How do you get motivated, and stay motivated to reach your career or life goals?
Are you feeling a little ‘ho-hum’ about things and wondering ‘Is this all there is.’?
How do you get motivated to take action to reach your goals? If each day feels like groundhog day, it DOES NOT have to be this way.
Some people are always upbeat and positive about their lives so how do they do it? How do they stay motivated to reach their goals?
How to get motivated
You may feel enthusiastic at the beginning of a new project or experience, however, things can slip and procrastination may set in and other ‘bright shiny objects’ may distract you.
Then you may feel guilty for not following through and your self-talk may convince you that it wasn’t really what you wanted anyway. Things may spiral downwards and you feel disappointed or frustrated with yourself and perhaps a little embarrassed to admit to yourself that you simply didn’t follow through. You may even feel like a failure.
A while ago a client asked me to write a post about motivation and I felt excited at the suggestion and ideas started forming in my mind. Before they vanished into the ether, I grabbed a pen and started writing my stream of thoughts on the subject.
But then I got distracted and oh, you know how it is … and ended up working on something else.
What happened? I know I went down that procrastination path but I caught myself and I said to myself, “Do you REALLY want this post written? If so, you’d better get on with it NOW!”
How to make things happen
If you want something to happen, it must become a reality in your mind so you can imagine what success would be like.
You must see it.
Live it.
Breathe it.
Hear it.
Taste it.
Smell it.
How will things be for you when you reach your goal? How will it feel for you? What will you be saying about it? Who will be around you? What will they be saying?
Embed in your mind how success will feel for you and experience the flutter of excitement and anticipation.
What do you need to do to reach this goal?
You must take the small steps that will inch you closer to your goal. The small steps are the ones that you can start to take right now, and tomorrow, and the next day.
Take petite steps that are achievable so that you can celebrate 🎉 completing a step every day.
How to stay motivated to reach your goals
Be specific about the goals you want to reach.
What DO you want? Happiness or fulfilment? Wealth or Love? Health or Recognition? Sporting prowess or Career Success?
Once you identify what you want then ask yourself these questions:
- What does happiness mean to you?
- How will fulfilment change your life?
- What does wealth mean to you?
- How big a part of your life is love and what does love bring you?
- When you have spiritual, physical, mental and emotional health how will you feel?
- What does mastering a sporting skill mean to you?
- When you identify what career success is and you achieve it, what will happen?
Think about these questions and write down your answers. Commit to paper EXACTLY what you hope to gain from reaching that goal and you will be able to conjure the specifics in your mind’s eye and start to live it ‘as if’ it is already yours.
And here’s another consideration for you … do you truly believe you deserve it? Without reservation?
If these questions make you a little uncomfortable then face them directly and be honest about the real issue that’s holding you back from taking those steps to reach your goals.
My article, What’s Holding You Back? will help you to identify those issues.
For now let’s say that you truly believe and can honestly say to yourself, “YES! I deserve it!”
Focus on the end result
Let’s not concern ourselves about HOW, you will do it. Focus on the end result and KNOW that it will happen because if you know it, you will do it.
Embrace the feeling of success.
Imagine what you will say to yourself and what others will be saying when you reach your goals
Focus on that for a day or two and let it sink in that this is going to happen and focus on knowing it will happen.
To avoid self-sabotage, remember that you are worthy of success!
Have you reached specific goals in the past? Share your successes in the comments below and let’s celebrate your past achievements and the achievements you will enjoy in the months ahead!
