Motivation
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #1-Thinking You Already Know Everything You Need To Know.
There is a saying that you can’t fill a cup that is already full. We think we know everything when we are younger because that’s what being young is all about. However, we are too inexperienced to know what we don’t know. We can all relate to doing and being a newbie who thinks they know it all, whether it was us at 16 or 30.
We feel like nothing else is new under the sun when we are older. We think we know it all because we have already seen so much. However, no matter your age, education, or zip code, there is still so much to learn, explore, and expand.
Boredom is a total motivation killer. If it feels like everything is, “same poopy doo, different day,” yada yada yada, it’s time to learn something new. If you constantly feel like you are the most intelligent person in the room… it is time to find a new room.
We suggest becoming a lifetime student, whether returning to college or learning to make sourdough bread. When you learn new things, it gets you interested and excited. When you are interested and enthusiastic, you will be surprised by what you feel motivated to do and be a part of.
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #2-Getting Stuck In Reading And Thinking Instead Of Taking Action.
English writer and philosopher Alan Watts said, “The menu is not the meal.” He explained the need to experience things, not just read about things. There is also such a thing as “analysis paralysis.” This is when we get stuck in overthinking instead of taking action.
When you are in the research and planning stages of an idea, it’s exciting to read, imagine, and think. But when is it time to stop thinking and reading and start doing? You will know when your reading and thinking have become a motivation killer. You will know because you will realize that you are more excited about getting your 10th book on something than making plans to start doing something.
There is nothing wrong with hobbies based on research, knowledge, and thinking about stuff. If that is what you are playing with, play away because enjoyment is so healthy! Sometimes, what you love is thinking about something, having no intention of actually doing it. But if you are looking for motivation to take action, don’t fool yourself into thinking that reading the menu is the same as eating the steak and baked potato in the picture. Maybe it’s time to take action.
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #3-Giving Up: “I Guess I Just Am Who I Am.”
“I just am who I am” is another one of those thoughts that create beliefs that aren’t true. Sure, you are who you are. But in all reality, YOU are an ever-changing individual. You are not who you were last year. You may not even be who you were last month. If there are things you are trying to change, they are changing. Give them time.
“I just am who I am” can also come from being weary. That can mean being physically tired. It can also mean tired of planning, reading, and thinking. This is a good sign that you’ve been thinking and reading too long. Perhaps it’s time to take action. “I am who I am” could be a rallying cry for moving forward and trying something new.
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #4-Worrying About What Others Think.
With personal growth comes change. Most people are not afraid of change as much as they are fearful of what others will think of that change. What if you become someone your friends or family don’t understand? What if they don’t know what to do with you now? What if you change so much that you no longer fit into who they think you should be? What if you get fired up to do something, and your friends tell you it’s impossible?
Sometimes, we have the opposite worry. What if we step into our new version of ourselves, and now people expect us to be their idea of perfect? What if people think ….blah blah blah blah. (Ya’ really need to stop that.) Worrying about what others think and what others say is the Legos of motivational killers. It’s like building blocks for a wall between you and what you want to create. In the words of Wayne Dyer, “What other people think of me is none of my business.” Unraveling The Truth: 8 Big and Common Myths About Motivation
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #5-Dabbling In…Everything.
Dabbling consists of doing a little of this and a little of that. There is nothing wrong with trying a few things until you find what works. It’s a problem when you start something, then start something else, then start something else without any results.
The answer to this is to start with the end in mind. Starting is important. But where do you want to end up? The plane has to take off, but where will it land? As part of your getting started idea, be sure you have some plans for the purpose and outcome of your process.
Too much starting without finishing is a giant motivation killer. Veterinarians warn cat owners not to play with their cats with red laser pointers. It’s funny to watch a cat try to catch the dot. But in reality, the cat will never acquire the light. So, there is never any end to the hunt. In the long run, it can make kitty depressed and sullen because it can’t finish what it started. Dabbling can do the same thing to your motivation.
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #6-Having Unreasonable Expectations.
We tend to expect things from ourselves that we would never expect from others. We expect ourselves to do things faster and better than we would push others we love to do. We don’t allow ourselves space to make mistakes or start over.
Anything new has a learning curve. In that learning curve is not only learning but sometimes trying and having to try something else. It’s a mistake and a motivation killer to have an unreasonable expectation that you won’t have to work out a bug or two.
Keep things around you that remind you to breathe, take a minute and know you don’t have to do everything all at once. We like these:
- Positive Reminders Desk Decor (Click here to get yours)
- Gentle Reminders Wooden Sign (Click here to get yours)
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #7-Not Taking Time To Get Clarity On What You Are Trying To Do.
Most people don’t get what they want because they don’t know what they want. Usually, there are a few things to sort out. This is because there is what you want, what everyone else wants, and what people think you should want.
We can feel like that cat chasing the red dot when we aren’t clear on what we are trying to accomplish. What is it you are trying to do? What specifically are you hoping to accomplish? How will you know when you get there?
Just wanting to be “happy” can be an ever-moving target. “What result is it I want to create?” There is the motivating question. Start with the end in mind. Let it move, motivate, and inspire you to the next right thing.
Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth #8-Not Choosing Or Knowing You Can Always Choose Again.
What if you get clarity and, along the way, realize you want something different? What if you made a mistake? What if you needed better information? What if you change, and that changes what you want? Any of those could happen along the way.
In your clarity, you will know where you are and what it is that you want to be different. Then…you choose again. There is a difference between “Dabbling,” jumping from thing to thing, and realizing it’s time to choose again.
Don’t be afraid to finally choose; don’t be frightened to choose again. It’s healthy, sometimes necessary, and often the beginning of exactly what you are looking for.
Get Rid Of A Few Motivation Killers, And You Will Find Your Personal Growth Moving Back On Track.
Getting rid of all these motivation killers would be awesome. But even getting rid of one or two will make a big difference for you. Do it! Pick a couple. Take the action and watch what happens next. A small amount of change can create a large amount of results when you are feeling stuck. You’ve Got This!
Unraveling The Truth: 8 Big and Common Myths About Motivation
Pixi-Pebbles For Overcoming Motivation Killers and Mistakes…
Pixi-Pebbles are songs, quotes, videos, interviews, movie references, and books that we each personally pick for you.
We’ve used these little Pixi-Pebbles to move ourselves from a feeling we’re not enjoying very much…to a feeling that helps us discover our vision of intention, awareness, and direction.
They lead us to hope, possibilities, and a fire under our butt to live life by design instead of default.
In our blog, Unraveling The Truth: 8 Mistakes And Motivation Killers To Your Personal Growth, here is a Pixi-Pebble that came to mind…
Just a little inspiration to get you from here to there…
We love reading motivational stories of all kinds, every day people and celebrities. If you like reading about celebrities motivational stories, this is the perfect Pixi Pebble for you… click here to find real life stories about celebrities to help inspire and motivate you: 42 Inspirational True Stories For Your Motivation and Personal Growth.