Centre for Counselling Services shares tips on staying motivated

Motivation is mainly determined by our attitudes towards our goals.

That was the main idea conveyed by senior university counsellor Evan Kok Choon Foong, who was the speaker for the “Meet the Counsellors: Staying Motivated” sharing session held on 24 September.

Being motivated helps us change unhelpful habits (Source: Unsplash)

The one-hour event occurred at an opportune moment as a recent survey, conducted by local educational enterprise Project ID, saw a 25 per cent increase in Malaysian students’ lack of motivation for online classes in 2021 compared to 2020.

Some reasons for the increase were the lack of peer interaction and campus closures.

Evan started off by saying that our goals and their outcomes needed to be specific, clear, and achievable because when these details are fuzzy, the tendency for us not to achieve them will be high.

“Some of these goals can also be broken down into smaller pieces, which will help you develop a sense of achievement faster,” said Evan.

To sustain motivation, Evan advised keeping to a routine, joining a club, getting a mentor who has succeeded in the things we want to do, and surrounding ourselves with positive people.

“In life there will be people who will discourage you, so it is important to be familiar with who you are and what your capabilities are.”

When you put yourself down, you will not only lose motivation, but become more inclined to throw your goals out completely.”

Evan also said that developing resilience would help to pull us through demotivating times.

“Exercising, for example, is initially painful and difficult, but if you continue to remember your reasons for exercising, you will be able to overcome your difficulties.”

Should things get too tough, Evan suggested taking some time off to review our progress towards our goals and rewarding ourselves for our achievements, all the while maintaining a calm mindset.

As reported by Forbes, keeping calm allows us to take control of a situation and perform better in our work.

“You can retreat or take a break, but never give up on your goals,” Evan concluded.

Medical student Ashvinderjit Kaur, who attended the session in hopes of alleviating the stress of her studies, said that she gained insights on staying motivated and accountable for her actions throughout her day.

She also agreed that the event managed to give her a motivational boost.

Should students require further assistance on personal goal setting, they are welcome to contact Taylor’s Centre for Counselling Services at counsellor.lsc@taylors.edu.my.