How To Stay Positive and Motivated (In 9 Easy Steps)

Whether you are working from home or the office, or just working on your own personal goals, knowing how to stay positive and motivated is the key to happiness and productivity.

We have a finite amount of time throughout each day, yet there seems to be an infinite number of tasks that need doing. So how do you stay positive and motivated amongst all the chaos of everyday life?

How to Stay Motivated In Life

Motivation is a funny thing. We all have it, but it looks different for each of us. Some are motivated by money while others are motivated by their passions and the opportunity to do work that they love.

Regardless of what your motivation is, it is an important thing to have and understand. Without it, you will struggle to really do anything meaningful with your life. But with it, you will accomplish great things!

People who understand their motivational sources tend to have a positive outlook because they believe in reaching achievable goals. They understand their motivation and what they need to do to accomplish their goals.

Learning how to stay positive and motivated means that you are a person who is excited about getting down to work.

Now, this doesn’t just mean your job. This means taking action to reach your goals. Whether it is in your professional life or your personal life, the best way to reach your goals is to find your motivation and use it to push you forward.

9 Steps for How To Stay Positive and Motivated

Are you a naturally positive and motivated person? As you read these 9 steps, think about where you are lacking positivity and motivation.

Are you bored with your work and finding it hard to focus on positive thoughts at your job? Or are you finding it difficult to keep working toward a difficult goal?

Regardless of your why, understanding how to stay positive and motivated will give you a new perspective on achieving your goals.

Let’s dig into these 9 steps for how to stay positive and motivated!

#1. Take Control of Your Morning

Think of your morning as a blank slate. You don’t actually wake up in a bad mood, or with a positive attitude.

Instead, you wake up with a choice. You get to choose to take control of your entire day in your first waking moments.

For example, you may choose to entertain a thought such as: ‘oh, great. It’s Monday. I can’t wait until the end of the day’.

This type of negative thinking is bound to have a negative impact on your day. So instead, try a different way!

Easier said than done though, right? Well, here’s something you can try that might help:

Choose to think about the present moment as a gift, and not an obligation. You don’t have to go to work. You get the opportunity to make the best of the day and find positive things wherever you can!

There is a subtle distinction here but it makes all the difference. Choosing to start the day with a grateful heart will help you find good things to be grateful for throughout the day.

Use a gratitude journal to jot down small and simple things that you feel grateful to have in your life.

This will help you understand how to stay positive and motivated when you feel neither of these.

#2. Eat Right

The most cliché advice a person could possibly give also happens to be one of the most important entries on this list.

We all know that eating healthy is important. I won’t bore you with a lecture on this. But it is important to understand the role food has when learning how to stay positive and motivated.

Unhealthy food feels good in the moment, but it leaves you with no energy to do anything productive. If you want to know how to stay positive and motivated, you need to fuel your body with the food it needs to make this happen!

Froot Loops are a great way to feel energized for about as long as the bowl lasts. But by the time your morning has started, you will feel depleted and in need of some positive energy.

And you will probably find that when you need it most, positive thinking won’t be easy to come by.

#3. Sleep Right

Knowing how to stay positive and motivated starts with a good morning. And the best way to start your morning right is by putting yourself to sleep early enough the night before.

This is something I find really tough. Once all of my people are asleep, I kick myself into overdrive and do as much as I possibly can before I all of a sudden have other responsibilities again.

This is a bad habit that keeps me up really, really late most nights. And the next morning I am feeling everything but positive and motivated. Unless you consider being positive that I am motivated to stay in bed…

Last night is too late to change, but you own tonight! Try it out! See how it feels to wake up in a good mood, feeling positive and motivated!

#4. Exercise

The last cliché piece of advice on this list, I promise!

Regular exercise keeps your body happy, which is how to stay positive and motivated! Find your favorite fun activity that involves moving your body. Do it for just 30 minutes per day to get started. Before long it will become a habit!

Exercise also supports your mental health which will make it easier to focus and stay motivated.

It is also a quick way to convince your brain to refocus after you lose motivation. Next time you find yourself unmotivated, drop and give yourself a good ten pushups or 30 jumping jacks! This gives your brain a sudden jolt of energy and forces it to reengage. It works every time!

#5. How to Stay Positive and Motivated: Find Your Passion

Nothing motivates you more than doing something you are excited about.

Picture your favorite thing in the whole world to do. Would you rather do that, or watch paint dry?

Exactly.

Not everyone is passionate about their work. But if you can job search for work that you are passionate about and allows you to use your skills while making a difference in the world, you will never have to wonder how to stay positive and motivated!

We start to have negative thoughts any time we feel like our needs aren’t being met. At work, this is when we feel disengaged, or when our minds drift to our lives outside of work. This has a negative impact on motivation

Engaging in your passions stops this from happening!

Quitting your job is never easy, but it can be a very worthwhile change that can lead to a newfound sense of purpose and meaning in your life. When I quit teaching, I found my life passion that I never knew I had!

#6. The Right Mindset

A positive mindset is an essential tool for learning how to stay positive and motivated.

There are many types of mindsets you can have, but a growth mindset is the best way to find positivity and motivation in all things.

A growth mindset is a way of thinking that helps you understand the world as a series of challenges that help you grow and improve.

From this perspective, failure is not defeat. Instead, it is motivation! Failure is the driving force to help people with a growth mindset improve and develop themselves.

This way of thinking can be used to overcome professional obstacles, conquer a personal struggle, or learn a difficult new skill or new hobby!

A growth mindset uses positive self-talk when faced with failure and hard times to hunt for growth opportunities. Imagine how positive and motivated you would be if the only things you could see were growth opportunities!

You would be a lot less likely to shy away from challenges and much more motivated to step outside your comfort zone!

#7. Get Organized

One of the most important things you can have to understand how to stay positive and motivated is organization.

Using a schedule to organize your daily routine is essential if you want to stay stress-free and motivated throughout the day. A schedule helps chunk out big tasks, making them seem much less overwhelming.

Using timers and taking breaks can keep you motivated when you are finding it hard to keep going. Even people who do the most exciting and positive work still need breaks.

#8. How to Stay Positive and Motivated: Find Your Place!

Do you have a positive environment that supports your happiness and productivity? This is another essential when learning how to stay positive and motivated.

Find a space that has minimal distractions (ie. screens and social media) and make it your own. Arrange everything the way you want it to be and keep it tidy so that your mind doesn’t wander.

Keep your favorite music, candles, pets, etc. handy for any time you need to feel positive and motived!

One important tip: even the most peaceful and serene space can get stale if you stay too long. A change of scenery can do wonders for your energy levels and productivity!

#9. Surround Yourself With Positive and Encouraging People

Positive influences such as family, friends, or coworkers can also help you see how to stay positive and motivated.

Negative people are draining and suck the positivity right out of you. Positive people energize and motivate you. They make you feel like anything is possible!

Surround yourself with personal role models and optimistic people that live their lives with a positive outlook. Actively search for people who build you up and make you feel like you can take on the world!

Understanding How to Stay Positive and Motivated

Knowing how to stay positive and motivated is the trick to staying happy and productive for the long term. Whether it is in your personal or professional life, you can reach any goal if you stay positive and have the right motivation!

But, it takes hard work, a certain mindset, dedication to your own wellbeing, and a few changes to your daily life.

The amount of time we have each day tends to feel unfairly short, doesn’t it? But, when you understand how to stay positive and motivated, you truly can accomplish anything you put your mind to!

Don’t forget to share this post with your friends and family on social media! If you know someone who could use a motivational push, this blog post could be what they need to make a major change!

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