Steps To Stay Motivated

Without motivation your chances of fulfilling a goal successfully are slim to none. If you consider the following analogy you'll see why this is true.

Let us say that your goal is your final destination, you are the car that will lead you there and motivation is the fuel that will power your journey. If you run out of motivation, you (and by default your progress) will eventually sputter out, give up and die.

Clearly motivation is an extremely important aspect in goal setting – heck, it's a vital tool for life in general. The most successful people are those who are self-motivated enough to push themselves through slumps and obstacles, refusing to ever give up or settle for second-best. So with this in mind, let's take a closer look at what motivation actually is:

  • Motivation is not a product of outside influence; it is a natural product of your desire to achieve something and your belief that you are capable of doing it.
  • Positive goals that are geared toward your pleasure or enjoyment are much more powerful motivators than negative ones that are based on fear. The right combination of both is the most powerful and motivating mix.

Of course the above is fairly obvious – the true question that must be answered is: how do we remain motivated as we work through our goals, particularly those that are long-term in nature? The following steps will help you answer that question.

  1. Visualize your future success and model the feelings you'll experience when you achieve it.
  2. Mentally walk the path towards this success and base your feelings at different milestones on the way.
  3. Set a target for the amount of work you will do each day toward your goals and then make sure you adhere to it. When you see that you are making noticeable progress you will become more confident of your ultimate success.
  4. Set a series of milestones throughout your journey since by breaking your large goals into smaller goals you'll see progress quicker and thrive from the excitement of achieving those small success/milestones.
  5. Use visual stimuli when appropriate to help inspire you. For example, if you want to lose weight consider keeping a picture nearby of someone you consider to be extremely fit and attractive. Each time you view that picture you will remind yourself that that is what you ultimately want yourself to be.
  6. Give yourself affirmations to remind yourself of how capable you are at reaching your goals. If you don't believe in yourself, who else will?
  7. Sometimes movies can motivate you. For example, if the Rocky Films inspire you (particularly the preparation/workout scenes), pop that film in for a bit when you feel your exercise motivation slipping.
  8. Listen to music that motivates you. The power of music is immense, and it can make even the toughest or most mundane task more bearable for many people.
  9. If you thrive under competition, make a deal with a friend or family member to compete for the goal for example who gets there first. It doesn't even matter how hard your opposition competes so long as you think you're in a race.
  10. Get help and support from people around you or from a professional in the field for example a personal trainer, finance manager etc. Sometimes we all need that extra little push from someone else.
  11. Ignore any negative influences or responses to your efforts. Not everyone will always show the support they should, whether out of jealousy or ignorance.
  12. Make a conscious effort to improve yourself each and every day.
  13. Focus on the positive achievements and not the negatives. We all fail from time to time, but those who can brush themselves off and charge forward once again are those that will win.
  14. Share your successes with others that support your efforts since this will keep you focused and help you voice your accomplishments.
  15. Acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses and work on them both. None of us is a complete and total package, but when we use our existing strengths to improve upon our weaknesses we improve our overall strength each and every day.
  16. Train yourself to finish what you start by refusing to quit until you are done. Persistence is essential.
  17. Don't be afraid to make mistakes and don't punish yourself for making them. The manner in which a person faces adversity is what separates the men from the boys.
Previous - Family Goals - Part 2 Next - Building Upon Time Management Skills