6 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Take Action
photo credit: Ashutosh Khandha
Taking action towards your dreams and goals is clearly vital, but it’s not always easy to stay consistent and build momentum. However, taking action is one of those important pieces to the puzzle along with proper planning and the drive to succeed. Those that take action are the ones that see results.
How do you motivate yourself to continue working toward your goals, especially when you face challenges? Although some strategies will motivate you more than others, it’s good to experiment with several different ways of finding your motivation. Then, when the chips are down, you can depend on one of these strategies to get back on track.
Act Now – Why You Should Never Wait Until Later to Follow Your Dreams
Sometimes you feel like you’ve got all the time in the world to accomplish your dreams. Yet there are reminders every day that our time on Earth is short. Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict how much time you’ve got left, which is exactly why there’s no time like the present to make your dreams come true!
Concentrate On The Positive
It’s vital to start with positive thoughts. When you think positively about yourself and your dreams, you’ll begin to believe that you can achieve anything. These initial positive emotions can lead to a dedicated drive and enthusiasm that’ll help build lasting momentum.
Remember that nearly everyone feels overwhelmed when you’re about to embark on a long journey. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to fall into negative patterns of thinking, but you must fight these thoughts. It can be hard to imagine that so much can be achieved simply by having positive thoughts, but it’s true!
The truth is, when you think about something as scary as “I could die tomorrow,” it’s hard not to be drawn into a panic. But instead of worrying about how much time you and your loved ones have left, concentrate on making the present moment as productive as it can be towards your true calling.
Careful Planning
Once you’ve decided to take action, and you’ve battled your negative thoughts, it’s time to make some feasible plans to get you where you want to be.
Keep these tips in mind as you go through your planning phase:
- Set realistic goals. If your goal is going to take years, give yourself years. You can’t expect everything to happen overnight.
- Be specific. Include all the details in your plans. If you stumble along the way, you’ll be comforted in knowing that you have your detailed plans to help you stay the course.
- Reward yourself. When you’ve made progress towards your goal, give yourself a reward. Even if your ultimate goal is far off, it’s fun and motivating to enjoy rewards as you complete steps toward your goal.
Action In Small Steps
One of the biggest tips when it comes to following your dream is to break down your actions into small, manageable steps.
For example, your goal could be to become an airline pilot or you might want to start your own business. Both of these goals are hefty and have the potential to take years of work and training.
When you first think about these goals, it’s easy to be scared of how daunting they seem. Instead of resorting to fear, try breaking down these goals into dozens or even hundreds of small steps. Chances are that each small step is not nearly as overwhelming as the big picture.
At the same time, always keep the big picture in mind. When you visualize yourself reaching your end goal, it can be an image that gives you the drive to keep going during tough times.
Inspiring Others
Once you’ve achieved your goal, consider inspiring others to reach their goals, too. Perhaps you have some friends or family members who say things like, “I’ve always wanted to do that,” but they remain working at their dead end job.
Help them take action!
You’ll know from experience that, while it may be a risk, the reward is more than worth it.
Yes, following your dreams is even a reward in itself! It brings you joy in the present and hope for the future. So carpe diem – seize the day!
How to Achieve Greatness
Everyone has a different vision of success in life. Your greatness can be defined as anything you wish; you simply need to do some self-reflection to decide what is most important to you.
Here are some questions you might ask yourself:
* How important is financial wealth to me?
* Is having a happy or large family the most important thing in my life?
* Are there certain skills or gifts that I would like to master?
* When I die, what will be the most important goal I achieved?
How To Achieve Your Goals
It doesn’t really matter what you’ve set as your true calling, maybe it’s becoming a millionaire, living on the beach, or having a large family. The most important thing is that you have found your definition of greatness that personally applies to you.
Your next step is to form an action plan on how to achieve this goal. It may take a lifetime, but the only way you’re going to get there is with a plan!
Think Less Do More
It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts and plans, but you won’t achieve greatness by daydreaming alone. You need to take some powerful action to get there! Greatness won’t just fall into your lap – you need to work hard in order to get there.
Small Steps
Your definition of greatness is probably a lofty, multi-year goal, which can be a very intimidating and daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be so bad when you plan things out day by day in small, manageable steps.
It’s vital to take life day by day and, at the same time, keep the bigger picture in mind. When you set and achieve your small daily goals, you’ll build momentum without getting too overwhelmed.
Surrounded Yourself With Good People
It’s always great to be in the company of good, positive people. When you have someone you can look up to and model, you’re bringing yourself one step closer to greatness.
It’s also a good idea to be surrounded by people who can inspire, motivate, and encourage you. My biggest advice to you is to keep the negative, complaining type out of your life. Those people won’t bring you anywhere good!
Setbacks
It’s common to run into setbacks on your way to greatness. Things are not always going to turn out like you expect, but that is part of the journey to your success! When you hit a snag in the road, you need to pick yourself up, change course, and forge on.
Of course, you’ll want to maintain a high level of enthusiasm toward your goal. If a setback has got you down in the dumps, take a short break, then trudge along again! Don’t allow anything to get in the way of your goals.
You Are Already There
Every once in awhile it’s important to take a step back and reflect at your life. Are you enjoying your life and your journey? If so, then you’re actually already living your dream.
