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How to Find Motivation to Achieve Your Goals
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition & Job Search Coach | Possibility Thinker
One of the biggest mistakes people make when seeking to achieve a goal is waiting. They wait for inspiration and motivation.
Imagine if everyone on the planet waited for the motivation to get their work done. Productivity would drop like a ball, and the economy could collapse.
Productivity has actually improved in recent years in spite of the fact that many people hate their jobs. They aren't motivated. They are just doing what they have to do.
The lucky people are the ones who are working toward a particular goal. But they aren't waiting for motivation, either. They are doggedly determined that they are going to meet their goal.
It is true that some goals are set by employers. It doesn't matter who sets the goal. Once it has been set, it's about getting it done. Some cases, people fail, however, because they don't feel motivated.
Here is a well-kept secret. Motivation isn't the key to success. Doing is.
If you sit around waiting for inspiration and motivation to come, you may sit until it's too late. You will wonder why everyone else is doing better than you. And you may be waiting for some spark of motivation that never arrives!
You can avoid this outcome by realizing a truth.
Motivation in a Vacuum Doesn't Exist
We have all heard of stories of the starving artist who can't find inspiration to paint. And we've heard tales of the writer with writer's block. Many creative professions have the same story. They need to feel inspired. So they wait. And while they wait, nothing gets done.
It's the same with weight loss. Many people think that there is some secret motivation that they have to have to be successful. So they wait for some mysterious spark of inspiration. Somehow, with no effort on their part, they hope they will finally lose that last 10 pounds. But nothing could be further from the truth!
Doing, Not Thinking, Gets Results
Time and again, the people who are successful are not people who wait for a spark of inspiration. They don't wait for motivation.
These are people who get up out of bed every single day, rain or shine and do things that lead to results. The successful painter paints every single day with or without inspiration. The successful writer writes. They commit to writing every day. They don't wait for inspiration.
If you want to be successful at something, do it. Live it. You will succeed.
Successful People Are Not Smarter Than You or Luckier Than You
Many people get blocked by thinking that everyone else is better or smarter than they. They tell themselves that others got a lucky break. Somehow, you could never do what they do.
The truth is, successful people aren't smarter than anyone else. They are people who work at their goals every single day. They are doing, not thinking about doing it, and not dreaming of doing it.
Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals to Be Successful
We have all heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. stands for "Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely."
Every goal you set should meet that standard. After all, if you cannot be specific about what you want, how can you work toward it? If you can't measure it, how will you know about your progress? If you can't act on it, how will you tackle it? If it isn't realistic, why are you wasting your time? And if you can't complete it on time, how will you know when you are successful?
Envision Success
 Some people think VisionBoards are a bunch of hocus-pocus. But research shows that visualizing yourself experiencing success helps. I have used Vision Boards for years with great success.
There are people who are good at seeing what they want in their mind and believing it. But others need something more concrete. Try making a Vision Board of your own to see your dream represented visually. Then decide how to approach your S.M.A.R.T. goals.
Follow a Schedule
I can't stress this enough. Doers do. Successful people do. A wish list isn't going to cut it. A Vision Board that just sits without your taking action on what you want IS hocus-pocus.
You need to create a schedule and stick to it. If you want a new job, you have to begin with the end in mind. Then work your way back to today. Make a schedule that is realistic and that you can follow each day to get the work done when you said you wanted it done. Then let nothing stop you.
Experience Success
Set some smaller goals so that you can feel what success is like. If you've never stuck to completing goals, you can't know what success feels like. And you have nothing to push you forward. People who experience success enjoy it and they want to experience it again. The more success you experience, the more you're going to realize that you can be successful. It eventually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Repeat Everything
Finally, keep doing it over and over again. With anything you want to achieve, set your ultimate goal. Track your success and do something every single day toward achieving that goal. Do this again and again. It ís that simple. This is what I do in keeping my business going, and it's been almost five years. I know if I can do it, you can do what you want to do, too.
Motivation may not be a figment of the imagination, but it can be used as an excuse. It's not something that most people have on a regular basis. Most people get up in the morning after hitting the snooze button a few times. Most people do not feel especially happy about doing things they need to do to just get by. What they do feel happy about is the end result. They enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when they have accomplished a goal. Achieving your goal can be an inspiration of its own. Place your focus on what you want and where you want to be. And then, as they say at Nike, "Just do it!"
Until next time.
P.S.
Hey, before you go, consider. Are YOU wanting to change your job or career sometime this next year? If so, there is no time like today to get started. I am still accepting candidates for the "Work You Love Academy." Please let me know if you would be interested in being considered.
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