5 Ways To Get Motivated And Stay Focused

Motivation is the reason or reasons one has for behaving or acting in a certain way. Motivation is also the desire to do things. We all have at least one thing that motivates us to do something or change something. Sometimes the motivation can be as simple as basic human needs.

Many of us are motivated to get and keep a job to pay for food and shelter.

Once you get past the basic necessities, it may be hard to get motivated to do more. There are many reasons we struggle for motivation. One of the biggest struggles for motivation stems from our lack of belief that our goals are achievable. Another big struggle for motivation comes from not believing in ourselves.

I have struggled with motivation in the past, but I have found that when it comes to something I really want, I can find the motivation to achieve my goals. The secret is setting goals to achieve things that you are interested in, and can be excited about. It is also important to be realistic with how much of your goal can be achieved in a period of time. I recommend setting mini goals within your goal. Like training for a marathon, one doesn't start off running 26 miles; it is a slow build up. Treat your goals the same way.

I created a small checklist for myself to get motivated and stay focused. I use this very same list to stay on track with writing and blogging, and guess what, it works!

5 Tips For Getting Motivated

Set Goals

You have a goal, or goals in mind, but you need to start with a specific target. The goal may be losing weight. But how much weight do you want to lose. For others, the goal may be getting a promotion at work, or furthering your education.

Make A Plan

Once you set your goal, you need to make a list of everything you will need to complete your goal. Does your goal require time, money, or a gym membership? Your list should also consist of obstacles to obtaining your goal, and plan to overcome them.

Share Your Goals With Others

Sharing goals and plans with others will help to make you more accountable. Those close to you want to see you succeed and achieve your goals. You may find you have a great support system, and maybe even some cheerleaders or partners for your journey.

Track Progress

The tracking of your progress is an important part of moving towards your goals. Whether you are weighing yourself weekly, or timing your run as you train for a half marathon, tracking to measure your progression is a must. You should also use tracking to also adjust your goals, if needed, or to adjust your timeline. 

Reward Yourself

You have set a goal and are making progress towards meeting your goal. It is essential that you reward yourself, and give your self credit for your hard work and discipline. The reward can be a sweet treat, a new pair of shoes, or even a vacation.

Be kind to yourself. Setting and achieving goals is not easy. In fact, setting and staying focused on your goals is challenging to say the least. It is very easy to become discouraged when you are not seeing progress fast enough, and just give up. Just remember, anything worth having takes hard work and time. Be patient.

Do you have different tips for staying motivated and focused? What do you do to achieve your goals? Please share your story or experience!

"Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way." - Les Brown

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5 Ways You’re Sabotaging Your Life

For unknown reasons, people self-sabotage themselves sometimes in life. It is done both consciously, and unconsciously, but never the less it ruins their life and prevents them from finding their happy.

I think that many of us have sabotaged ourselves at one point or another in our lifetime. It happens, but doing so will ruin your life if it is reoccurring behavior.

So, I think we all can admit that we have made bad or questionable decisions before, especially in our youth, but it is never too late to turn things around. The first step in preventing self sabotage is recognizing that you are doing it.

The Ways You Are Sabotaging Your Life

Repeating Old Mistakes

You have made mistakes in your past, but you are not learning from them. You keep making bad decisions, deep down knowing that the outcome will not be good, but foolishly hoping things will be different.

Instead of wishful thinking, and hoping the same choices will produce different results, make the hard decision. You are likely picking what is the easiest option for now. Instead, you need to be willing to make the sacrifice now, do what’s difficult, and you will reap the benefits in the long run.

Focusing On The Negative

You frequently give yourself pity parties. The world is not against you. Everyone has their own crap they are trying to deal with. Yes, things will not always go your way, or work out, but that is life. But you cannot spend your time focusing on all the things that went wrong. Try to learn from bad situations, and bad outcomes, create a plan, and move on.

Not Believing In Yourself

You are your own worst enemy, and always your biggest critic. An opportunity comes your way, but you don’t go for it because you do not believe in yourself. You have to get out of you own head, and stop psyching yourself out.

It’s true, you are not perfect, but no one is. You may not ace the test, or get the job, or get the guy, but remind yourself that those are singular events. Getting a B on a test isn’t failure. Not getting the guy you liked just means that he wasn’t meant for you.

Keeping The Wrong People In Your Life

A great way to sabotage yourself is to surround yourself with people who are bad influences. Maybe they are negative, unfocused, or honestly just losers. Either way, you want people in your life with similar goals and morals. You need people in your life who you can look up to, not people who are mentally or emotionally draining.

Being Irresponsible

You know right from wrong. You also know what being on time means. Not paying your bills on time, showing up late to work, and just being plain old unreliable are great ways to sabotage your life. Being irresponsible and unreliable ruins your reputation and stunts your personal growth.

What To Do About It

Old habits are hard to break, but break them you must if you want to see a change in your life. Create a plan, stay focused, and surround yourself with positive, motivated people.

Your changes can be small at first, but once you have it in your mind that you want a change, you will find that good things start to happen for you, and your life will be better.

Everything happens for a reason, just don’t let that reason be because you sabotaged yourself.

What are your thoughts on the ways that we sabotage our lives? Do you agree with the list? What is your experience? Please share your story or experience!

“Loving yourself starts with liking yourself, which starts with respecting yourself, which starts with thinking of yourself in positive ways.” - Jerry Corsten

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