By Sarah Khaireddine
Fellow and Features Writer
As you’ll recall from the last article, it’s not easy staying motivated when you’re job hunting. It often feels like there are so many factors working against you, and at times it may just seem easier to give up. However, giving up is never the answer!
Rejections and no replies from employers would make anyone feel disheartened. It makes it a lot more tempting to fall into bad habits and patterns you can’t seem to get out of. Getting out of a funk like this isn’t easy – it takes determination and focus. But anyone is capable of doing it if they’re willing to try. Below are two more important aspects of your life you could work on to improve your motivation.
1. Look after your health
Now this may seem like an obvious one but many people still fail to follow through with it. Looking after yourself should be a priority anyway, but particularly if you’re trying to keep yourself motivated.
We all know about the chemicals called endorphins that are released when you’re physically moving enough. Are they actually that much of a big deal? The answer is yes. Endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain reducing your perception of pain whilst triggering a positive feeling in your body at the same time, similar to that of morphine.
Regular exercise and a healthy balanced diet filled with fruit, vegetables and whole grains is such an important part of life and can make all the difference in keeping you focused on your goals. To make it easier on yourself, look up various meal plans online and always prepare. If you’re finding it hard to convince yourself to exercise, go with a friend! Or you could even stay in the comfort of your own home and exercise using a fitness work out video on YouTube.
2. Be positive!
The final aspect that you should always be working on to improve is your attitude. This one may in fact be the most important one, simply because it affects every single other one. Particularly while you’re looking for a job. If your attitude isn’t in the right place then the rest of your life probably won’t be either. It affects the way you view the world around you and the way the world views you. It’s down to us to make sure we try to stay as positive as we can and there are many ways we can do that. Here are a few:
- Smiling; at people on the street, at your bus driver, your shopkeeper, etc.
- Every time you have a negative thought, counteract it with a positive one.
- On a piece of paper, at the end of every single day write down at least one good thing that happened to you that day and keep them in a jar to go back to when you’re having a bad day.
You can’t be in control of everything in life. Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they just don’t. But that isn’t a reason to give up because something you are in control of is YOU; your attitude and the way you react to what happens are in YOUR power to modify.
Why not start now?
This goes to show just how important it is to stay motivated; because it will affect your overall mind-set which will in turn affect your life. Making changes life these isn’t easy but you can even start today, right now, and take it one step at a time.
Either way, anyone can do it with a little practice and encouragement from those who are around you. Improving these is guaranteed to help you achieve your greatest potential in life and you can do it. So what are you waiting for?
