People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.
-Zig Ziglar
Achieving goals is not a matter of possibility, it’s a matter of motivating yourself to focus on the right things. You know you should be doing something, but sometimes you just don’t feel like doing anything. This stagnation can last a long time if you don’t head it off and take action.
Here are some daily motivation tricks that work for me:
1. Get started!
This is by far the most important tip in this article, because in the end, all of the other tips in the world won’t make as much of a difference as this simple and timeless instruction: Sit down and start! Do you feel the push-back of laziness? There’s no better way to overcome it than to just start. Reading more about motivation won’t help. Reviewing your to-do lists won’t help. Only doing actually helps get the momentum going. And the only way to do something is to just start.
So stop thinking about how hard the task is going to be or how long it’s going to take you. Just get started! Not starting is failing. Start telling yourself, “As soon as I start working, I’ll feel more motivated.” Because once you start, you’ll realize it’s not nearly as hard as you thought it would be. Read Getting Things Done.
2. Find and use your positive voice.
As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” Be aware of your self-talk and stay positive. Positive thinking can be amazingly powerful.
You have the choice to replace negative self-talk with a more encouraging and friendly voice. A voice that will consider your goal as not just a possibility, but a probability. A voice that does not look externally for validation before taking action, but rather uses self-belief as its driving force. A voice that realizes that any person who has ever achieved greatness had to do so against similar odds, and that all things are possible to those who commit to their vision.
Tell yourself over and over again that you can do it. Try saying, “I want to go to the gym,” “I am going to nail this presentation,” “I am going to have a great day,” etc. See what effect it has. Persist with this kind of positivity and eventually you’ll feel better about whatever it is you want to get done, and you’ll even start to fool your unconscious into believing it’s true.
3. Spend time with people who inspire you.
What better way to recharge yourself for improvement than spending time with someone who inspires you. They are smart, driven and motivate you to be better. Study their qualities. Study their habits. Surround yourself with them, talk to them, learn from them; they are already living and producing results at a level you admire and aspire to. Compare stories, successes and failures. Let their inner light guide you.
4. Start a friendly competition.
You can really raise your motivation with some friendly competition. We are all competitive in nature, take advantage of this by using it to fuel your motivation. Find a co-worker or friend with similar goals and turn it into a competition or game. The key is to find a way to make it fun. This will make the task or project seem less like work and more like play; and it will also encourage you to avoid defeat.
While you’re at it, mutually support each other toward your goals. Staying motivated on your own can be tough. A partner in crime always helps
5. Think about how far you have come.
You have made so much progress, you just don’t realize it. Open your eyes and give yourself credit for all that you have accomplished. Think about it. Write down your past successes. Consider using a journal to keep track of them. You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised when you review your results. It’s a great motivator to see how much you have improved and how far you have come. You felt at the top of your game before and you can do it again.
And don’t forget to be patient. The problem with many of us is that we expect quick results. Think long term. If you want to run a marathon, you won’t be able to do it overnight. If you don’t see the results you want, don’t give up, give it time. Think of your goal as a long-term journey, and your slump is just a little bump in the road. In the mean time, be happy with your progress. Read The Magic of Thinking Big.
6. Embrace failure as a positive learning experience.
Ask yourself: What have I learned from this? As Michael Jordan once said:
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Do not judge failed attempts and mistakes as an indication of your future potential, but as part of the growth process. Something does not have to end well for it to have been one of the most valuable experiences of a lifetime. When times get tough, take a deep breath, and know that most great things come when you least expect it. Being defeated is a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent. And most people that gave up didn’t realize how close they were to success. Push through!
7. Review, refine and breakdown your goals.
Set and pursue S.M.A.R.T. goals. These goals must be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely. And don’t be afraid to set big S.M.A.R.T. goals either. Establish goals that inspire you even if they seem slightly out of reach at the moment. If you set goals that are too easy to achieve, you likely achieve far less than you are capable of. As Les Brown said, “Shoot for the moon, and if you miss you will still be standing among the stars.”
