Maybe you dream of owning a successful business, or maybe you’re hoping to develop a product that will revolutionize the lives of others. Or perhaps you want to make enough money to travel the world for months at a time and break away from the typical 9-to-5.
Whatever big, lofty dreams you have, they’re not always enough to motivate you to see them through. When we experience setbacks or other things start pulling our focus, it can be an uphill battle to regain our desires to achieve our greatest goals, no matter how much we once wanted them.
Life happens to the best of us, and when it does, you’ll be glad to have your own motivational strategy to help keep you on track to success. Here are 15 practical things you can do to stay motivated and achieve your wildest (or modest) dreams:
1. Remind Yourself of the Big Picture
You set a goal, but why? It’s not because you love doing all the tedious little things to get there but rather because you want the end result that all your hard work will bring. Keep the big picture in mind and remind yourself why it will be so much better than your present situation.
2. Create a Road Map for Your Goals
You’re starting from point A, and you need to get to point B. Now, all you really need to do is connect the dots that will take you there. Having a road map for your goals can be one of the clearest paths forward. It shows you exactly what you need to do and where to go to achieve your goals and eliminates some of the potential for getting sidetracked.
3. Find a Mentor
It takes a village to create a successful entrepreneur, so find a mentor you can turn to for ongoing professional development. A mentor can be an effective sounding board, a voice of reason, a guiding light, and most importantly, your biggest motivator.
4. Surround Yourself with Motivated People
When you surround yourself with positive, like-minded people, it’s hard not to experience the synergy that comes from such a group. You’ll benefit from their positivity, plus you may even learn some valuable information along the way.
5. Reward Your Successes
No one wants to continue giving something their all with nothing to show for it. Even if it’s taking you a long time to achieve your goal, make sure you reward yourself for small successes along the way. These rewards can help remind you what you’re working toward and prove that hard work does pay off.
6. Stop Fearing Failure
Consider failure as a natural part of the learning curve. Instead of being afraid to fail, take failure as a learning opportunity and add it to your ever-growing list of experiences.
7. Try a Different Approach
If something’s not working the way you intended, don’t throw in the towel just yet. Instead, switch up your approach and try a different method or solution. A new perspective can be invaluable to the process.
8. Turn Goals into Smaller Tasks
A lofty goal is like the Appalachian Trail — you simply can’t conquer it in a single day. Instead, break your larger goal into bite-sized objectives. Every time you complete a task, you’re one step closer to the end result. Plus, you have an easy way to track your progress.
9. Set Deadlines
A goal without a deadline will only ever be a dream. Deadlines make goals real. They add a tangible aspect and create a sense of urgency to take action. After you break your goal into smaller, more manageable objectives, assign deadlines to each one so that you have something more realistic to work toward.
10. Stop Multitasking
By definition, multitasking refers to the ability to do more than one thing at the same time. We all like to think we can be experts at multitasking and have even glorified it as an art. But the truth is that multitasking is just a fancy word for divided attention. And when our attention is divided, it means we’re unable to give something our all.
If your goals are important to you, it’s important that you give them the best of your attention, not just a small piece of it. When you lend your entire attention and talents to working on your goals, you stand a much better chance of success.
11. Get Rid of Distractions
Multitasking opens you up to a multitude of distractions. It’s important to eliminate as many of these distractions as possible so that you can maintain your focus and continue giving each task your undivided attention.
12. Ask for Help
Asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Quite the opposite actually. It takes a confident person to acknowledge their own weaknesses and when they may need someone else’s expertise. Don’t be afraid to reach out to others who can help you share the workload or teach you something you didn’t know.
13. Practice Self-Care
You can’t pour from an empty cup. Prioritize self-care in all you do so that you are better able to give your goals and projects the attention they deserve.
14. Track Your Progress
As you work toward your goal, make sure you track how far you’ve come. Watching how much you’re moving the needle is an excellent reminder that your work is meaningful.
15. See Yourself Crossing the Finish Line
It’s not enough to picture the end result unless you can picture yourself within it. Visualize yourself crossing the finish line and achieving what you set out to do to make even the most cringeworthy tasks a little easier to tackle.
Final Thoughts
Let nothing stand in your way of achieving your greatest desires. What will bridge the gap between your dreams and reality is the action you take to making that happen. Stay disciplined with your routines and habits and the rest will follow.
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