Many people believe that to achieve goals you just have to be hardworking and disciplined. This is a half-truth: in reality, Only when we are truly motivated are we able to achieve certain goals
Motivation is the key to understanding why human beings remain tenacious, pursuing certain achievements that do not bear any fruit in the short term. In this text we will take care of explaining some keys, tricks and tips so you can understand how human motivation works and you can have a small guide to achieve everything you set out to do in life.
The 10 psychological strategies and keys to motivate yourself
Below we are going to offer you different ways to motivate yourself effectively, whatever your goal.
1. Never forget to think positively
Note that Your thoughts will decisively influence how you approach each step you take If you face everyday life with a positive vision of things, you will be able to move towards your goals. If, on the other hand, you are a negative person to whom everything seems impossible, you will not do anything to improve.
Your internal speech is one of the key factors when it comes to motivating you. We all have a little inner voice that can help us or hinder us. We must learn to manage its influence and be aware that our mental state is the key so that we can set goals and achieve them. If you have too many negative thoughts the time has come to eliminate them and replace them with thoughts and beliefs that work in your favor.
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking when you’re trying to motivate yourself.
2. Create a personal diary that reflects your progress
If you are a not very methodical person, this trick can be very useful for you. One of the keys to motivating us to achieve a goal is Be aware of the progress we are making in the short term Thus, we perceive that our efforts are bearing fruit and therefore we are more likely to continue moving forward. It is good to fragment your work into different mini-goals that provide an incentive to continue fighting.
If you like to write, a good way to monitor your progress is write a small diary in which you explain what you have done during the day and what your progress has been This way you will be able to see how much you need to reach your goal. It is also interesting that you write down both the positive (progress, good feelings, etc.) and the negative (mistakes you have made, ideas to improve)… We recommend that you be rigid and update your diary every day at the same time.
Furthermore, with the emergence of smartphone applications, you can have a diary of your progress practically automatically, in depending on which fields. For example, if your goal is to run five kilometers in the shortest time possible, there are apps that monitor your activity for you. Thus you can have a lot of information on your computer that gives you feedback about your performance and progress
3. Imagine achieving your goals, every day
A highly effective psychological trick: Mentally visualize the result you want to achieve, for several minutes and with many details. Simply close your eyes and enjoy imagining how you perceive the moment of success and satisfaction in what you have set out to do. How would you feel, who would you share it with?
The more and better you know how to imagine that moment, the more motivated you will stay and for longer If you practice this mental image for five minutes a day, your success will be closer.
4. One day you can fail… but not two
Human beings are deeply imperfect. If one day we cannot make any progress, we must put it into perspective. We all have a bad day when laziness paralyzes us. But the golden rule is this: you can fail one day, but not two consecutive days
If the previous day you were not able to feel motivated to carry out the daily actions that bring you closer to the goal, the second day is key. Don’t allow yourself to be boycotted by laziness or any other excuse on that second day You can’t miss two days in a row because then you would be carving a mental precedent that justifies your future laziness.
5. Healthy competition between friends is a great source of motivation
We all like healthy competition, especially when we surround ourselves with people who make us feel good. This predisposition to competition It can be very useful to encourage us to fight for our goals
If you know a family member, friend or co-worker who has goals similar to yours, you can “recruit” them to have healthy competition that can help you both. Week after week, You can catch up on who has managed to run the most kilometers smoke less cigarettes, get more sales, do more push-ups, etc.
Anyway, this should be an incentive, not a burden: Your goals must be weighted and must be equitable with respect to the other person For example, it would be absurd for someone who is starting to run to compare themselves to a professional distance runner. The key is not to constantly compare yourself but rather to support each other to continue moving forward, and for each one to achieve their own goals.
6. Prepare your mind for down times
Along a long road, you may go through good times and bad times. In these moments when things are not going as we would like, certain defeatist thoughts may come to mind and the uncontrollable urge to abandon boat.
Do not be afraid when these thoughts come to you, as it is completely natural that they arise from time to time and invite you to stop fighting. If you are aware of them, you can manage them so that they do not affect you For every moment of depression you experience, have a compelling reason to keep fighting.
7. Make a list of your reasons to stay motivated
Let’s delve into the previous point. If you know your reasons that push you to continue pushing the car and making an effort every day, you have a lot to gain. It is the perfect antidote to excuses, laziness and mental hijackings
Many people are motivated by thinking about their loved ones. Other people approach it from a more individual sense or because of the great intrinsic motivation what they feel towards that activity they practice. Either way, It is good that you write on paper what your motivations are
When you chase a dream, chances are other people have already achieved it before you. Having the support of a person with extensive experience can be key to explain some tricks and reflections so that you can achieve what you propose.
You can also look for courses or seminars from people who talk about what interests you. It is not advisable to disregard the knowledge that other people can give you. In our society, almost everything is already invented. But nevertheless There are few people who have the ability to innovate and look for new ways to solve problems If you are able to soak up a lot of knowledge from different sources, it is likely that you will be able to motivate yourself and stay on the right path.
9. Discover your true passions
This is basic. When we genuinely enjoy an activity, we manage to have a Flow State that allows us to perform at our best until we lose track of time. Before we have talked about the intrinsic motivation: It is that motivation that we feel for the pleasure of doing something
When we manage to discover what we are passionate about and we are lucky enough to be able to dedicate ourselves to it, Our intrinsic motivation will allow us to face the task and the day to day in a truly effective way If, on the other hand, we do not like what we do and therefore do not have a good dose of intrinsic motivation, we can only be motivated thanks to extrinsic motivationThat is, whether we have incentives (economic or otherwise) to move forward.
Therefore, it is important that you choose your life based on what you like to do, since you will be more motivated.
Discover the importance of dedicating yourself to what you like: “Gladwell’s law of 10,000 hours of experience”
10. Get inspired by the little things in everyday life
The key to getting motivated is be a person open to the world and find inspiration in the small details everyday. You can find inspiration in almost anything.
It will not only allow you to motivate yourself at a given moment (that too), but also maintain your motivation for long periods of time.
And you, how do you motivate yourself?
These are ours ten reflections on how we can motivate ourselves But each person is different and surely there may be other different tricks and strategies. We invite you to share them with us in the comments area.