Break down your big S.M.A.R.T. goals into realistic, high impact tasks that you can track. The thought of accomplishing a huge task can be overwhelming. Try taking small bites at a time. Break down your large tasks into mini goals. Daily actions will yield greater benefits than biting off more than you can handle. When you start to see your progress you’ll feel more alert and ready to tackle the next step.
For example, if you want to change careers, that goal may be driven by several smaller goals like going back to school, improving your networking skills, updating your resume or getting a new certification; and each of these smaller goals is then supported by even more granular sub-goals and associated daily tasks. And it is these small daily tasks that, over time, drive and motivate larger achievement.
Also, make sure your goals are truly YOURS, and in line with your values. If you’re striving for someone else’s goals you are never going to be motivated to pursue them.
8. Let the whole world know what you’re up to.
When you’re trying to do something you’ve never done before, it can take a lot of concentration and effort, and life can get lonely pretty quickly. To keep your motivation thriving, it’s important to let others know what you’re up to. Don’t be shy! Announce to the world that you are going to achieve a certain goal by a certain date.
Trap yourself. None of us want to look bad in front of friends, family and co-workers. If you’ve made a commitment to all of them, then the shame of saying you didn’t try will outweigh the effort of doing it. Hold yourself accountable, don’t just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone at least once a week.
9. Visualize your successful outcome in great detail.
Before we do anything our minds start seeing pictures of how everything might turn out. Close your eyes and visualize how great the events will unfold – see yourself smiling, hear yourself being positive and feel how great you will feel doing the task, leading the project, playing the game, attending the meeting. Form as clear a mental picture as possible. Do this every morning for at least five minutes. This is a surprisingly effective technique that will raise your motivation and enthusiasm, and get you into the right mood before you begin working each day.
Another great visualization / motivation technique is to post physical reminders all around you. Post a picture of your goal in a place you’ll see every day. Set it as your desktop wallpaper, or post it on your wall, refrigerator or bathroom mirror. The idea is to keep your mind focused on end result and keep your excitement going.
10. Spend some time every day working on a passion.
There are some things in life that you just have to do, even if you aren’t passionate about it – cleaning the house, paying bills, finishing that task for your boss, etc. But the dilemma of doing these things is greatly reduced if you spend a decent amount of time each day working on something you love – something you’re truly passionate about. Because subconsciously you know that regardless of what you’re doing, your passion is still part of your day. Read The How of Happiness.
So make time to focus on doing something you really want to do. Take an hour break and work on something that’s meaningful to you. Engage yourself in a meaningful personal project, or pull the trigger on starting something you’ve wanted to do for a long time, but haven’t yet had the resolve to do. Do so, and your motivation and happiness will skyrocket.
Photo by: Lisandro Enrique
Chris D. says
Very practical post! Just had a conversation with my son about #6 (the fact that failure is a stepping stone to success), and I just forwarded him this article as a follow-up to our conversation.
david says
I really needed to hear #5 and #6 today. The other tips at great too. Thanks for the motivation!
Elle says
I can’t even describe to you how much I struggle with number 1. I procrastinate all the darn time because I feel like I’m not 100% ready to start. But you’re so right… when I do finally start something, it’s usually so much easier than I had anticipated. “Sit down and START!” is my new mantra.
vijay says
So thankful to you Marc and Angel for this post. A helpful read. You are amazing! Will share on G+
Nacco says
Good read. I like the post and agree with everything except #8. Personally, I do better motivating myself without the input of others.
Hack My Modern Lifestyle says
Excellent List! I love the point 1: Get started. And it is always the most difficult thing to do for anyone. Most people end up dreaming but no action taken to achieve their goals.
Zahwa says
Your articles are always inspiring. Could you please write an article more specifically about “getting started”? It would be great as fighting procrastination and breaking inertia do require a motivating article like this. Cheers.
Chinyere says
Absolutely fantastic! Lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need!
Sandy D. says
You folks are providing a fabulously valuable service with this site. THANK YOU! ?
Nina says
I needed this list today. I’ve been trying to break through a mental slump for the past week. I especially love #8–when you’re not feeling motivated, it can be very effective to trap yourself so that others can hold you accountable.
