Ever wonder why some people just seem so motivated every year while you struggle from day to day? What’s the secret to their success? Were they born that way…and you weren’t?
The answer is no!
Highly-motivated people have learned to do things that get them motivated and then keep them there. The cool thing is that you can learn how to get motivated and stay there by putting into practice the following seven steps.
Step 1: Limit your goals
If you’re like me, I want to accomplish a lot every day, week, month and year. But over time I’ve learned that if I set too many goals you will end up not achieving any of them.
In fact, the Franklin Covey Leadership organization discovered some interesting findings when it came to goals. When people or organizations set 7 or more goals at the end of the year they accomplished zero. When they set between 3 and 6, they achieved one or two. If they set three or less, they achieved all of their goals.
As you might expect, you can’t be motivated unless you have goals. But setting too many goals can actually discourage you as you struggle to keep up with all the demands. So keep your goals to three or less this year and you’ll stay insanely motivated!
Step 2: Commit publicly
Nobody likes to fail. But we really don’t like to fail in front of people. That’s why it’s a good idea to share your personal and professional goals with people you trust to help you stay motivated.
Here’s how it works: when you make a public declaration that you are going to achieve a certain goal, there is a good, positive pressure put on you to work hard on that goal because you don’t want to let those people down.
Who should you choose? It doesn’t matter who, but it is important that you choose someone you trust…someone who will encourage you to get back on your feet when you fail…because you will eventually fail.
Step 3: Start really small
Have you ever found it super hard to start on certain tasks because they seem so big? It could be to make cold calls or hammer out a huge report for the boss. Whatever it is, I’ve found one of the best ways to get and stay motivated is to simply think about doing a small part of the task and not the whole thing.
For example, let’s say you are a salesperson and you need to call on a dozen prospects today. Instead of worrying about getting all twelve done, just worry about making one call every 40 minutes. Once you get that call done…then work on the next forty minutes and so on.
Step 4: Ship early and often
Once you’ve decided on your goals, committed publicly and started small, your next step is to start delivering…without worrying about perfection. See, trying to achieve perfection can lead to unnecessary delays, frustration and even failure.
What you need to do is get in a habit of working in small batches that progressively deliver a better and better product over time. This way you will feel the excitement of small successes leading to even more motivation.
Step 5: Reward yourself
For each goal you set, you should think about a reward you will get when you accomplish that goal. Make it large like a vacation or new car. But don’t forget to reward yourself for the little things, too.
For example, promise yourself you’ll go for a short stroll after you finish that report. Or promise yourself a cold one at your favorite bar in the evening when you finish that code. The idea is to find an incentive that motivates you to keep on pushing through the difficult times.
Here are some ideas on rewards:
Financial reward – When your motivation lags, think about the bonus you are going to get for doing a job well done or the sales that will come in because you stayed up late.
Personal reward – This could be as simple as a feeling of accomplishment or the chance to learn a new skill or piece of knowledge.
Goal-directed rewards – Remember that working through the difficult parts of a job will move you a stage closer to your ultimate goal.
Step 6: Hang out with motivated people
Positive energy feeds off of positive energy, so do yourself a favor and seek out people who are highly-motivated. This could mean joining a Toastermasters club or your local chamber of commerce or simply going to bars or cafes where exciting and ambitious people hang out.
On the other hand, cut loose from people who are negative and drain you. If that’s impossible because it’s someone you really care about like a best friend or parent, learn how to draw boundaries that protect you from an over-exposure to negativity.
Step 7: Study your failures
Finally, if you are working hard toward your goals, at some point you will fail. You might not get the account you had hoped for. Your boss may turn down your proposal. Or you may gain five pounds instead of losing it!
It will happen…so be prepared for it.
When you do fail acknowledge the failure, do something to help you get over it and then figure out what happened and why. Learning from failures is an essential part of achieving your goals and can lead to higher levels of motivation as you discover new opportunities and find new ways to succeed.
Conclusion
Listen, as you gear up to take this year by storm, you need to remember a couple of things. One, do not take success too seriously. Stay humble and be grateful for every win.
Also, remember that motivation comes and goes. Some days you may feel on top of the world, but other days you may feel like you’re on the bottom. When that happens do the things that inspire you and trust that your inspiration will eventually come back…because it will.
What do you do to stay insanely motivated?
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