“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar
When it comes to the daily grind of school, it gets too easy to forget why you chose a major and career goal in the first place. We can all relate to taking core classes that are sometimes completely irrelevant from our actual interests and dealing with difficult professors who makes it easy to lose focus. Here are some ways to incorporate more motivation into your day to keep you on top of your game and always putting your best foot forward.
Find people in your field who you admireLook for professionals in the same field you are interested in pursuing. Researching people who you admire and figuring out how they attained success can be a great motivator when it comes to school and career planning. Follow them on social media, keep up with their blogs, and check out what they’re doing in the news for daily doses of motivation. Whether it’s a prominent doctor, writer, artist or engineer, figuring out what made that person successful and seeing their progress can help you plan out how to schedule your time and keep you on track.
Stay up to date on news in your fieldBeing knowledgeable about your industry has tons of long-term benefits. Making it a habit to check up on developments in your field of interest is a great way to keep yourself in the know about changes and innovations happening that could affect the way you prepare yourself to get a job. The more knowledgeable you are about your field and its realities, the more real it becomes. Doing so makes it easier to view a career as an actual attainable goal rather than a faraway possibility.
Intern, shadow or volunteerThere’s no better way to get motivated than by getting hands-on experience in your field of interest. You can take your experiences and use it as motivation when you’re struggling through required courses that seem irrelevant at the moment. Getting to know professionals and asking them questions about the realities of the workplace can be great motivation and inspiration to draw on when you’re having trouble remembering what got you interested in the field to begin with.
Make friends who can act as mentorsFinding upperclassmen who are doing well and are on track is great motivation. People heading into your field a couple years before you are great contacts to have on hand for future internships and networking purposes. It’s also great to have a friend to vent about frustrations and roadblocks you’re running into on your way to attaining your goals. Their advice can help get you through moments when you can’t muster up the motivation to get work done. You can find these mentors by joining organizations on campus that pertain to your field of interest.
Avoid getting burned outAs great as it is to immerse yourself in your field of interest, make sure to recharge by pursing hobbies outside of career development. It’s important to remind yourself that you have talents, skills and interests outside of school! Taking a break regularly is healthy and can actually boost productivity and motivation in the long run.
It’s not humanly possible to be on your A-game 100 percent of the time. But to get out of particularly deep ruts, it’s great to have a support system of people with similar interests and experiences, and to know as much as possible about why you took a liking to your chosen field in the first place. Whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, writer or artist, we believe in you, collegiettes!
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