Sonal says
Perfect timing, as I have a fight on my hands at the moment. No chance I am giving up thats for sure. Thank you for the motivation Marc and Angel!
ene okwori says
What a lovely post. I am really happy to get more words of wisdom that add more light and drive to my life.
Jo-Anne says
Yes, once you get started things don’t seem so hard. So many of us find it hard to find motivation to do many things, and the older some of us get the harder it is.
leslie says
Thank you. I really needed this motivation today. Had a parent yesterday, after I explained some tutoring techniques that have helped his children improve with their learning disabilities ( that elsewhere costs $90/ hr. ) – diss me… I mentioned he had been getting a good deal & he says “well, it’ all relative…:” How frustrated I felt!!!
James Short says
Good insights.
No. 1 is a very helpful point. Some tasks are only daunting when we think about them but once we get started we realize they aren’t as overwhelming as we led ourselves to believe. Sometimes almost half the work is already done just by getting started.
Steve says
Motivation is important but it has to be combined with strategizing. Sometimes when we’re unmotivated, it’s our mind’s way of telling us we have a flawed strategy and need to go back to the drawing board. But once you are confident in your strategy, then it’s important to do the daily motivation to chip away at the tasks toward your goals.
Every so often you need to reevaluate your strategy too though. So maybe do daily motivation and monthly strategy sessions.
Braja Patnaik says
I keep my motivational energy high by judicious use of the abundant wealth available on the net like this website. When I was trying to get my running habit established, I used to spend at least 1 hour reading stuff about running before go out for the actual run. It kept me motivated during the initial days when one has not really realized the benefit of running and fitness. But once I got addicted to running, I dont spend much time. Still I sometimes need a daily dose of motivational reading, though not 1 hour now…but may be a quick 5-10 mins to keep my battery recharged.
gabriele says
This is a great post. Thanks for sharing this.
Keep in touch
Gabriele
Ara Bedrossian says
People who have lots of passions are a unique bunch, but they also have a lot in common in terms of mind chatter preventing them from just starting. When the chatter builds, I say, “What one thing do you want to have accomplished for yourself today?” Whatever that is, I feel the need to pull the trigger on it immediately, thinking about the end of the day when I’m dejected that I didn’t complete that work out, hit that word writing minimum, or complete that call list. When I just start, my motivation builds on itself. Just do it!
Abinaya says
Read it at the right time!
Thank you 🙂
The Family Feed says
Simple, useful advice. Thank you. Years ago, I gave up cigarettes, trying at first to be the brave, quiet soldier. When I finally started telling everyone around me what I was up to, I found the support to follow through.
Linda Browne says
Dear Marc and Angel, I can’t wait to receive your posts! I find them inspiration and give me such good food for thought and action. I have lived in a spiritual community and have practiced spirituality since being in my early 30s. You both are so beautiful in your words and I image your actions. Keep on keeping! You are the spirituality I have been searching for — the new Golden Rule, the new The Commandments (so to speak) — without the dogma, religion or taking on someone else’s BS! Thank you. I’m so in alignment with what you are doing and want to congratulate you on your truth and beauty! Regards, Linda Browne
Linda Browne says
P. S. It’s time to go on national TV with your messages!
Mayor says
Great one Marc and Angel!
2gnoME says
Great article! What about adding #11: Gaining self-awareness? 🙂
@2gnoME
Biken Shrestha says
I had a great need to recharge myself. The post was very much helpful. Thanx 🙂
James Theobald says
I have been putting number eight into full effect lately, in regards to my negligence about playing music!
Vergielyn Cubol says
You posted exactly what I needed today, thanks! Your blog posts are really inspiring, and helpful!
Improvement says
#MUSIC
Music is a great motivator. Music touches the soul. Of course if you listen to relaxing music, you will tend to not do anything and just relax.
I don’t know about you, but the rocky theme song always get me started to take actions.
Betty Chen says
Thank you Marc and Angel. I always enjoy your posts.
#1 and #5 are the winners for me.
Start.
Especially because you’ve already come so far and can do it again and even more.