This is the second blog I am writing today.
After finishing the first blog of the day (It was a good one, go check it out!), I went to ‘File > New Document ’ and was presented with a blank page.
Because AI doesn’t write these blogs and it takes some of my mental capacity to do so I thought, “I can’t write on an empty stomach, let’s grab a snack and maybe a coffee to get my energy levels up.”
Stick with me on this!
When I returned to my desk (slightly later than I intended, ssshh!) that same blank document was staring back at me, whilst the cursor continued to blink away. I guess the hope of the blog writing itself was a little too much to ask.
I proceeded to sit there for another 15 minutes, twiddling my thumbs, trying to get back into my writing groove.
If you’re reading this now, it means I eventually plucked up the motivation to get started or I called it quits and used AI (you may never really know).
Why is this 4th wall break relevant to you?
Well, when we set a performance goal, “Bench 100kg”; “Run a 4-minute mile”; or “Write one blog”. We can be incredibly motivated to hit that target and stop at nothing to reach the summit of that mountain.
However, once we reach the top of that mountain and present ourselves with a new challenge, a new mountain to climb, naturally we will experience a drop in motivation.
How many hikers climb one mountain and then immediately start climbing another one? They are probably going to have a break and rest up, right?
The same is true for our goals. If we have one performance goal to achieve then when we accomplish it, we could experience this moment of demotivation.
Of course, it is good to stop and rest. However, if this leads to a prolonged break, or in some cases, completely stopping, then we can begin to experience the downside of performance goals.
Therefore, once we have achieved our performance goal and that dopamine hit has passed, we can do a few things:
Overlapping Goals – Often we can feel deflated after achieving a goal because it leaves us without a sense of direction. Therefore, have goals running concurrently that each invest in a different part of your identity.
Small Steps – Yes, we need to rest, however, there is nothing stopping us from planning our next performance goal. We don’t need to jump in at the deep end, start with some small and easy processes to warm you into that next climb.
Reflection – Use lessons from your previous climb to inform your next goal. This creates an easier transition between finishing our old goal and starting a new one, thus ensuring motivation remains high.
Download Getahead today and set goals that will not only direct your motivation but help maintain it too.
ROBIN HUGHES
Head of Mental Performance