Everyone is prone to losing his or her motivation at one time or another. Your friend may be prone to losing his or her enthusiasm over work or may be simply going through a rough ptach. One may be demotivated due to several factors such as burnout, depression, failure, frustration and many more. Nevertheless, if you see a friend who is showing some signs of demotivation, why not step in and give help your friend?
Other all, motivating others has an proven uplifting effect on ourselves as well!
Try these six simple ways to motivate your friend in need:
1. Do not do anything excessive, ie providing solutions.
As a friend, you must not do anything that may add fuel to the fire. Do not nag, berate, shame, manipulate, shout and bicker with your friend just because she/he lost her motivation. The last thing your friend needs is another person digging a hole for them. Instead, do things that can actually help your friend get back on track. More importantly, it can be easy to start offering solutions to their problems which can be a huge turn off – resist the temptation to do it and if you must, make it gentle.
2. Listen.
If your friend is ready to share her feelings, you ought to listen. Lending your ear is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to comfort someone. Sometimes, a demotivated person just needs someone to talk to and someone to share her/his feelings with.
Listening to your friend essentially allows him to release whatever negative energy he may have inside.
3. Encourage.
Give simple words of encouragement, make sure it is genuine and sincere. You can give words of advice or you can provide moral support in order to make her feel better. “I understand”, “I’ve been there before”, and “I know how you feel because I also ….” will help make your friend feel not alone in being de-motivated.
4. Do things together.
Do activities that may take your friend’s mind away from the reason she became demotivated. In short, provide a break. You can exercise together or do fun things together. After the activities you did are over, your minds will be clearer and your motivation is refueled. Good activities to do include those that involve encouragement and motivation – such as cooperative board games (C’mon we can do this!) and jogging (let’s push on through the last mile!).
5. Stay in touch.
Lastly, once you helped your friend get back on track, you must make sure to keep in touch. Ask your friend how she is doing. Ask about her day at work. Stay connected, as a simple hello everyday can work wonders. Remember not to treat your demotivated friend as a ‘problem’ that must be ‘treated’. Everyone gets demotivated from time to time. When you help others – you can be sure that they will also be much likelier to be supportive and encourage you in your endeavors.
These helpful tips can help you motivate your friend without being harsh on them. You do not need to turn into a personal trainer or a motivational speaker to help your friend refuel her enthusiasm.
