10 Ways You Can Get Motivated to Achieve Your Goals

Everyone lacks motivation sometimes. Including me! It’s tough to stay focused and motivated no matter who you are.

Some days it might feel impossible to summon the energy to get anything done, much less work on that never-ending to-do list.

But motivation is a skill you can learn and develop over time. Furthermore, if you want to be successful, it’s important that you find your source of inspiration and keep it fueled.

How getting motivated works:

When you’re motivated, there are usually three factors at work.

1. Activation (starting). This means you’ve decided to do something and you’ve started doing it. This is often the hardest part of any task.
2. Persistence. You keep working towards your goal, even if you encounter problems along the way.
3. Intensity. You have energized focus and get absorbed in your work.

So, how do we wrap all this together and achieve our goals?

Here’s how you can gain more motivation and get back on track:

1. Get motivated with clarity

First, you need to know exactly what you’re working towards. So, if you don’t have any goals, get some! Take the time to think about what would improve your life. Choose at least one goal.

For example, do you want to work on improving your relationships? Maybe you want to learn something new or get a promotion? Start a business? Get in shape? Heal from past traumas? Get healthier? Create something? Travel or move somewhere amazing?

Write these goals down and ask yourself, how badly do you want this? Because you’ve got to really want this to happen. Imagine yourself achieving your goal, in detail. Feel the excitement!

2. Get motivated by planning your day, every day

It’s vital that you create a schedule and live by it. It’s the best way to achieve anything amazing.

Brainstorm about what you’d love to do with your life. Don’t hold yourself back with negative thoughts.

Then do the following:

• Ask yourself what you do today to bring you closer to your goal?
• Research about how you’ll achieve it.
• Write the steps you’ll need to take to get there.
• What skills will you need to build or improve?
• Then prioritize the list in order from the first task to the last.
• Don’t forget to include start times and deadlines.

Then strive to follow your schedule, because you’ll feel empowered when you finish things every day!

3. Get motivated with positive, encouraging thoughts

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.”

– Winston Churchill

The main cause of a negative attitude is pessimistic thinking. Pessimism devours energy, kills creativity, and collapses all motivation. It’ll distract you from working on your goal.

Furthermore, people procrastinate when they’re in a bad mood or when they fear the outcome of their project. But, procrastination is self-sabotage. So, don’t hesitate anymore! Your dreams are on the line!

Instead, encourage yourself while you work. Research shows that positivity increases your productivity.

4. Get started and the motivation will follow

Starting is the most challenging part of any project. But remember, it’s over in an instant.

Don’t wait to suddenly feel motivated and full of energy. Sometimes you’ll have to force yourself to begin on your project, especially if you don’t feel like it!

The key is to start before you feel motivated, then the rest falls into place. Soon, you’ll discover you’re full of motivation and energy!

Just tell yourself you’ll work on it for a few minutes and you can stop if it’s too tortuous.

You’ll realize that the task isn’t as intimidating as you told yourself. Now, it’s no problem! You can easily continue working for hours. Amaze yourself with how much you can accomplish today!

4. Remember why you want to achieve this

You’ll lose motivation if you forget why you want this goal in the first place. So, write down the reason you’re doing this.

Then, write what will happen if you don’t reach this goal, how will your life suffer?

For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, your reason could be so you can live a healthy life. Consequently, if you don’t lose weight, you’ll feel tired, sick, and lack confidence.

Afterward, put the list in your daily line of sight. That way you never forget why you want to do this.

5. Allow your plan to change if needed

Sometimes your initial plan won’t be the best route. So, you might need to take a detour on your way to your goal. That’s okay!

If things aren’t working out, reevaluate your system and change it up. Nevertheless, be flexible and try to get there another way. You’ll eventually succeed if you’re always willing to try one more time.

6. Use a sense of urgency to your advantage

“If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.”

― Rita Mae Brown

A sense of urgency can enhance your ability to finish the job. So, choose a task and set a timer (a real one or an app on your phone) for how long you think it’ll take you to complete it.

Also, you could try the Pomodoro technique. This entails setting a timer for 25-minutes, then working on your task, non-stop. When the timer goes off, take a break.

Then repeat as needed. This productivity technique trains your brain to focus and be more efficient. Over time, it will improve your ability to concentrate.

7. Remember to take breaks

If you’ve been working on your goal for hours and the words on the screen are blurring together, you might need to step away.

So, get up and go take a walk or get some coffee. Getting out of your workspace can recharge your brain, so you can come back focused and ready to get back to work.

If you don’t have much time, then just take a quick meditation break. Sit back, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing for one or two minutes. You’ll return to work with revived focus and energy.

8. Journal for motivation

“No storm, not even the one in your life, can last forever. The storm is just passing over.”

– Iyanla Vanzant

Journaling can be a great way to learn from the past and let old problems go. You can also discover who you are and what you want!

Besides, you are the only one around for every moment of your life. So, get on good terms with yourself.

Also, write about the issues you’d like to fix and how you can do that. Then, you can save your journal in a document on your computer or write in a notebook.

9. Track your progress

Progress fuels motivation. So, keep track of every tiny success. It adds up and becomes a great habit of moving forward daily.

Get a habit tracker app on your phone or a physical one. Then, use it to build the motivation to keep working towards your goals.

10. Enjoy the process

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”

—Christopher Reeve

Don’t stress about it. If you obsess about the complexities of doing something new, you’ll intimidate yourself and not do anything.

So, don’t obsess about the work involved. Do your goals step by step and focus on how great you’ll feel when you finish them.

In the end, everyone needs a little help getting motivated at times. When that happens you can follow the above tips to get you back on track!

So, don’t wait for motivation to arrive before you begin making progress.

You are the boss of your life and you’re the only employee, so get to work!

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