People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
Zig Ziglar
Keeping ourselves motivated to constantly move forward toward our goal can be tricky. No matter how exciting our game plan is and how eager we are at the start of our journey, days will come that we will be facing fatigue and the loss of passion or will to go on.
You can always give a dose of motivation to your friends and those around you. But how do you motivate yourself? And how do you maintain this enthusiasm until success is finally at your hand?
Motivation is all around us – in everything we do! Here are a few ideas to help you unlock and harness it.
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1. Your goals should really get you going!
The beginning is the end: if you are really excited about a goal it will attract you like a magnet and put you through the motions. Your journey and every steps on the way depend on your destination.
What keeps me going is goals.
Muhammad Ali
If you pick up a goal that does not fully mobilize you, it’s a lost cause before you start. So select goals you are passionate about, goals that ignite your inner fire because they are deeply aligned with you, your values and what you see as your purpose in life.
2. Aim low (at first)
Your end goal might be glorious. It even has to be glorious in order to be inspirational. If you haven’t exercised in six months, you don’t have to suddenly hit the gym every day. It will work for a week then you’ll get sick, your body will tell you to stop, you’ll get injured. Build up slowly, start by targeting twice a week, then after a month or increase to three, and so on.
Achieving goals is gratifying. Don’t put the bar too high (just very slightly challenging at first), pass it, harvest the positive feedback of witnessing your success, and switch gear – one at a time!
3. Start somewhere, anywhere – but start!
You have the end goal – great. You have a reasonable target for it – even better. Yet planning is not everything: you have to start doing, as soon as possible, now!
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
Lao Tzu
The secret to keeping yourself motivated is to put your motivation in action! This will send a strong signal to yourself and create a virtuous circle of motivation and action. Get it flowing…
4. Make it social
Don’t stay alone. Stick with like-minded people, veterans who have already been where you want to be, or newbies who are now where you were a year ago or so, or peers who will challenge you to give your best. Share your experiences, your doubts, gather tips, give and get pats on the back. Social communities, virtual or real, are an immense source of motivation and mutually reinforcing inspiration.
5. Work harder
The harder you work, the harder it gets for you to quit. The farther and deeper you go with your goal, the more you will be committed to completing it.
So if you have been pushing only half-heartedly toward your goal, work harder! Involve yourself, invest your energy – you’ll soon have too much to lose to back out.
6. Track your progress
Getting immediate feedback on our performance is intrinsically motivating. So make sure that you track your progress. Keep a log of your activities, check frequently how you are actually doing against your goals. Our platform Goalmap may come particularly handy to track goals and progress in every area of your life.
By regularly tracking your personal activities and analyzing your results, such as the frequency of exercise, your level of monthly savings or the numbers of books you read, you’ll be gaining more self-awareness, which is the cornerstone of a successful goal journey. Therefore, face your current self. Look at your present performance. And challenge yourself to do even better!
Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.
Og Mandino
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