Seeing your checklist nearly completed will always work as a great boost to your confidence and motivation. If you were able to accomplish so much already, surely you can accomplish the rest of your tasks?
Affirmations are basically positive statements that you tell to yourself repeatedly like a mantra. These are supposed to help you enjoy a positive frame of mind and be more confident about accomplishing your goal.
Some people say that affirmations should not use potential forms of verbs like “I can”. In order to convince themselves of their abilities, affirmations should start with words such as “I will…” and “I am…” because you are that sure about yourself. Give it a try if you think it might work for you.
Positive reinforcement is always a good thing so give yourself a pat on the back when you have completed an important or challenging step in your goal action plan.
Material rewards certainly matter. It does not have anything extravagant. If it is something you can afford and truly want, then you can also promise yourself a big reward when you reach your goal.
Try to be a little creative about your rewards. You can pamper yourself with a massage, take a trip out of town, or allow yourself a night out dining in the most expensive restaurant in town.
It can also be something as simple as letting yourself laze away over the weekend, doing nothing and enjoying other small luxuries that you usually do not have time for.
Ultimately, just think about what will make you happy – and do it!
Sometimes the reason why you have a hard time motivating yourself is because your goal is no longer important. From time to time you should reevaluate your goal and find out if it still as important or it needs a little redefining.
Do not think that there is no brighter side because there always is. If you feel you have hit rock bottom, there is still a bright side. When you are down, there is no way else but up! I once heard a motivation teacher say, “If you’re face down in the ditch, at least turn over and see the sun!”
A role model does not have to be someone perfect, famous, or even older than you. Rather, a role model just has qualities that you so admire because you will become a better person for it.
When you feel like giving up, think about your role model. No one is immune to getting discouraged but every person has the power to say ‘no’ to it. Your role model was strong enough to say ‘no’ to distraction and stay focused. Surely you can do it, too?
In the end, both of you are flesh and blood mortals – capable of doing the same thing as long as you put your mind to it.
Role models are different from inspiration. Role models are someone you try to emulate. People, things, or places that inspire you are also like goals. Why is becoming wealthy your goal? It is because you want to give your parents a chance to retire early. Then your parents are your inspiration.
If that were your goal, and you have become extremely frustrated so that you feel like throwing in the towel, picture your parents and what they will be like if they have to continue working for years in spite of their frail health. There is the inspiration to keep going.
It is easier to keep yourself motivated when you are able to visualize reaching your dream. Close your eyes and try to imagine what would happen if you were to reach your goal. How would it feel? What would happen afterwards? How would your life and others be impacted?
Make it so vivid that you can actually feel the joy of reaching your dream.
If you have noticed, proverbs and old sayings have been used throughout this book quite frequently. That is because they are true.
If there are no words you can think of personally to get yourself motivated, do not hesitate to call in the power of proverbs.
Kids say the darnedest things indeed, but they also often have an ingenuous way of seeing things. Their view of the world is untainted by cynicism and greed. Children can get you back to seeing the world with rose-colored glasses.
That is Latin for ‘seize the day’ if you have forgotten. Tell yourself that the opportunity your goal represents comes only once in a lifetime. If you do not seize the day – or the moment for that matter – then that chance may never come again.
Are you willing to take that risk?
You are a powerful person yet sometimes you may need to remind yourself of that fact. If your confidence has taken a nosedive for any reason, think back to the last time you worked against all odds. Think of the time that no one had your back and only you had faith in yourself. Think of the time you had taken the role of an underdog – and won.
You did it then. You can do it again. Just believe!
If you have never tried attending a motivation seminar, it is easy for you to say that these so-called self-help gurus are just out to con you out of your money. Why not give it a try? At the most, you will only lose a couple of dollars for attending. Yet what if it works? Then you would have gained so much more!
The great motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said (and I paraphrase) … A motivation speech is like a bath, the effects of it where off after a while. However, it is a good idea to take another one.
Motivation is also a matter of perspective. If you are tired of working or doing something for the sake of achieving your goal alone, then do it just for the sake of doing it.
Do it because you are having fun doing it. Do it because you love it and it makes you feel good. More often than not, the journey counts for more than the actual destination.
For each day, try to think of as many things as you can that you are sincerely thankful for.
If you feel that you have absolutely nothing to be thankful about, then you are wrong. You are alive, aren’t you? You can still read this and perhaps take up a pen and write your first post in your ‘thank you’ journal, can’t you? That already gives you three reasons to be thankful about.
Remember: motivation is a matter of perspective. If you cannot see it from one angle, then you probably can from another.
When you feel like you have reached the end of your tether, make one last big push by doing 5 more. Or if you are just one step away from giving in to exhaustion or sleep then do just 3 or even just one more!
You may not have completed your schedule for today, but knowing that you gave it your best is enough to give you an energetic and motivated for the next day.
Granted, you are not stuck flying in Apollo 13. You just have to imagine yourself in the same back-against-the-wall scenario and that is sure to be motivation enough to work hard.
You may change tactics, rest for a while, and redefine your goal but none of that means you are quitting. Never should never be a part of your vocabulary – even if that sounds contradictory; the moment you start entertaining doubts is the moment you start losing.
Aiming to be perfect is setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment and discouragement. You will never be mistake free, infallible, and perfect this side of Heaven. But what you can do is to improve yourself and make yourself or your situation better.
You may not be able to land on the moon, but if you were to arm yourself with a telescope, then the moon would be a lot closer.
Motivation can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it can pierce the clouds of depression and doubts. Especially when your motivation pays off and you succeed in what you are trying to achieve.
But what if you do not get what you want? Motivation can end up hurting you. It seems like you set yourself up for a fall. This will happen if you have not prepared yourself for the potential failure.
Preparing yourself for the worst just means that you at least have considered the possibility – and taken the necessary steps for dealing with it.
It is very important that you do not give up on your goal just because your route to success turned out to be longer and more twisted than expected. At the end of the day the journey will mean more than getting to the destination.
If there is anything troubling you and making it difficult for you to stay focused and motivated – get rid of it right away. Nip it in the bud and do not wait for it to turn into a full-fledged disaster.
If you were to crow out loud about your victories, then this would be boasting. But that is not what you are doing. You are just quietly reflecting on how far you have gone and what you have achieved that others cannot.
People have a tendency to keep on comparing themselves to others they feel are better. They fail to realize how much they have done more than the others.
When you realize that, you will see for yourself that accomplishing more than others does not make you better. You just happened to be more persistent, more patient, more methodical or maybe even lucky. The same goes for those who have done more than you.
Motivation is also a matter of time. You will get to your goal – you just have to work hard and keep your eyes on your destination.