We all have areas in our lives that we want to improve. Some folks may want to make more money. Others want to lose weight. Some people have big career aspirations, such as becoming the CEO of a company or writing a best-selling novel. The challenge for most folks isn’t finding a goal. The issue is finding the motivation to accomplish that goal.
The problem with being motivated is that we really don’t need to do much in order to survive in life. The most we have to do is be self-supporting. We need to make enough money to put a roof over our heads and food on the table. That’s it. That is all you need to live. If you want more out of life, you have to be motivated to achieve more.
But achieving more requires you to get off the couch, turn off the television and do things during your free time that aren’t necessarily fun or relaxing. For instance, it is early morning right now. I, of course, would rather be sleeping. But I am choosing to write instead. That is because I have writing goals. And the only way to be a successful writer is to write – a lot. So, I get up early every morning to write articles and work on my book.
Working toward your goals takes motivation. In fact, most goals require long-term motivation because big goals typically take months – even years – to accomplish. But how do we get motivated and then stay motivated?
Below are some motivation tips to keep you working toward your goals, even when the couch calls your name!
Capitalize on Your Natural Interests
You will have a tough time staying motivated to achieve your goal if the work involved seems like drudgery. For example, let’s say that you want to lose 20 pounds. That is an ambitious goal which won’t happen overnight. Losing that amount of weight takes a great deal of time and effort.
Now if you do some research on the Internet, you’ll find that running every day for a couple of miles is quick way to lose weight. But what if you hate running? Well, you’ll run for about a week. And then you’ll give up on running, and on your goal of weight loss.
It is far better to approach your goal in a way that capitalizes on your interests. For instance, let’s say that you hate running, but you like walking in nature. If you commit to a 30-minute walk each day, then the process of losing weight will seem pleasurable to you. Or perhaps you enjoy playing tennis. If you join a group that plays tennis three times a week, weight loss will end up being fun.
To stay motivated for the long-term, you need to approach your goal in a way that makes the work enjoyable. In fact, working toward your goal should be one of the highlights of your day.
To Increase Your Motivation, Visualize Successfully Accomplishing Your Goal
In order to stay motivated to accomplish a big goal, you need to recognize how accomplishing that goal will improve your life. For instance, let’s say that your goal is to become fluent in Spanish. That is a great goal, but achieving it will take a lot of work. It will be difficult to stay motivated long-term unless you visualize how becoming fluent in Spanish will benefit you.
So, for example, to stay motivated, you might visualize yourself getting a better, higher paying job because you are bilingual. Or, you might envision taking future vacations in Spanish-speaking countries where you can enjoy speaking to people in their native language. Or you may have Spanish-speaking family members with whom you will be able to have fun conversations. The ways that a second language can improve your life are endless.
When you visualize each day how your life will improve when you achieve your goal, it will be much easier to stay motivated. You’ll know that your hard work isn’t for naught. Rather, you’ll know that it will result in your life being so much better or more interesting!
Identify an Inspirational Role Model
There is no goal that you have that someone has not already accomplished. For instance, if you are trying to lose a couple of pounds, weight loss stories abound on the Internet. If you want to start your own business, you can read the stories of entrepreneurs from Bill Gates to Colonel Sanders. Find someone who has accomplished your goal, and use that person as your role model.
When you realize that other people have done exactly what you want to do, then your goal doesn’t seem as daunting. What you’ll find is that your role model wasn’t anyone special. He or she was a regular human being just like you, who simply was committed to their goal. You can be committed too!
By following a role model, you’ll keep your motivation high knowing that another person has gone before you. That person has paved the way. You just need to follow their path (or a path similar to theirs) and persist.
Transform Habit into Motivation
The reality is that no matter how committed you are, at times you may lose your motivation on the journey toward accomplishing your goal. As a result, working toward your goal needs to be part of your daily routine. It is something that you consistently work on, even when you don’t particularly feel like it.
For instance, I don’t always feel motivated to write. But I write every day because it is a daily habit for me. I feel strange when I don’t write, as strange as if I didn’t brush my teeth. It is part of my routine.
You can stay motivated toward accomplishing your goal simply by making it part of your life. Working toward your goal should be part of your daily routine, like getting up in the morning and eating breakfast. If you make accomplishing your goal a daily habit, then you won’t give up easily, like so many people do. (To read about how to develop your focus and self-discipline, click here.)
Celebrate the Small Wins
If you can only be happy when you have achieved your Big Goal, the journey toward that goal will feel like drudgery. You need to have tiny achievable mini-goals along the way that are celebrated. When you celebrate the small wins, you will be able to keep up your motivation.
So, enjoy your smaller accomplishments. For instance, if you are trying to lose weight, celebrate every pound lost. Losing even one pound is a Big Deal! Don’t underestimate the effort involved in that. Or, if you are trying to get your GED or college degree, celebrate every test that you pass. Each exam brings you that much closer to your goal of a diploma or degree.
Some goals take many years to accomplish. In order to keep up your motivation over an extended period of time, you need to acknowledge your progress along the way. Celebrate the small wins! As Lao Tzu says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
No major goal is accomplished without sustained motivation. That is the only way that we are able to persist toward achieving our goals when we begin to lose our stamina. Use the above motivation tips to keep moving toward your goals. Remember that motivation and persistence always pay off.
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