People have always been a part of a rat race, however, in the world today, there are too many concurrent races. It is necessary to keep yourself fuelled while aiming for the win. The one factor that keeps you on track is motivation. That is what keeps the end in sight an helps you get there. Staying focused on your goal is difficult but there are tools to help your progress. Here’s a list of a few things that motivate you in life.
Tips to stay motivated
Know your goal
Goals give you purpose. Plot your day around the goal you want to achieve. Eg: If your goal is to watch the world cup match with your friend, manage your time, work and other chores to achieve that goal.
Knowing what you want not only helps set an intention but helps you understand the factors needed to achieve that task. It is important to categorize areas of your life and make goals in those sections such as health, family, finance etc. Goals need to be further divided into short term and long term ones.
Understand the reward you seek from your goal
Rewards are intrinsic and extrinsic in nature. Understand the outcome you seek and whether it is an essential part of your happiness and growth. Extrinsic rewards are external, such as your salary; intrinsic rewards satisfy psychological needs such as your job role. Once you identify the reason for your goal, it will be clearly defined by making your decision more concrete.
Prepare a strategy
Once you have clarity, the next step is to strategize the best way to achieve your goal. Suppose your goal is to go backpacking in Europe, your reason could be satisfying your wanderlust. To achieve this, you will need to work extra hours, complete deadlines, save money, or make a sales pitch leading to a bonus. It’s all about planning right from the first dot to the complete picture.
Make a flow chart
The strategy to achieve a goal can seem unending. Just the thought of starting leaves you exhausted. This is where breaking down the strategy into smaller tasks helps. Start ticking them one by one and you will eventually get to the finish line. Breaking down the goal into small parts helps prioritize and focus in a more effective manner.
Don’t make the process dull
If the process of achieving your goal is too rigid and lacks vibrancy, you’ll tire out midway. You need to stay enthusiastic. Your attitude adds value to the journey.
Have complete clarity and vision
There is no point in knowing your goal, why you want to achieve it and having a strategy in place if you cannot visualize it and feel the vibe of success. Focusing your mind and heart by visualizing, is like giving yourself a pep talk. After all, a preview of your future success is not a bad idea.
Change your strategy not your goal
There’s a chance you may not get to your goal the first time around. Roadblocks can hamper your progress. If you really desire something, don’t give up. Keeping yourself motivated also means asking questions. Do you need to acquire a particular skill set? Do you need a better team? Should you have more realistic timelines? Should you be delegating? The strategy may need modification, but not the goal.
Reward yourself
The hero inside you needs a voice that says –“Hey buddy, you did great.” This voice is none other than you. If you don’t reward yourself, for reaching every check post towards your goal, at some point you’ll lose interest. Delight yourself with a reward.
Don’t stop midway
The path towards your goals may have many hurdles whether in the form of external comments or internal reflections. Keep reminding yourself why you have embarked on the journey and keep in mind the bigger picture.
Prioritise and resume
Keeping yourself motivated requires you to pause and reflect occasionally. Don’t hesitate to seek help. The thought of achieving your goal by yourself is great but sometimes other heads are needed. It is important not to zoom ahead and lose sight of the main goal.
Keeping yourself motivated requires effort. However, it helps you develop an immune system ready to tackle the challenges headed your way. At any point in your life, motivation skills keep you a step ahead.
READ MORE: OVERCOMING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
