5 WAYS TO STAY MOTIVATED

1. Be happy: A great deal of motivation comes from understanding one's state of happiness. However, happiness, like most other oh-so-important concepts in life, is a slippery concept. How would one go about changing how happy they are? Very simply put, happiness and control are causal, meaning that when you take away somebody's control, they are less happy. Logic would thus indicate that by giving yourself some control, you are generally happier, and more motivated to do something. It's the reason there are control freaks in the world, and it's the reason video games have become so popular. Some control-based activities are:

• Video Games
• Hiking (primarily alone)
• Playing chess
• Reading
• Writing

2.  Be more energetic: Many people underestimate the importance of their own energy level, and unfortunately, they only remember after they pull that all-nighter. It isn't a lack of motivation, per se, but more a lack of perceived energy. There are several factors that affect one's level of energy:

• Diet: Understand that your body has needs too, and if you ignore those needs your body will tell you. In short, understand what your body is telling you.
• When you have a headache, before you grab those pills in your medicine cabinet, try putting some water into your system. Drink a glass or two, wait for fifteen minutes, and see if the headache is gone.
• A good lesson to learn is that caffeine doesn't actually help you gain energy, it just lessens the effect of being tired. Consider replacing your caffeine with vitamins B6 and B12. Vitamin B is healthier, more convenient, and cheaper.
• If you need energy, seek it out, because it will be extremely hard to stay motivated without it.
• Sleep is nature's downtime. Make sure that you get enough of it, and a high enough quality of it.
• Make sure your bedroom is completely dark at night.
• Make sure there are no sounds keeping you awake.
• Make sure that your bedroom is cold at night, ideally 65 degrees (18 Celsius).
• Attempt to get not eight, but nine hours of sleep every night.

3. Be efficient:  Efficiency is extremely important. Without efficiency a person will have zero motivation to do anything. Efficiency is the confidence one has in their own personal abilities. Without that confidence one can easily give into immobility. Ways to facilitate efficiency are discussed below.

• Skill: Are you good at something? Then don't be afraid to do it. Are you average at something? Then remember that practice makes perfect. Barring some sort of strange neurological condition, the good guy's talent is always reachable by working at it. Remember the story of Abraham Lincoln, and how he was born in a log cabin and made his way to the White House.
• Compete: So much of efficiency is drawn from reference, for a high self-value one must draw it from a reference point or another person. In other words, take that good guy as a friendly rival! Competition is a powerful muse, my friend.
• Train: Find time to train and discover new skills that you have. For example, learning to use both hands or how to properly type on a keyboard are both reachable talents, and both are well worth the time spent.

4. Get the support you need: Your support are the foundations for your personality and your values. Support can be broken down into two areas, internal and external:

• Internal: Your internal supports are the small realizations that nourish your potential. Good realizations don't always have to be true, and true realizations don't always have to be good. For example, thinking that since time is so short that something is not worth doing is a true-but-unhelpful internal support. So much of motivation comes not from acknowledging what is true, but believing in what's worth believing in. Other good internal supports are listed below:
• Sublimation is everything, Turn all your flaws around into something productive and admirable. Aggression into ambition, Arrogance into efficiency, immobility into patience.
• Decisions are everything, Make sure you appreciate and give a great deal of attention to your decisions, it's the only real control you have.
• External Supports: External supports are people, places or things that nourish your potential. External supports vary but it's always important to have them. Good supports will be listed below:
• Good Friends: Keep yourself in good company. Remember the "Ladder Scenario": If you are climbing a ladder, and your friend keeps knocking you down when you finally start getting to the top, do yourself a favor next time: keep your footing on the ladder, and when he goes to kick you down, grab his leg and throw him down, and with that, out of your life.
• Good Family: Unfortunately, you can't really choose your family, barring desperate measures. But if they are the people at the top of the ladder, perhaps it is better to find another ladder to climb, be it one tried and true, or one new and unprecedented.

5. Feel fulfilled: Fulfillment is a very crucial part of staying motivated. Knowing that you are doing the things you wish to do can push you forward more than any other variable.

• Take time to sit back and admire what you've done. Seeing how far you've come gives you a sense of purpose.
• Don't be embarrassed to take credit in what you've done. You know you've worked hard, and getting praise from other people can strengthen your resolve in pushing on.