One of the reasons why most people fail to achieve their goals is because they lack energy and determination. That’s why it’s important to understand how to motivate yourself on a daily basis.
This will help you take action to implement new actions, make changes in your daily life, adopt new habits to succeed in achieving the things that are important to you.
In this article, you will discover 11 keys to motivating yourself every day.
Note: This article was written by Nicolas Favier of Système Marketingwhich helps entrepreneurs develop their sales on the web.
1. Give Meaning to Your Goals
One of the greatest sources of motivation you can have to take action is to give it meaning.
So ask yourself…
Why is achieving this goal important to you?
Identifying your why, the real reason why you want to achieve a goal , will allow you to be more motivated than if you carried out actions without any meaning.
Take the time to look inward and determine what you really want, not what society projects like having the latest fancy car or the latest trendy thing, but what you really want.
What would it cost you to give up?
Once you know what you really want, to increase your motivation, ask yourself how painful it would be to do nothing to achieve your goal.
Imagine giving up, doing nothing and your current situation remaining as it is in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years…
- What would your future be like?
- How would you feel?
- Would you have any regrets?
The greater the pain of not achieving a goal, the more you will increase your motivation to take action.
Try to be as clear as possible, write down your answers and reread them the next time you feel like giving up.
2. Realize the Importance of Acting Now to Motivate Yourself Every Day
The only thing that exists and that you can truly control is the present moment.
SO…
Get started now
No, you won’t have more time or be more relaxed next week.
To build your future you must act now!
Don’t be afraid to take a step in the wrong direction, trust in your ability to adapt.
Learn and use your failures, your successes and all the experiences you will have to progress and move towards your goals.
You will die one day…
And that day you will look back on your life either by telling yourself that you regret having waited for everything to be perfect or you will be proud of yourself by telling yourself that you did everything to achieve your goals.
Who would you rather be?
If you don’t want to have any regrets at the end of your life, make the decision to act now!
3. Take Care of Your Health!
You need energy to be motivated and having energy starts with being healthy.
Whatever your plan of action, if you don’t take care of yourself, your body won’t follow so take the time to…
Breathe, eat and hydrate
Your body needs fuel to function:
- Take the time to breathe deeply to oxygenate your body.
- Prioritize foods that are good for your body and give you energy over those that taste good and are bad for your health…
- Also remember to hydrate yourself well, your body is made up of 65% water and it needs it to function.
Recharge your batteries
To be healthy it is important to rest:
- Allow yourself moments of relaxation when you feel the need
- And above all, get a good night’s sleep.
Play sports
Exercising affects your mood and attitude, it not only does good for your body but also your mind.
No need to do a gladiator program, the main thing is to move.
4. Create and Organize your Environment
Make it easy to take action to achieve your goals.
You need to create and organize an environment that reminds you of your why and limits the effort…
Put “triggers”
Triggers are objects, photos that will instantly remind you of your goals, your dreams and why you do what you do.
Put them in places you go often like your bathroom, kitchen or in front of your desk.
Make it easy to get started
The more things you have to do to start your action, the less likely you are to do it…
To avoid this, prepare the work in advance to make the start faster, everything you need to start your action must be easily accessible.
For example….
If you want to be in better physical shape and have to go running, prepare your sports clothes the night before.
If you are an entrepreneur and need to work on your digital strategy, make sure that the digital tools you will need open automatically when you start your computer.
Identify all the points of friction and try to reduce or even eliminate them.
Zero Distraction
It takes time to be able to concentrate on an activity and this happens every time you are interrupted.
To avoid this, make sure you create a distraction-free space for yourself…
Set a specific time for yourself to isolate yourself in a room, turn off your phone, close your email, etc.
Be clear and firm that you are not allowed to be interrupted during this time and you will find that you will be much more efficient.
5. Develop a Mind of Steel
How do you react to problems?
You are not responsible for what happens to you, but you are responsible for how you react to it.
You are not the only person with problems, tell yourself that there is someone with the same problem that is bothering you and yet is still moving forward.
The difference is in the mind, having a mind of steel will allow you to see the opportunity in difficulty.
Stop complaining and ask yourself questions like:
- What is positive about what is happening to me?
- How can this help me?
Keep in mind that even though you cannot control all the circumstances in your life, you can always control your attitude towards those circumstances.
6. Find Sources of Inspiration
A great way to boost your motivation is to have sources of inspiration.
For example, you can find them in…
Books
Written by people who inspire you like entrepreneurs, top athletes, coaches, etc.