Remember: All you’ll ever have is the present moment. If you like where you are and where you’re going, greatness is already yours!
Being grateful for where I am forges the path to where I want to be.
I make a conscious effort to give thanks for all good things in my life. The more I show my gratitude, the more good things I receive to be thankful for!
When I awake in the morning, I give thanks for the new day. The good feelings I generate start my day in a perfect way, and I find that one good thing leads to another. This positive boost helps me fly through my daily tasks with energy and momentum.
I thank my spouse for the things he does for me. This makes him feel loved and appreciated and he goes out of his way to do even more good things for me. It’s a never-ending cycle of love!
I find things to thank my children for every day. When they do a good job on anything, I thank them for their effort, motivating them to continue. My happiness is even greater when I see them, too, discovering the joys of gratitude and telling others, “Thank you.”
As my day goes on, I thank my co-workers for their efforts and my clients for their business. In return, I receive their loyalty and friendship.
I thank my friends for being there for me. They’re always there to lend a helping hand and cheer me on.
I realize that even the challenges of my day arise for good reason and I’m grateful for the lessons I learn from these obstacles. Invariably, my challenges bring me closer to my goals, in one way or another, as I seek solutions.
Today, I strive to feel gratitude, enjoy it, and let it show in how I treat others.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do I let myself feel and enjoy gratitude and its benefits?
2. How has showing someone my gratitude brought me something good in return?
3. How can I show my gratitude more often?
I feel successful and I let go of all obstacles that stand in my way.
I am a success! Each day I allow myself the luxury of enjoying the good feelings that come with my achievements.
I am also confident that I can overcome every challenge. Rather than bemoan an issue, I seek solutions and take decisive action to continue moving forward toward my goals.
To ensure my success in any endeavor, I divide my goal into attainable steps and then take action immediately to build momentum.
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As I complete each step, I reward myself. I feel good about it and proud of myself for accomplishing a necessary task that puts me closer and closer to my goal.
It doesn’t matter if the task was small or if it only took a few minutes to complete it. A success is a success no matter how you look at it! So I feel good about my achievements and I let it bring me the confidence to move forward.
When an obstacle raises its head, I tackle it immediately. Perhaps there is a way I can simply sidestep this challenge and move on. Perhaps it is really bringing me the opportunity to find a better way to get to my goal.
Whatever the challenge, I seek a solution of action steps that keep me moving forward, even if there is a detour along the way.
Today, I choose to complete at least one action step toward an important goal and celebrate my success so I can look forward to doing the same again tomorrow.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do I feel like the success I know I am?
2. What successes, large or small, can I celebrate today?
3. What action steps can I take to overcome a current challenge?
I dare to focus only on the job at hand.
I allow myself the luxury of total concentration. When I tune out distractions and live fully in the moment, I find that my tasks are completed quicker and with a higher quality of work, bringing me more success and leaving me with more time for other things.
To this end, I do everything possible to prevent distractions.
If office noise is bothering me, I put on headphones to muffle it or turn on music to drown it out. I let my co-workers know what time I need to focus and when they can come to me for questions. I avoid distractions by forwarding calls to voicemail and I check my email during certain hours, only.
I plan my work and work my plan. Each day I take the time to plan the steps of each project and then I stick to my schedule. I put easy tasks first so I can develop my focus quickly and build momentum as I work through the project.
Lastly, I organize my surroundings so there is no interruption in my workflow if I have to find necessary items or papers.
I accept that there are times when distractions are necessary. When this happens, I take care of the situation promptly and get right back to my task. As before, I tackle an easy item first to refocus and rebuild momentum.
Today, I challenge myself to focus with total concentration on one job at a time, leaving the multi-tasking to those who haven’t discovered that there is a better way.
Self-Reflection Questions:
1. Do I actively tune out distractions so I can focus on the job at hand?
2. How can I organize my office space to reduce distractions?
3. Do I try to multi-task? If so, do I really get more done in less time? What about quality?
I feel successful and I let go of all obstacles that stand in my way.
I am a success! Each day I allow myself the luxury of enjoying the good feelings that come with my achievements.
I am also confident that I can overcome every challenge. Rather than bemoan an issue, I seek solutions and take decisive action to continue moving forward toward my goals.
To ensure my success in any endeavor, I divide my goal into attainable steps and then take action immediately to build momentum.
As I complete each step, I reward myself. I feel good about it and proud of myself for accomplishing a necessary task that puts me closer and closer to my goal.
It doesn’t matter if the task was small or if it only took a few minutes to complete it. A success is a success no matter how you look at it! So I feel good about my achievements and I let it bring me the confidence to move forward.
When an obstacle raises its head, I tackle it immediately. Perhaps there is a way I can simply sidestep this challenge and move on. Perhaps it is really bringing me the opportunity to find a better way to get to my goal.
Whatever the challenge, I seek a solution of action steps that keep me moving forward, even if there is a detour along the way.
Today, I choose to complete at least one action step toward an important goal and celebrate my success so I can look forward to doing the same again tomorrow.
Self-Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel like the success I know I am?
- What successes, large or small, can I celebrate today?
- What action steps can I take to overcome a current challenge?
"Your level of Self-Confidence is directly related to your level of success"
