Anyone who has set a New Year’s resolution will know how fickle and fleeting motivation can be. On New Year’s eve, everyone is excited by the promise of a new year and the possibilities of making their goals come true.
It’s almost as if the new beginning means a new life. However, by the third week of January, most people have forgotten their resolutions and are back in their ruts as the grind becomes real and the new year becomes just like any other.
So where did all the motivation go?
In this article, we’ll look at a few secrets you can use to dig deep within yourself for motivation and what you need to do to keep the fire in your heart burning – until you achieve your goals.
Write your goals down daily
We all have short memories, especially when bogged down by obstacles, pain, struggles, and so on. The hardship becomes our main focus and we lose sight of what we’re sacrificing for.
One fantastic way to stay focused is to write your goals down daily. Try not to have more than 5 goals at a time. 3 is better. You want laser-like focus.
Your goals will remind you of why you’re doing what you’re doing. The pain of sacrifice and the burden of determination will be much easier to bear when you’re aware of the reward you’re striving for.
This will motivate you and keep you going even when times are tough. You didn’t come this far to only come this far. Keep going.
Make it a priority
All change requires action… and to achieve new goals, you’ll definitely need to make changes. You cannot get to where you want to go by remaining where you are.
That will mean adopting new habits, giving up old ones, sacrificing stuff you may enjoy, working harder, learning more, and most often, stepping out of your comfort zone, and being used to the discomfort.
The best way to approach this process will be to make these new changes a priority. Get them done as soon as you can daily. This might mean doing your workout the first thing in the morning if you’re trying to get fit.
Or it might mean writing for 2 hours in the morning every single day if you’re trying to publish your own book. Whatever the goal demands, ideally you should try and get the difficult tasks associated with the goal over and done with as soon as you can daily – when your energy levels are at their peak.
You’ll feel more accomplished and motivated to keep going once the hard part of the day is over.
Track your progress
Tracking your progress will keep you accountable and also serves as a way to motivate you. By tracking your daily habits and actions, you’ll also be able to find areas where you can improve. This will accelerate your progress too.
Feed your mind and soul
There are tons of videos on YouTube by motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins, Jim Rohn, Les Brown, and many others. Listening to these videos when you’re down will help to lift your spirits and keep you going.
Like Zig Ziglar said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.”
So, feed your mind and soul with positivity and motivation whenever you feel the burden of your goals weighing you down.
Be happy with small wins
Break down all big goals into smaller milestones. For example, if you’re trying to lose 50 pounds, set 5-pound milestones instead of aiming for 50 all at once.
Every time you lose 5 pounds, celebrate and reward yourself. You’ll achieve your goals milestone by milestone.
The act of rewarding yourself will motivate you to stay on track. Of course, if weight loss is your goal, don’t reward yourself with food. Find a reward that’s in alignment with your goals.
If you follow the pointers above, you’ll always have your goals at the forefront of your mind and you’ll remember that sweat mixed with sacrifice is the only way to succeed… and once you know the price the goal demands, you’ll pay it while gritting your teeth and staying focused.
That’s the way to succeed… and the following year, you won’t have to make the same New Year resolutions. Brilliant!