5 Ways to Stay Motivated

We all know how difficult it is to stay motivated when we start on a goal or an important project. In our coaching practice, we frequently work with clients who have the best of intentions when they start on a goal but have trouble staying on track after some period of time. Sometimes it is near the start of a goal and sometimes it is towards the middle or end.

Regardless of when it happens, it is not a good feeling to have failed to reach an important goal.

How can you stay motivated and stay on track to achieve whatever goal it is you are going after?

Here are five good ways to help you become better at being a "goal achiever":

Make sure your goal is clearly defined. There is nothing more de-motivating that working towards a poorly defined goal. How will you know when you have reached it if you haven't clearly defined what constitutes success? That is why it is critical right upfront to determine where the finish line is for your goal, with no ambiguity at all. You are the person in charge of this, so it is up to you to define when the goal is achieved.

Write it down! Words on paper have an indefinable power to keep us on track when we might be tempted to falter. To see your goal written down, clearly and distinctly is a powerful way to stay motivated. It's also important to keep that written goal is a highly visible, prominent place so that you can see it several times a day. This will keep it imprinted on your conscious and subconscious mind. Your brain will keep working, even when you are not aware of it, to find ways to reach that goal.

Visualize it. Creating a visual for your goal is a powerful way to keep you motivated. Look for images that represent your goal and create a vision board that incorporates all these images. It is human nature to gravitate towards things that bring us pleasure, so "remind your mind" of all the wonderful images that your goal conjures up for you. Look on the Internet and in magazines for those pictures that represent your goal. They could be things like a visual of the corner office (if you want a big promotion) or a beautiful car (if you are working on getting a raise) or an image of you teaching a class (if your goal is to become a teacher). Regardless of the goal you have, visuals will help keep you motivated until that goal has been achieved.

Create Frequent Milestones. Nothing is so effective at keeping people working towards their goal as achieving "mini-goals" along the way. When you are establishing the timeline for your goal, set up short term milestones along the way that enable you to acknowledge the progress you have made. Nothing motivates people like the taste of success, so create the opportunities for you to celebrate your successes along the way to your major goal.

Have an accountability partner. There is a great saying that "nobody succeeds alone." People who achieve great things always have people who have helped them along the way. So designate a person (e.g., friend, co-worker, spouse, etc.) to whom you can report on your progress and who can provide the moral support to keep you motivated when the times are tough.

Motivation plays a critical role in achieving any important goal. Without it, there is little to sustain us when we hit a rough patch and these tough times are bound to occur. Try following these suggestions and we are sure that you will reach whatever goal you are striving to achieve.

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