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I receive many emails from people that
basically ask the same question: How can I keep myself motivated long
term? This seems to be quite a common dilemma for many people so I want
to address it because it can be done! Here are my tips for staying
motivated:
Get motivated every
day.
Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a
“motivational speaker.” The guy said to him, “You guys come and
get people hyped up and then you leave and the motivation goes away. It
doesn’t last, and then you have to get motivated again.” Zig
reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way but we think it is a
good idea to take a bath every day!
It is true that motivation doesn’t
last. We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It doesn’t
make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to realize that if we want
to stay motivated over the long term, it is something we will have to
apply to ourselves each and every day.
Have a vision for your
life.
The root word of motivation is “motive.”
The definition of motive is, “A reason to act.” This is the
cognitive or rational side of motivation. It is your vision. You have to
have a vision that is big enough to motivate you. If you are making
$50,000 a year, it isn’t going to motivate you to set your goal at
$52,000 a year. You just won’t get motivated for that because the
reward isn’t enough. Maybe $70,000 a year would work for you. Set out
a vision and a strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the
plan.
Fuel your passion.
Much of motivation is emotional. I don’t
know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a
powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel your
passion. “Well, I like to work on logic,” you may say. Great, now
work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming
desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the
emotion and use it to your advantage!
Work hard enough to
get results.
You can build on your motivation by getting
results. The harder you work, the more results you will get and the more
results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more. These
things all build on one another. If you want to lose weight, then lose
the first few pounds. When the belt moves to the next notch you will get
fired up to get it to the notch beyond that!
Put good materials
into your mind.
I can’t say this enough – listen to
tapes. I still listen to tapes regularly. I buy tape clubs from other
speakers and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate me to get my own
successes! Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and
skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy them,
read them, and get motivated! Buy great music and listen to it. I just
did a spinning class at the club today. Whenever a good song came on I
was actually able to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and
motivates you!
Ride the momentum when
it comes.
Sometimes you will just be clicking and
sometimes you won’t. That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you
aren’t clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour it on because
momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with
less energy. That is the Momentum Equation! When you are feeling good
about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of
it as you can!
These are the top six
ways to stay motivated:
- Get motivated every day.
- Have a vision for your life.
- Fuel your passion.
- Work hard enough to get results.
- Put good materials into your mind.
- Ride the momentum when it comes.
These are simple principles, that when
you put them to work regularly, will change your life by keeping you
motivated all the time! Get going!
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and
writer as well as the President of Made for Success and Extraordinary
Leaders, two companies helping individuals and organizations turn their
potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and
achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries around the
world! Get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank
email to success-on@mail-list.com.
Get his FREE daily SuccessQuote™ with action point by sending a blank
email to SQ@infogeneratorpro.com.
Get his FREE monthly Extraordinary Leaders Ezine, one of the world's
most widely distributed leadership newsletters, by sending a blank email
to leaders-on@mail-list.com
or visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com
and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com.
Copyright Made for Success. Used by
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