You are Here: How to Stay Engaged when Motivation Gets Off Track

Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that only 30 percent of U.S. employees feel engaged at work. That means that 71 percent of Americans are simply present at the office—not especially inspired or connected to their jobs. How sad is that? Not being engaged at work is a hard habit to break and the challenge becomes how to stay connected when motivation gets off track.

Imagine you’re standing back, looking at a map of your life and you see the red arrow that points to the spot: You are here. This is where you are in your career, so what can you do about it? If you find yourself unmotivated, are you just going to waste time slogging through it or are you going to try and change the situation? Here are some strategies that can help you jumpstart your motivation at work:

Stop caring about the wrong thing

Yes, I know this is a bold statement, so let me clarify. Obviously you need to care about the people you work with and about the work you do. However, what you don’t need to focus on are those decisions made at the top that you don’t have control over. Caring about the wrong thing will not serve you in the long run. It accomplishes nothing and can really drain your motivation. Take comfort in those things you can “own” and feel good about, such as what you bring to the table and the attitude with which you approach the task at hand.

Set personal, work related goals

Make a list of those things you have control over or consider what skills and training you can improve upon. For example, you may want to increase your knowledge in a certain area or hone those skills that will make you more marketable and more valuable. When you reach your objectives, always find a way to celebrate or reward yourself. Consider applying your talents to a project that you can add value to. This may include tasks that stretch your abilities and expand your horizons.

Work smart

Regardless of how you feel, remember that you still have work to do and a future to consider. Focus on the work at hand and separate it from the rest of the noise. Whenever I find my motivation waning, I make a list of things that I find enjoyable about that particular job and try to concentrate on those positive aspects.

Attitude is everything

Whenever I find my attitude (or my day) going sideways, I try to get clear on exactly what is causing my outlook. Once I do that, I am able to gain better focus and stay motivated for longer periods of time. As a side benefit, I find that enthusiasm and motivation are contagious, so the good attitude tends to spread, building up others as I go along.

Go in search of light around you

Is there someplace at work where people are doing well; where you can spend time re-energizing and renewing yourself? When you find yourself surrounded by misery, seek out those people that will make you feel better. You may want to look for motivational opportunities outside of work. If your work life feels like it is at a standstill—or worse, like it’s going backwards—try not to let this overshadow your personal life. I know: easier said than done! However, the silver lining of a stressful situation at work is that you may discover an excellent reason to restore balance to your life. Train for a 5K, take up a new hobby or volunteer at a soup kitchen. This will help balance out your stress levels and give you the chance to gain some perspective. The key to staying engaged even when your motivation gets off track is to keep moving in a positive direction. The more you are able to keep a positive attitude, surround yourself with light and keep moving forward—the more you will be rewarded somewhere, somehow, someway down the line.

Allan Rufus author of The Master’s Sacred Knowledge on the power of constructive movement: “Life is like a game of chess. To win you have to make a move. Knowing which move to make comes with insight and knowledge, and by learning the lessons that are accumulated along the way. We become each and every piece within the game called life!”

———————-

If you like what you read, please feel free to Like it with a thumbs up, share or comment…thanks for stopping by and sharing :).

———————-

Kaylaa T. Blackwell is an IT Professional working @ Itron, Inc. and a student @ Southern New Hampshire University with a penchant for writing, researching and helping others resolve real world issues. She has a great interest in technology, business and psychology and how they impact each other. The views and opinions expressed in this article belongs to Kaylaa and do not represent the opinions of her employer. Learn more about her here.

Get Social:

Follow Blog: CommonSenseGal.com to get more Insights, Inspiration and Food for Thoughts. Twitter: @KaylaaBlackwell Connect: LinkedIn