Motivation is an Inside Job

Are you motivated?

Right now, I'm motivated to write some articles on what it is to be motivated. It's part of a whole series of articles I'm doing today. Now a part of my brain says, "wouldn't you rather just sit in a comfortable chair and watch television?" And the honest answer would be "Yes, I would rather forget about it. I'm tired." But the other side of my brain says, "you won't achieve very much in life without putting in the effort, so stick with it." But even more than that, I'm doing it because I'm motivated to move my life in a certain direction and this is part of the process. I'm willing to sacrifice my time lazing around for the long term benefits of getting the work out there so it can benefit the reader.

In general, people don’t mind making short term sacrifices but many tend to give up once they find that the sacrifice has to be extended in order to succeed. However, if you were fully prepared for the future, knew exactly what would happen if you did what you needed to do, and took full responsibility for your action, would you be motivated? Of course you would.

Comments like “I have no will power” probably means that you enjoy doing something else more than what you are actually doing—and there is nothing wrong with that. But make sure you are clear on what you want. Whenever you arrive at a point where you have to make a decision on whether change is required or not, ask yourself if this is part of your goal plan, and make a strict decision with confidence and conviction that you are doing the right thing.

To keep yourself motivated you must have a plan. Without it, there is only hope and we never get anywhere by just hoping it's all going to come together.

Goal Creation Exercise:

Look at the following points.
• Career
• Relationships
• Fun
• Achievements
• Money
• Possessions
Each one of them is a part of your life.

Brainstorm your goals for each of these categories. Don't hold back. Be BIG and AUDACIOUS. No one needs to know but you.

Next - Allot timescales for each goal:1 year, 1–3 years, over 3 years

• Consider the less than 1 year goals
• Pick two from each of the categories.
• Write down convincing reasons on what makes achieving them in less than a year a must.

Motivation is all about making things a must!
In the absence of any compelling reasons to implement the goals, there will be no motivation to achieve them.

Leave no stone unturned, explore every nook and cranny of your conscience and those deep dark realms of your mind. Take your time, as you don’t want to end up with wishy-washy goals you probably won’t even relate to a month later. Think long term and
think clear!

Write what the goal is and why you feel you must
achieve it. Ask yourself the following questions:

What pleasure will it give you?
What will you be able to do?
What will you miss out on if you don’t achieve it?
Why is it so important to you?
Why is the goal a MUST rather than a SHOULD?

• Make an Action Plan

Plans are not plans without strategic action steps to bring it about. So start mapping the steps you will take to reach your goals. And remember, you don't have to bite the whole apple at once. Small incremental steps turns into powerful action. If I want to lose 15lbs I can't do it all this week. So I'm going to figure out how to do it sensibly until I reach my goal. So get some clarity about what you need to do to make your goals achievable. Someone once said that “success by the inch is a cinch; by the yard it is hard.” Don't try to do it all at once.

Plan your short term goals, then your long terms goals. This will keep you motivated. And when you procrastinate, as we all do from time to time, don't beat yourself up. Gently lead yourself back to the list of goals and start working on it again.

Motivation is an inside job.