Paige's January Blog

2011-01-19

Motivation is something that comes and goes with most of us. I know personally that there have been recent times during finals week and during the holidays where I seemed to just lose all of my motivation for things. There are times when we feel fired up about a project and then there are other times when we are flat about the things we are trying to accomplish. We think to ourselves, "Where did all of my excitement go? When did I lose it?" During this time of year when many of you are deeply involved in your projects and competition, you can become so stressed out that you end up losing your motivation. Well, I want to try and give you five ways to keep yourself motivated during this somewhat stressful season in DECA!

#1. Set Goals. You can get motivated best by setting a goal for yourself and going after it. The ideal way to stay motivated is by keeping your goal in front of you. Having goals and going after those goals will help your mental and emotional state. Pick a goal such as advancing to the State or National competition in your competitive events. This way you are excited and motivated to keep doing more.

The biggest component of motivation is remembering what you want and knowing exactly what it is that you are working for.

#2. Get Support. Talk about your goal to people who support you, and try to be accountable to them. Tell them how things are going with your goal and with life in general. This helps to keep you feeling motivated consistently, and if your motivation starts to fall, then you have a support system to help bring you back up. Your commitment level will also be strengthened by having a support system because these people will hold you accountable for getting things done.

The important thing is to only talk to people who have a history of supporting you. I know that when I was running for my position as your Central Region Vice President my local DECA chapter and my Advisor were my biggest support system throughout the entire process. If you share your goals with people who are negative towards you, they'll simply tear you down. You don't need the negativity.

#3. Dream. Dream while you work. Dream while you’re watching TV. And just dream when you have the free time. By dreaming you let your imagination flow and you create new visions for your life, which can turn into goals! Keep a very clear picture of what it is that you want. Do this and you will have no problem with motivation.

#4. Action Is Important. Take consistent action toward a goal or an issue no matter what. Consistent action develops momentum, and momentum is vital in how motivated a person feels. The more you move towards something the more excited you will be. Once you know want you want and you know how you are going to get it then stay the course. Keep going after what it is that you want.

This pertains directly to DECA and your competitive events because there are many times during presentations and events where you might not get the score your wanted from the judges. Well, if you stay motivated and keep going after what you want, then you can use the comments from the judges to better your paper or presentation for your next competition!

#5. Continue Learning. Read books about your event, whether its sports and entertainment or hospitality, you can find something out there to further your knowledge. Also, try listening to audio programs on the subject of your goals and even on motivation itself. This will help you to learn specific techniques for staying motivated. The instruction that you get from these sources can make a tremendous difference.

It is quite normal for our motivation level to fall and die off at times. But, by using these five key points you can consistently feel excited about what it is that you are going after. If you do the proper tasks with the proper attitude then you will stay constantly motivated. I personally know from high school and now during my time in college how stress can hinder our levels of motivation, but I want all of you to have the best chance at success. And one part to success is staying motivated!

Good Luck,

Paige Dorman