Look for success stories that inspire you and will motivate you to move forward.
Articles
Search the internet for articles that really inspire you, articles with techniques, tips for living a better life, being inspired, being more productive, finding new ideas .
Bookmark them in your browser and reread them when you feel like you’re losing motivation.
Quotes
Make a list of quotes that inspire you, quotes on themes like success, entrepreneurship, efficiency, marketing, happiness, etc.
Put them in visible places so that they will motivate you when your eyes fall on them.
Inspirational Speeches
Look for speeches that resonate with you and listen to them when you’re on car rides or feeling down.
7. Surround Yourself with the Right People
Be careful who you hang out with… we look like the people we spend the most time with so…
Protect yourself from negative people
If you spend most of your time around negative people you are likely to become negative…
Spending too much time with these kinds of people can literally drain all your energy and if you can’t avoid them, be vigilant and aware of the effect they have on your motivation.
Avoid sharing your dreams and ambitions with people who cannot understand them.
Invite positive people into your life
If you spend most of your time with enthusiastic and positive people you will become…
Positive and enthusiastic.
Seek the company of these people and when you need motivation, go and talk to them, their contagious enthusiasm will re-motivate you.
Find people who have similar goals
Talking with people who have similar goals to you can help you gain new perspectives.
This will motivate you and give you new ideas to implement so don’t hesitate to talk about your goals with them and ask for their opinions.
If you don’t have any around you, look for them on the Internet, there are groups for entrepreneurs , athletes, photographers, parents, etc.
8. Find Mentors
A mentor is someone who has already achieved the goal you want to achieve in an area.
When you feel like giving up because your goals seem unattainable, seeing that someone has already achieved that result and that it is possible will help you not to give up.
If you manage to have a mentor who you can ask questions from and ask for help you improve your chances of achieving the goal you want.
They will hold you accountable, they will inspire you, they will advise you, and you will want to make them proud of you.
9. Challenge Yourself
Sometimes we stagnate simply because we are afraid of failing and if you want to move forward you may need to challenge yourself because…
Not trying is a sure way to fail.
Take a goal that seems difficult to achieve and break it down into easy to achieve steps.
Face your fear of failure and expand your comfort zone, take a small step every day towards your goals and you will see that these small steps will turn into a giant leap.
Have confidence in your abilities, take action and tell yourself that even if you fail you will have gained experience and will have a better chance of succeeding the next time you try.
Think about all the problems you have solved and how they have made you grow, it will be fun to see how far you have come.
10. Bluff Yourself
There are days when no matter what you try you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to go about your daily life.
In this case, what you can do is bluff yourself.
Yes, you read that right and I know it may sound weird but try this tip before you throw it in the trash.
Change your physiology
We often think that it is our emotions that influence our body, but the reverse is also true.
So when you have this drop in motivation, don’t hesitate to change your physiology, that is to say, move your body and act as if you had plenty of energy.
For that :
- Breathe with your lower belly!
- Jump on the spot!
- Straighten your body, stand up straight with your shoulders back!
- Be enthusiastic, smile, laugh, shout!
Overdo it, it’s better to do too much than not enough so don’t be afraid to do too much!
You’ll see, pretending to be motivated will seem weird at first, but keep pushing yourself until it becomes a reality!
Start just 5 minutes
Another way to bluff yourself is to simply negotiate with yourself by telling yourself that you will do the action for just 5 minutes.
You will find that sometimes just getting started will be enough to motivate you to continue.
11. Replace Bad Habits
Become aware of your habits, some will move you towards your goals while others will have the opposite effect.
Try to observe yourself for a day and write down the different habits you have and classify them into 2 categories:
Good habits
These are the ones that help you achieve your goals.
For example, starting your day with the most difficult task, going for a run, eating 5 fruits and vegetables a day, etc.
These are healthy habits to keep and maintain.
Bad habits
These are the ones that harm you.
For example, watching series instead of working on your projects, eating too much sweets, complaining about everything and anything, etc.
Once you identify them, try to gradually replace them with healthier habits.
You now know 11 keys that can boost your daily motivation.
But be careful, telling you that you will succeed in staying motivated 100% of your time would be a lie…
It is very likely that working on your motivation alone will not be enough to achieve your goals.
This is why the advice in this article for motivating yourself on a daily basis is not only focused on you but also partly on your environment.
Take advantage of the moments when you are motivated to organize your environment and make it help you move towards your goals without having to use your willpower.
If possible, delegate or automate tasks you hate doing.