Motivation is something that we constantly have to work at.  Like a bonfire that constantly needs kindling, we have to put in some work to keep our motivational flame burning!

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The key to reaching any goal is to remember that success takes a lot of hard work. But if you stay motivated and persistent, you can really achieve almost anything!

Whether your motivation is directed towards doing well in school, moving up in a career, losing weight, or building a more meaningful relationship with your family, the tips below will help to make sure you stay as motivated as possible and reach whatever goal it is that you seek! 

1 – Write Down Your Goals

The first step in staying motivated is to have a clear vision of what your goals are. Set yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals that you are planning to accomplish. I know this sounds like a lot of effort, but without a written list of goals it’s harder to realize how many of them you are really accomplishing each day. It is also a lot easier to forget tasks that you need to get done if you don’t have them written down. Forgetting to do something or not realizing just how many things you are actually getting done can lead to feelings of frustration, which in turn will hinder or destroy your motivation.

2 – Write Down Why You Want To Accomplish Each Goal

This one is important because it’s easy to focus on how difficult something is while we’re going through it, but looking down at that piece of paper and thinking about how great it will be when you reach your goal will keep you motivated to push through and reach that light at the end of the tunnel!

3 – Set your plan, but don’t get upset if you need to change course

Let’s face it, most of the time things don’t go exactly as planned. It’s important to realize that your plans will likely change and you may experience setbacks. If you understand and accept this before you even set out to achieve your goals,  you won’t be as discouraged or rattled when the time comes to regroup and change your course of action.

4 – CONSTANTLY REMIND YOURSELF WHY YOU STARTED

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to remember why you started. It’s easy to let small setbacks discourage us, but in these times just think of the big picture and the reason you set out to accomplish your goal in the first place. This will really help to pump you up and get you excited about working harder!

5 – Stop Worrying About what others think or about Things You Can’t Control

This is a big one that most of us are guilty of. Worrying can be very unhealthy for us, so why add unnecessary worry to our lives?  So what if Jim said you’ll never make it and you should give up your goals? One thing that we have no control over is what others think of us. So stop worrying about it and move on. Next time you find yourself worrying about something you can’t control, quickly shift your thoughts to something happy or useful. Easier said than done, I know, but over time this will become a habit and your mind will not default to unhealthy thoughts!

6 – Ignore negative comments and negative people in your life

In the words of cheesy internet memes – Haters are your biggest motivators. While this is a funny play on words, it’s also pretty true! Instead of being discouraged when others try to bring you down, let their motivation compel you to push harder in reaching your goals!

7 – Celebrate victories – even the small ones

What better way to stay motivated than to celebrate as you reach each goal? Recognize when you’ve achieved a small goal or small stepping stone and embrace it. Let that feeling of accomplishment and positivity increase your motivation to keep going!

8 – Use Positive Affirmations

It may seem a little strange to some, but I really believe in the power of affirmations. After all, self talk is where we get a great majority of our confidence and feelings of self worth from! Take a moment and think about some of the things you tell yourself on a daily basis. “I’m always late.” “My presentations are terrible.” “It’s too hard for me to lose weight.” What do you think happens when we constantly fill our minds with these types of negative affirmations? We start to believe them! So flip those negative thoughts into positive thoughts. “I’m always early to meetings.” “My presentation skills are amazing!” “I can lose as much weight as I want to lose.”  Try positive affirmations and I guarantee you can change your thought pattern and your confidence level, which are both strong factors in self motivation.

9 – Don’t Forget to Relax

Once you set a goal or tell yourself that you’re going to do something, it’s easy to get caught up in your work and spend hours on a project without stopping for a break.  Make sure you set aside some time to relax and forget about your goals for a little bit. Go for a run, watch a movie, play some Pokemon Go – Do anything that will take your mind off your work and help you unwind for a bit. When you come back to the project you were working on you will have new energy and new motivation to get it done.

10 – Enjoy the process

Last but not least, try your best to enjoy the process. Depending on the goal that you’re trying to reach, this may not be the easiest thing to do, but it’s important to realize how lucky we are to be here and to have the opportunity to reach for our goals. Recognize that each day is a gift, and try to find the good in every experience!

These are a few of the things that I focus on to keep myself motivated; I hope these tips help you to reach the goals you’ve set for yourself!

Until next time!