“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing; that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar.

Have you lost your motivation? Stalled out? Stopped moving completely? Let’s face it; sometimes it is just hard to stay motivated.  It doesn’t mean that it’s a lost cause. Regardless of where you are, how close to your goals you’ve gotten or how far away you are – you can start, or restart on your path to success now.

For me, it takes daily reminders to maintain motivation and forward momentum.  What works for you?  Here are some things that work for me in keeping the right mindset and staying motivated, so I wanted to share them with you and encourage you to keep focused on your goals, stay motivated and keep moving forward.

  • First, think positive! When a negative thought sneaks in, squash it right off the bat. So much of reaching and achieving our goals is mental, we’ve got to control our thoughts and believe in ourselves! Believe in yourself, tell yourself you can do this!
  • Write down your goals, with dates as to when you’d like to accomplish them. Then, break them down into smaller steps & mini goals you plan to do each day to reach them.
  • Write down your ‘Why’. Why do you want to get healthy, lose weight, or get a new job? Identifying and stating your ‘why’ will help you focus to accomplish your goal.
  • Keep a daily journal, or to-do list to track what you need to do and what you accomplished.
  • Make it public! Putting your goals ‘out there’ for the world to see will keep you accountable. Find a success partner that will check in with you and hold you responsible.
  • Find an inspirational story, picture, something that helps you envision what you want and post it somewhere you will see it many times a day to remind yourself.
  • When you don’t feel like doing your daily to-do’s to meet your goal, revisit your ‘why’ and just do it.
  • Reward yourself for accomplishments along the way. A new outfit, a massage, tickets to the game or whatever; you need to recognize and reward small accomplishments as well.

Though 4 months of 2011 are gone, it’s not too late to really get crushing our goals! It’s a new day, let’s re-evaluate, re-focus, and GO!  What gets you motivated and keeps you going? I’d love to hear them as well as where you are with your goals!