Sometimes it is difficult to start planning. Even if you have set goals and seem to know what you need – here and now.
Let’s understand how to motivate yourself to act, especially in winter. To do this, I offer eight steps that will bring you closer to your goals.
Test whether the goals are really yours
You have mentally determined what you would like in the next month, six months, or a year. Maybe they even wrote it in a notebook or hung the list on the wall. A week has passed, and the second, and you are doing nothing to achieve your goal. In that case, are the goals yours or imposed by others or the media? Will they bring you the desired pleasure?
Check this out by answering a few questions:
– How will I feel if my goal comes true? What emotions, actions, and thoughts will I have?
– What will my needs be met if the goal is achieved?
– What can I sacrifice to achieve the goal?
– What will give me the goal?
– What advantages will I have if I reach the goal?
Such questions help to delve into me, monitor my motives for achievement, and determine: is this my goal or did someone “give” it to me?
Analyze the threats that may prevent you from achieving your goal
These can be urgent work tasks, the arrival of relatives, or lack of free time on certain days of the week. All this should be thought out in advance, so as not to later blame yourself for not being able to master the superpower and have time everywhere. This analysis helps to identify the problem areas where most of your energy and time goes. Identify real and imagined threats, and consider the amount of time you are willing to actually invest to achieve the goal. At the same time – without compromising the quality of other areas of life that are important to you.
Set an end date for the goal
The goal differs from the dream in that it has a specific deadline for realization. This term can be set independently. Since you have already analyzed the threats, now you can roughly imagine how long it takes you to achieve the goal. Write an end date to achieve the goal to activate yourself and evenly distribute the steps to achieve the desired within the required time.
Make a plan of action steps for the next month
Having such an action plan or map to achieve a goal makes it much easier to achieve something. You don’t have to think every time: what can I do for my purpose today? There is a free minute – there is an action that can be done to get closer to the goal. It is necessary to enter such steps which really to make within 15-60 minutes. It’s not so hard to find 15 minutes a day, is it? Such a monthly determination of further steps is a guide to the goal. Praise yourself for the success of the steps and try to determine the causes of failure. All this will give you invaluable knowledge about yourself, your needs, motives, and desires.
Imagine your goal in three dimensions
Remember going to the movies for a 3-D show? The technique is very similar. It is best to do it in a place where you feel comfortable and safe. For some, it’s home, some practice it in their parents’ favorite coffee shop or home. Find a quiet and secluded place and close your eyes. Imagine that you have moved in time on the day when your goal has already been reached. Look around. What do you see? What sounds and conversations do you hear? What are the sensations in your body? What emotions overwhelm you? This full view of the goal helps to adjust to achieve the goal as thoroughly as possible. And when you run out of energy – you can safely return to the vivid images of the achieved goal to continue the path to achieve it.
Determine your type of motivation
Knowing how you motivate helps speed up the achievement process. If you are motivated by others, most likely it is external motivation. When you are able to persuade, inspire and motivate yourself to act on your own, psychologists talk about intrinsic motivation. Also, highlight the motivation “to”: this is when a person imagines vivid images, where his goal is achieved. It is driven by the dream image, where everything is fine.
However, we are often motivated by negative things. Yes, this is the motivation “from”: when a person imagines in great detail what will happen if he does not achieve the desired goal. She’s thinking about getting fired and finding money if she doesn’t learn business English. This motivation is also quite effective. Among the types of motivation, there is no better or worse.
Surround yourself with little things that inspire you personally
These can be souvenirs brought from holidays, and quotes from books that you love. Soft toys, notes from friends – anything that evokes positive memories and emotions. Work and home space should be decorated so that you are in a state of constant positive resources. Don’t waste time thinking about what things, details help you feel good and productive. Such little things will be so-called triggers, ie triggers for the brain. They will remind you that you have already achieved something, and another goal is a very real thing.
Take care of yourself so that your strength does not fall below the allowable limit for you To achieve something new, you must first think I think about it: do I have enough strength for this? Such seemingly banal things as sleep and alternation of activities, and healthy eating will help to physiologically prepare the body to learn something new. And what about psychological training? How to renew your energy and positive emotions?
Think and write a list of “What helps me rest / relax?” with at least 12 points. This can be a cup of coffee in the morning, meditation, or a call to friends. Now that you clearly see opportunities for recovery, get into the habit of doing 2-3 things from the list each week. You can go further and write about the so-called “places of power” and “people of power” – these are the places and people that fill you with joy, support, and gratitude. This will be a list of psychological ambulances. When you finally run out of energy, go to the list and call the “man of strength” or go where you feel better.
