15 Easy Ways You Can Motivate Yourself to Achieve Your Goals

Do you ever wake up in the morning, and the last thing you want to do is get out of bed?

How about the mornings when you wake up and hop out of bed ready to take on the world? What’s the difference between those two scenarios? 

Motivation.

Self-motivation is what compels us to set goals, and more importantly – drives us towards them.

Here are 15 easy ways to help motivate yourself to achieve your goals.

1. Know What You Want

This may sound obvious at first but few people really know what they want for themselves. Often our goals are based on what society or the media portrays as that which will make us happy or successful.

 Without a clear vision of exactly what you desire, you won’t be able to build up enough self-motivation to get through the obstacles you will surely face along the way.

For example, saying you want to be rich is not a clear goal. Be specific – I want to earn $ 5,000 per month is very clear and specific and easier to track.

 

2. Know Why You Want It

This step is just as important as knowing what you want. Why do you want to reach specific goals? What will it mean to your life? Think about all the people in your life that you don’t want to let down. These are the “whys,” and they are essential.

To understand your “why” It is important to first get clear on what your values in life are. 

If your goals are not in line with what you value in life there is a slim chance you will be motivated to pursue them and a slimmer chance you will ever reach them.

 

3. Set Goals That Excite You

It’s beneficial to set reasonable goals that are easy to reach but it can also help to set some relatively wild or audacious goals.

These goals might seem out of reach right now, but the allure of reaching them in the future might motivate you in the present.

Creating vision boards of what you want is a great reminder to have on your walls or screens to keep you excited and motivated.

 

4. Track and Measure Your Results

Tracking and measuring your progress is key to self-motivation. When you can actually see your efforts paying off, your motivation will naturally rise.

If you don’t track and measure, how else will you know if you are making progress? With tracking, you are also mentally accepting the fact that you are on a journey and are enjoying the process of who you are becoming.

Alternatively, if you are constantly focused on the end result this could lead to stress and anxiety which could demotivate you instead.

 

 

 

5. Expect Setbacks

Motivating yourself can be hard enough.

If you mentally prepare yourself ahead of time to expect that there will be frustrations, delays and setbacks along the way you will be better prepared to push through these times.

 

6. Watch How You Talk to Yourself

The biggest predictor of success is your mindset and related positive self-talk.

You can easily talk yourself out of feeling motivated so watch your negative or limited thinking.

Learn and practice ways to instantly change negative self-talk into positive self-talk.

 

7. Reward Yourself

If you are tracking your progress, make sure you reward yourself as well as you reach specified milestones.

Rewarding yourself along the way will ensure that you stay motivated. You are more likely to keep plugging away when you can see that reward getting closer and closer.

 

8. Use Your Social Circle

Building accountability through your social circle is a great idea.

When you have a big goal you want to achieve, let the people in your life know. Besides them potentially helping you along the way, it will also make you more accountable.

The funny thing is, we are more likely to let ourselves down than the people we care about.

 

9. Fake It

Not feeling motivated or energetic today? Try faking it. This tactic won’t work all of the time, but it could help you get through a slow morning or two.

How? Pump yourself up with some music. Chug some coffee. Jump around if you have to. Anything to make yourself feel a bit more energetic. 

 

10. Take Action

Have you ever sat down to work, and you just couldn’t get started?

Sometimes all it takes to give your motivation a little boost is to accomplish one simple task. Pick the single, most straightforward thing you can do towards any of your goals and do it. Most likely, this will motivate you to take on the next challenge.

Set a timer – try something for 5 minutes and if you still can’t motivate yourself to carry on then leave it and try again tomorrow.

 

11. Create Habits

Learn to put habits in place instead of relying on motivation only.

Like brushing your teeth every day is a habit you can learn to incorporate other habits into your day that move you towards your goals.

They don’t have to be huge – try 10 minutes of focused reading or a 10-minute workout routine. Accomplishing them will act as a natural motivator as well.

Also, once you consistently achieve these little wins you will find it will be easier to motivate yourself to work on bigger projects.

 

12. Find Your Inspiration

People get inspired by different things.

If you want to motivate yourself to achieve your goals, then you need to figure out what inspires you.

Maybe it’s a specific type of music. Perhaps it’s a view from your house. It could be a motivational speaker or celebrity. Ted Talks on YouTube has a great selection of motivational talks.

Find out what inspires you and schedule some time to immerse yourself in it each day. 

 

13. Learn to visualize or meditate.

Spend at least 10 minutes a day writing down your goals and visualize yourself actually having achieved your goals.

Use other cues like meditation, phone reminders, or goal cards to stay connected to the feeling of having achieved what it is you are aiming for.

 

14. Ask for Help

There might be times that you don’t feel motivated to carry on because you are unsure of how to proceed with a specific goal.

Instead of throwing in the towel, reach out to someone to help you. This is especially helpful if you can get advice or mentorship from someone who has already achieved what it is you are striving for.

15. Take time off

As much as we all want to reach our desired goals in as little time as possible, working relentlessly toward them is actually counterproductive.

Our minds and bodies need time off. So schedule fun and relaxation time as well. Watch a movie, go for a walk, sit in silence, play with your pets…..life without fun is no fun!!

 

In Closing

Motivation is fundamental to our success in all areas of our lives. Not only does it determine our success in our careers but shapes our daily lives as well.

But we have to keep feeding it.

Using all or only some tips above should help you maintain continuous improvement and growth in all your endeavors.

 

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15 Easy Ways You Can Motivate Yourself to Achieve Your Goals