You’ve probably heard the saying ‘you can fool some of the people some of the time,’ but the last person you want to fool is yourself. For successful goal setting, it is vital to really know yourself.
To stay focused on working towards a goal, we need to be motivated. This motivation can be instilled by giving ourselves rewards, getting encouragement from other people, or using techniques such as affirmations or visual aids. No matter what our goals, we need strong motivation to do what is required for as long as required in order to achieve success. We have to have a good reason to keep on going until we win through.
Do you know what motivates you? That’s the million dollar question. To discover the answer you will need to go on a journey of self discovery. This isn’t as hard as you might think, even if you are one of the many who feels they don’t know who they really are. There are some simple things you can do to help you get started in figuring out the real you. Once done, you will be motivated to pursue your goals successfully.
What are your likes and dislikes? They shouldn’t be hard to figure out. All you need to do is consider how you respond to different experiences or even the thought of them. For example, how do you feel about standing on the edge of a cliff and looking down or speaking to a crowded room from a podium? If you dislike these thoughts, then climbing Mount Everest is probably not the best goal for you, nor would a climbing trip be a good motivator for becoming fit.
When it comes right down to it, motivation is a mental attitude. In fact, it is a tool of the subconscious mind to help you get where you need to go. If you are mired in negative thinking you will get negative consequences. No matter how motivated you are to achieve a particular goal, negative self talk will work powerfully against you. So in order to maintain a strong motivation towards achieving your goals, you need to control your thoughts.
You need to be honest with yourself. Are your thoughts negative or positive? If they are negative, the first most important step you need to take to achieve your goals is to overcome negative thinking. Ignoring your self talk and pursuing your goals anyway, is sowing the seeds of failure. Masking negativity is only asking for trouble. Your subconscious mind is a powerful force in creating your life and it is important that your thinking supports your goals.
The process of achieving our goals cannot be separated from our motivation. If we lack genuine motivation, we will be unable to keep our commitments to ourselves, let alone anyone else. We can be distracted from our path by boredom, emotional upset or discouragement. It is, therefore, important to find the source of your emotion. The easiest way to do this is to make a list of your personal qualities including:
•   What you like.
•   What you dislike.
•   Aspects of your personality or character.
•   How you see yourself.
•   Past accomplishments.
By carefully considering this information, you will be able to assess your genuine motivation for your goal. Have you set goals in the past and failed to achieve them? Take a look at the aspects of your personality and character that may have obstructed you. Perhaps there were aspects of your goal that you actually disliked. Low self esteem can explain a lack of motivation and if this is a problem a support system may be necessary to help you stay motivated.
Be honest about your list of goals. Have you included goals on your list which require activities you dislike in order to accomplish them? For example, if your goal is to start a motivational training business but you hate crowds or speaking in front of others, you will probably lack motivation to achieve your goal.
Once you have discovered what is preventing you from accomplishing your goals, you can either begin to overcome them or change your goals. Decide on small steps you can take to help you overcome your fears. For example, you can create a personal support system by enlisting the help of friends or family to encourage you and hold you accountable. Discovering what makes you tick can make the difference between staying motivated or fizzling out. Without this personal honesty, human beings will sabotage their own goal success more than anyone or anything else.