Many ask me how to find motivation or change behavior motivation. Finding motivation is not difficult. To find motivation, create a habit or change existing habits. And if you want to change any habit, change the actions that produce the habit. Within this article you will learn techniques for finding motivation and the most powerful 5-step system I have ever seen to change any habit.
Success
Consider the following definition: Success is a progressive realization of worthwhile personal goals. This definition is critical to your end goal and behavior motivation because it says some rather spectacular things. It says:
- Success is a journey and not a destination. This means in its simplest terms you cannot fail as long as you do not quit.
- It also says that goals must be worthwhile and personal. They cannot be someone else’s goals like those of your boss, parents, or even your spouse. They must be yours and they must be of value to you.
Close scrutiny of this definition also leads to the conclusion that success is a developing attitude of achieving goals.
But what is an attitude? An attitude is the way we think or feel about a subject, which then causes us to act in a certain way about it. Therefore, we act and react in relation to our thought patterns that we have developed about the subject. So an attitude is caused when we think about something the same way over and over until it becomes automatic. The resulting action in response to the thought also becomes automatic. Change the habit of thought and you change the attitude. Change the attitude and you change the resulting action.
Specific Steps Of The Process
But how do you change the attitude, habit of thought and resulting action? That’s where goal setting comes into play. Here is the greatest 5-step system I have ever seen geared towards changing habits, developing behavior motivation and finding the motivation you are seeking.
- Write down specifically what you are trying to do and by when. The subconscious cannot act on some nebulous “someday” anymore than it can work on an unrealistic objective it knows it can’t achieve. Therefore, it must have a concrete time frame, it must be written down, and it must be specific and realistic. For example, wanting “more money ” is not the same as “10% increase over last year by October first.”
- What are the obstacles? List everything that is stopping you. What are your inadequacies? What do you need to get there that you don’t already have? What is it that’s blocking you? Why aren’t you already there?
- Write a plan to overcome each obstacle. List your action steps 1… 2… 3… etc. for each obstacle from above. Be as specific as possible. What will it take to get you past the obstacle that is blocking you from what you want?
- List the benefits to you. There is no such thing as something for nothing. You must replace a thought process and resulting action with a new thought process that will produce a desired result. There must be a benefit derived of sufficient value and meaning to you alone to be worth the effort necessary to do this and to overcome the resistance to change. Please Note: There is a truth about human nature that we often do not like to face up to. Because something is meaningful to our spouse, child, boss, or anyone else regardless of his or her importance, it is normally insufficient to move us to action. It must, in fact, be important within the self. When this importance is discovered or developed, change occurs and it can be dramatic!
- Is it worth it? This question must be answered very carefully and honestly. If the answer is yes, do it and DO IT NOW! However, if the answer is no, if the benefit derived cannot muster the desire to overcome the obstacle, you have three choices:
- Change the goal thereby reducing the obstacle;
- Increase the benefit to make it more meaningful.
- Drop the entire issue and get on with your life without feeling guilty. The amount of time we waste feeling guilty is a tragedy of human existence. Get on with your life with other goals and don’t look back.
If you stumble or fall off your goal, that’s okay. Remember: Success is an ongoing journey, not a destination. The only time you fail is when you quit or never get up after falling down.
Don’t forget to check out these awesome motivation sites: I need Motivation and Nightingale Conant
In the last portion of this series on finding motivation, Adding Rocket Power, I will show you exactly that… how to put your goal setting efforts on booster power.