How to Motivate Yourself

Do you find yourself making big plans but often fail to stick to them? By all intents and purposes, you do desire to make these plans. It is a natural instinctive desire to want to be more successful, have better health, be wealthier or to be more knowledgeable. However, a lack of motivation, despite your initial enthusiasm, can quickly come to naught as time goes on. Often enough, you end up in the same spot or situation, right where you started.

A typical example is on weight loss. How many us sign up for weight loss programs or gym memberships, but stop short of following them through? Another example is picking up a new hobby or skill. Because of specific difficulties and challenges, you decide to give up - barely after starting but never before investing a ton of money on it.

Achieving what you set out to do, can give you a sense of completeness and accomplishment. You feel fulfilled and purposeful. If you learn how to motivate yourself, it is possible to achieve your targets.

Here are some tips on how you can motivate yourself:

Ask yourself if the goal or plan is really what you want to do. If you do not have enough desire behind your goals, it is easy to give up when a challenge comes along. How may of us have a dream of financial freedom but only to give it up, when we find it hard to give up our fat salaries for the discomfort and uncertainty of entrepreneurship?

It is better not to start making goals or plans, if you have not decided what it is you really desire. A lack of clarity can hinder your progress. It is important that you put in enough time to investigate your own inner desires rather than superficial wants.

You need to lay the groundwork with a viable plan. Break down your plan into achievable targets; not too easy nor too difficult. With a plan, it is easier to be disciplined. Ask yourself where you want to be, after say 1 year.

Practise some visualization, and imagine yourself of having already attained your goals. Sometimes, we get too caught up with what is happening currently and too bogged down by the details that we fail to see the forest from the trees. It also helps if you can connect yourself spiritually to your Source and know that whatever you ask for, will be given to you in good time.

You need to feel excited about your goals. This helps in visualization because it connects your emotions at a high vibrational energy level.

When you have a desire behind your purpose, getting excited about achieving your goals is a much easier process. Excitement and anticipation is what you should be experiencing in the unfolding of your experience towards your goal.

When you set benchmarks for your life plan, along with special incentives for reaching each one, you are able to measure what you have accomplished so far. Some people tend to beat themselves up along the journey, because they feel as if they have not achieved anything at all if they have not already reached their ultimate goal.

This can be easily illustrated with the example on weight loss. You may have set yourself a target of losing 20 kilos. But do you give yourself a pat on the back if you have lost 3 kilos in 2 weeks? Of course, you should always choose an appropriate incentive. Do not, for instance, choose to reward yourself with supersize meals at fast food restaurants in the weight loss example.

Depression and lack of self-esteem can play a huge role in your ability to reach success. If you have feelings of self doubt and negative beliefs, it is unlikely that you will find it easy to be motivated. Continually affirm yourself and in your abilities to make positive changes is extremely helpful.

Continually affirm your motivation. Surround yourself with motivational quotes. Here are some that can help you along the way...

"To make our way, we must have firm resolve, persistence, tenacity. We must gear ourselves to work hard all the way. We can never let up." - Ralph Bunche

"Victory belongs to the most persevering." - Napoleon

"Motivation will almost always beat mere talent."- Norman R. Augustine

"The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses." - Napoleon Hill

"Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great." - Niccoló Machiavelli

Write out these quotes on cards that you can carry around. Anytime when you feel like slacking off, whip one of the cards up. Also, start each day with looking at the motivational quote.

Motivation is a high level energy. It helps if you are surrounded by people who are positively charged rather than people who emit low energy. For instance, attending a motivational seminar by Anthony Robbins or reading a book that encourages you in finding success, can be extremely helpful.

Refrain from getting too physically close to negative people or those who will pour cold water over your plans. While you should be influenced by what others say, acknowledge that you can be affected. This is especially so, if you do not have a high self esteem to begin with.

This is also relates to point 8. If you have a friend who is on the same journey, you can help to spur each other on. However, you must be willing to recognize that you need to move on, even if he or she is slacking off.

Or you can ask your family for support in your goals. In your weight loss regime, volunteer to do the family shopping and get all at home to eat healthily too!

Also, understand that you can get different levels of support from different folks. There can also be several support groups that you can link up with. People who come together in a group, sharing the same aspirations and goals, tend to rub off each other!

I've always sworn by a pair of Nike shoes. Perhaps, it's all the clever ads that often inspire me to run the longest track or climb the highest mountain.