Motivated Mondays: Stay Motivated

Happy first Monday of the last quarter of the year! Can you believe it? The year is coming to an end already. When you think about how your year has […]

Motivated Mondays: Stay Motivated

Happy first Monday of the last quarter of the year! Can you believe it? The year is coming to an end already. When you think about how your year has been going, how do you feel? Are you proud of your progress? Do you see any good changes within? Have you accomplished most of your goals for the year?

Goal chasing isn’t easy. It takes guts, discipline, and motivation to get you where you need or want to be. Being motivated sometimes is harder than it seems. It’s like when you pick your goal(s), as you move towards it, so many obstacles come your way. It feels like it’s better to expect the unexpected than to assume it will be smooth sailing.

Staying focused and motivated is key to accomplishing your goals. The good news is there are some techniques that can help you reach your goals.

Remind yourself of your goals.

Think about your goals often. Write them down in a notebook that you use frequently. Use sticky notes around the house. Hang your vision board in a place that you will see every day.

Make weekly checkpoints to track your progress.

Break your goals down into objectives that you can achieve daily or weekly. You can even have a checkpoint or two throughout the week. It’s super important for you to see your progress.

Make sure to reward yourself every time you achieve your weekly goals.

Think about things that you like to do that you don’t get a chance to do often like a spa day or an ice cream date. Maybe you like to bowl or skate; whatever it is, reward YOU for handling your business.

Give yourself breaks.

YOU ARE NOT A SUPERHUMAN. You are a natural human with limited abilities. It may feel good to tell yourself that you’re Superman or Superwoman, however, truth be told, you’re not. Your body and mind needs rest. This is how it functions so well. With rest comes recovery. You may not feel like you need to recover but naturally you do. Get out of the habit of overworking yourself. Treat your mind and body right. Allow time to simply be.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Beating yourself up is something you’re not going to do. If you find yourself doing so, stop it! Negative self talk produces a negative mindset. With a negative mindset it’s harder to reach your goals. Understand that everyone makes mistakes. It’s completely normal. Work to get back where you need to be and move on.

Watch and read motivational stories or speeches.

I can’t stress how important it is to feed your mind the right stuff. It’s incredibly easy to be consumed with the worries of today by surfing the internet and your social media feeds. That’s why you have to be intentional about positive messages coming through your ear gates. So watch a motivational message, read a positive book, or research something that’s going to help you get through.

Move your body.

Staying active can go a long way. It naturally is calming. So if you’re feeling a way. Take it to the gym and stay on track. You will feel so much better when you get in that gym.

Eliminate your distractions.

Let go of what’s not serving you or your purpose. If it’s throwing you off it has to go. Distractions can come from people around you or even your phone. Exercise the power of NO. Turn your phone off or put it in DO NOT DISTURB. You got goals to reach by all means necessary.

-LaShawnda S. Wilkins (@speaklifeshawnie)