Sure, some of us are quick starters – sometimes. Maybe we’re the kind of person who LOVES to get our fingers deep into something new. The excitement is in the newness, but as we get farther into a project, we may tend to lose momentum.

What do we do then? How do we make ourselves STAY motivated all the way to the finish line? Often, the reason the excitement wears off is because we didn’t think things all the way through to the later stages.

For example, you just got a nice, intriguing mental image of something possible, but you didn’t spend the time required to think of every step along the way. In other words, you could see where you are now, and you could see a sparkling (but somehow vague) image of a finished project. What was missing were the details regarding the steps for getting from here to there.

Motivation is hard to maintain when the vision is incomplete. In part 2 of this series, guest author Kerry Sullivan tells us about…

Motivation – 2 Ways to STAY Motivated
By Kerry Sullivan

How do you stay motivated to achieve whatever it is you are going after?

1) Know what you really want.
This may seem obvious, but something too vague can make it tough to stay focused.

Here is an example. Making more money is a pretty general goal. So set your focus on a specific number, on how much you want to make in a given time-frame. This can be daily, weekly, monthly or whatever else you want it to be.

Get even more specific and write down the reason for making more money. Is it because you want a new car, boat, house? Write it down.

After doing this you may want to change your goal. For example money may not be your true want. In most cases it is what the money will give a person that is important. Driving a new Ferrari may be the real desired outcome. Thus the Ferrari should be the real focus.

This will allow you to get more excited about what you are aiming to achieve. In doing this you may open up other avenues for getting what you really want. If one wants a Ferrari and focuses on just making more money to buy a Ferrari, they may be cutting off other potential ways of getting a Ferrari.

2) AIM BIG!
Make your goal something you want with a scorching desire. If your goal is too easy it can be hard to get motivated.

For example, if you tie your shoes every day and decide that your goal is to tie your shoes today, you’re probably not going to have a burning desire to tie your shoes, although you still might do it. Make your goals big and exciting and it will be easier to stay motivated.

You want your goal to be a challenge, something you really want. So the saying goes, “To get what you have never had you must do what you have never done.”

Think about a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone to get what you wanted.

I remember the first time I asked a girl to dance in Junior High. It was at a school dance. I was so nervous that I was practically crapping myself. I had a crush on this one blond-haired and blue-eyed girl. I thought she was the hottest thing ever. I stood just staring at her and then started pacing back and forth with nervous anticipation. Then I got the balls to ask her. I made a bee-line for her and I asked her to dance and she said, “sure.” VICTORY! It was sweet.

To get what you really want you’re going to have to step outside your comfort zone. Think about a time when you had to step out of your comfort zone to get what you wanted. It might have been a bit scary, but that fear of the unknown is largely what made getting what you wanted so rewarding. Aim big and it will keep you motivated and be more enjoyable in the end.

To get more strategies to perform at your best go to http://www.heretorock.com

Back to Charles:
I was five years old, and Mom had been tying my shoes for as long as I could remember, but one day I asked her to show me how she did it. To me, this was just so BIG. I wanted to learn how this this wonderfully adult task was done. After a couple of days, I thought I was ready to try it myself.

And to this day, more than 60 years later, I can still recall my excitement and how nervous and shaky my hands were as I went about, for the first time ever, tying my own shoeslaces. I wasn’t quite sure I could remember the whole thing, but I just went ahead and tried anyway. I even remember hurrying so I could get it done before Mom came in to help me.

Lo and behold! Those shoes ended up tied, and they looked just like when Mom did it! And when she came in to help me, I announced as casually as I could manage, “Oh I already did it,” as though it were nothing.

Over the ensuing years I’ve tied my shoes a lot of times, but it’s never been as exciting as that first time.

There are two points to this little story. First, notice that what I wanted to do was specific. I knew exactly what the end result would look like.

The second point is the excitement. Why not go back through your own personal memories and recall important new things you’ve done in the past? When you do, make careful note of the feelings associated with those early successes (back before you were too jaded and “cool” to pretend you didn’t care). Then anchor those feelings of excitement, eagerness and hunger to do something.

How do you anchor a feeling? While you’re thinking of the earlier success (childhood memories are especially useful), and while the feelings are nice and strong, deliberately do a specific action (tug on your ear, or make a circle with your thumb and finger, maybe tap your left foot, or whatever) and you’ll be making a new association between the feeling and that specific action. Repeat this process several times to make the new association (anchor), strong and easy to trigger.

Later, when there’s a new project or task you want to motivate yourself for, think deeply about the new project, and several times, as you’re thinking, repeat your anchor. This transfers the old feelings of motivation and excitement from long ago into this new project, and you have a big headstart on getting it done.

Remember, there are two points here. Be specific, and get excited because you feel like it’s BIG. Simple huh? Now that you know how, it’s just a matter of doing it. Are we excited yet?

Cheers from warm and smiling Thailand,
Charles

Related Posts:

1. Self Motivation Is Super Simple! Part 6
2. Self Motivation Is Super Simple! Part 3
3. Self Motivation Is Super Simple! Part 1
4. Self Motivation Is Super Simple! Part 5
5. Self Motivation Is Super Simple! Part 4
6. Jim Rohn – Interview on Self Motivation (Part 1)
7. Is Self Motivation Difficult?
8. Daily Motivation For A Happy Life