Motivation & Goal Setting: Get Motivated Fast & Reach Goals

“To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions.”- Deepak Chopra

Reflection is a very key part of getting one’s life right. There is a kind of satisfaction you derive from reflecting and looking deeply into yourself and the works that you have done. Reflecting keeps you on track, it helps you monitor your goals whether or not they are in line with your dream and aspirations.

Most people who are undertrained think that they can’t possibly control external circumstances such as the economy and weather but they have the power to condition their reaction in a certain manner towards these external factors. For instance, if you are feeling cold, the action to take is to wear a hat, gloves and a jacket instead of just complaining about the weather.

The dream that you are not aware that it exists will never be fulfilled. What this means is that you need to take stock of all the dreams and desires in your life. This is the only way that you can make meaningful progress towards achieving them. 

You can be very purposeful and decisive in achieving your goals but if you do not set a priority for your goal achievement process then all this can come tumbling down. Every goal has a price tag; some of them are 1000 hours, others 500 hours and others as little as 10 hours. 

Isaac Newton in his Law of Motion which is also known as the Law of Inertia states that an object that is at rest stays at rest while an object in motion stays in motion at the same speed in the same direction unless acted upon by an external force. The point that is essentially communicated in this is that it takes much less effort to maintain motion than to start motion from a state of rest. 

Visualization refers to replay of future events in your mind. It is almost the direct opposite of memories which constitute a replay of past events. If you imagine an event that occurred to you the previous year, the past month or the other day, this is called memory. On the other hand, if you imagine events and situations that you want to happen to you in the days to come, that is called visualization. 

The Law of Attraction says, “You get what you think about most of the time.” This law has been successfully used by millionaires and high achievers throughout history because it has an incredible power. It is also known as the Law of the Universe. If you think that you will fail in a certain test, you will definitely fail and if you think the opposite, it will also hold true. 

While successful people engage in risky activities, unsuccessful ones are fundamentally risk averse. Unfortunately, we live in a society that considers risk averseness as a virtue and those that express it are said to be wise. These are the people who stick to one job and invest in the riskless treasury securities that have limited returns. 

How many times have you had a mind talk with yourself and delayed something just because you didn’t feel like it? Few things kill self-discipline like bouts of delaying something based on the idea that “you just don’t feel like doing it.” The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg illustrates how our brain responds to habits brilliantly. 

The basal ganglia section of our brain is directly linked to behavior, emotions and memories. The prefrontal cortex, in particular, is associated with decisions and decision making. When our behavior falls into a specific pattern, we operate from a different brain realm, and do not use decision making faculties. It is more like going about our tasks on auto pilot. 

The Hindu scripture of Bhagwad Gita brilliantly emphasizes on the idea that we must follow our path of action without worrying about the fruits of those actions. This approach allows you to experience greater detachment from the results of your goals and focus more on enjoying the journey. 

The results may not be in your control. You may not have control over how something may turn out. However, irrespective of the outcome, you do have the power to control your own actions and feelings. 

People who are intrinsically motivated are far likelier to sustain through goal completion than people who have their eyes on more external rewards. If you do not connect to your end goal or if it doesn’t have a powerful personal meaning for you, you are more prone to abandon it. 

Do you believe that completing a certain task will make you more prolific and bring you lots of rewards? Or do you want to complete the task simply because you will experience a sense of purpose if you share your finished product with the world? The need for external rewards may keep fluctuating, but a strong sense of internal purpose can help you last until the end. 

Get into the habit of meditating for about 10-15 minutes each day. In the initial stages, it may not be very helpful. At best, it can be a slight distraction from the habit. However, over a period of time, you will experience greater calmness, mental strength and the stability to take your bad habit head on. You may no longer rely on the bad habit for fulfilling a need. 

From stress relief to self-acceptance to emotional stability – meditation can help you tackle underlying issues with greater ease. This frees you from the cycle of resorting to the bad habit for tackling deeper psychological problems. 

Journaling has no standard definition. It is simply about recording and expressing your ideas in a written format. It can be a diary you maintain for writing down your goals, feelings or day’s events, or a gratitude journal that lists down everything in your life that you are thankful for, or an idea journal, where you capture all the inspiring ideas you come across. 

Journaling is a highly personal experience as it boils down to recording your individual expressions. These are more like the written versions of the talks you often have with yourself or your best friend. 

Self-discipline becomes stronger when it is backed by a strong will to overcome obstacles. At some point in fulfilling the goal, you may feel demotivated or drained. Your own written record will offer you the much-needed motivation and encouragement you are looking for.

When you read about how you overcame past challenges, achieved great results and put in consistent effort without giving up, you will find the inner strength to sustain through your goals. Self-discipline becomes simpler when you have ready references of having battled similar challenges in the past.