Sarwar Khawaja: Motivation in Education

In 2017, Sarwar Khawaja received the Brian Tracy International Excellence Award for services in education & research. The renowned Tracy presented Khawaja with the award at a business event in London. One thing both Tracy and Khawaja understand is the importance of motivation and inspiration when it comes to education and business. Here are 5 ways to motivate yourself, and to stay motivated, when learning and working.

1) Create Goals

The former American football player Lou Holtz once said that “If you’re bored with life – you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things – you don’t have enough goals.” Goals aren’t just something to aim for, they’re also ways in which to measure your accomplishments. Whether you start out with small, manageable goals or aim for larger, more ambitious aspirations, goals help to locate where you are and what you need to do to achieve your dreams.

2) Celebrate Successes

However small the success, make sure you celebrate. Success could be as simple as getting through a difficult day, or completing a particularly challenging task. Reward yourself for those successes, as they’ll help you to progress. By celebrating your accomplishments, the road you’re taking towards your goals will be much easier to walk, and you’ll have more to motivate you along the journey.

3) Assess your Goals

Sometimes, it’s important to review your goals in order to understand if they’re still the right goals for you. During the course of your education or work, you may find your goals have changed, at which point you’ll need to revise those aspirations in order to stay motivated. If you feel your motivation to achieve is waning, it could be time to re-evaluate to ensure you don’t lose momentum. Reviewing and amending your goals is a positive sign that you’re able to focus on the correct destination.

4) Consider Deadlines

Benjamin Franklin once made the prescient point that “You may delay, but time will not.” Procrastination is an issue for all workers and students – it’s human nature. But in order to overcome that issue of time, it’s good practice to create deadlines that you can stick to in order to ensure you don’t lose track of your aims. However, make sure they’re achievable deadlines, and do give yourself time to rest and relax.

5) Be Optimistic

It’s not an easy concept to advise someone to be optimistic, but being positive is a key way of maintaining focus. Sometimes, positivity can be accomplished through sheer will – focus on what benefits achieving your goals will bring you, and understand how success will improve your life. Other times, you may need to work to feel positive. This may involve taking a little time off to do something you enjoy, or focusing on things you know to bring you a sense of peace and happiness. Colin Powell once described “Perpetual optimism” as a “Force multiplier”. Where you can, harness optimism to help give you the extra energy and motivation to move forward.