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There are few of us who, including those of us who work in Learning and Development, who can change or move forward in their lives without some kind of help. It might be help in the form of a coach or mentor to help you grow. It could be support from friends and family who keep you motivated. Another form of help and one of my personal favourites is reading about whatever you want to change daily to stay motivated.

How can reading about something keep you motivated?

Reading blogs and books about the very thing you want to change helps you learn the way others have overcome that same challenge and gone on to meet their goals. Reading can give you inspiration to continue striving toward your own goal. It gives you the ideas and steps you need to take to reach a certain goal.

Books and blogs are a great way to do some research on what you want to do. Reading about what you want to change or achieve grounds you so you know what to expect. Books about your subject will give ideas about the difficulties you might face while moving forward.

If you want to gain new skills, read about how others have successfully developed themselves and how they have applied them.
If you want to build a successful business, read about successful business people.

Knowing what others have experienced in similar situations lets you adapt and try their solutions along with your own. Their stories can help lessen the worries and challenges you might face along the way.

The Types of Reading

Quotes. Reading inspirational quotes daily can motivate you to continue to take action on your goal. Put your favorite quote on your screensaver. Post quotes on your wall or your whiteboard. Have motivational quotes on your smartphone or tablet.

Read motivational books. Books that help you change your way of thinking can be a great source of inspiration when your motivation is failing. Build a library of motivational and personal development books. If you don’t have time to read them all, get them on tape to listen to while driving or walking. Here are a few notable authors with insights on motivation:

The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz
The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins
Great Motivation Secrets of Great Leaders by John Baldoni
Leadership Plain and Simple by Steve Radcliffe

Read inspiring stories. Read inspiring stories from others who have already done what you want to achieve, or are in the process of doing it. Read stories on blogs, in magazines and in books. Those who have already achieved what you are attempting can guide you through the pitfalls and give insights on what to expect along the way. You can get inspiration from their struggles and wins.

Reading books about what you want to change daily, or about self-improvement and inspiration, is an excellent way to stay motivated. They can inspire and motivate you to continue.

Why Commit Publicly To Your Goals?

In a post earlier today I touched on the importance of committing publicly to a goal that you are working towards. So why is it so important? Promising yourself you are going to exercise, finish your assignment for your CIPD studies or complete your application to become a member of the Learning and Performance Institute are all great goals.

The problem is you are only holding yourself accountable. If you do the work to reach your goal, that’s wonderful. But if you don’t, then no one is going to know. Committing to your goals publicly helps you hold yourself accountable to reach them.

Three Easy Ways To Commit Publicly:

Sharing your progress with colleagues, family and friends keeps you accountable to a broad group of people who have your best interests in mind. You have to answer to them if you skip a workout or if you increase your debt in some way.
Create a group on social media and form a group of like-minded people all working to help each other succeed. Peer pressure while working towards a goal can be powerful motivation. The support of others can be invaluable in keeping you on track or getting you back on track if you stumble or want to give up. You can report your progress as well as your fails, while supporting others in their progress. One more way to increase your commitment to your goal is to involve others in its achievement. Instead of engaging your competitive spirit, you can create a spirit of collaboration, cooperation and teamwork.
Commit on a blog and through an accountability partner or coach. By announcing your intentions on your blog, can hold you accountable to your actions. People will begin to lose faith in you if you don’t follow through and none of us want that do we? The same can be said of an accountability partner or coach. They are putting their time and trust into you. You don’t want to disappoint them do you?

Committing to your goals publicly is a way to get help and support from others, while returning the same for them. When others know your goals, they act as a support system you can go to when you need encouragement and motivation.

Openness enables others to hold you accountable. They will want to know what you did towards your goal that day or week, or why you didn’t work on it.

Are Motivated People Different?

Is there something different about being a Motivated Person? Are they unique or somehow different? There is nothing really “secret” about motivated people but of you want to be a successful goal achiever there are some approaches and attitudes which will help you stand out from the crowd.

People who are successful in their chosen field are generally speaking motivated to achieve. They approach things in a way which helps them to achieve the success they want. Whether your goal is to be recognised as an expert in your field; to be the best at what you do; to achieve a promotion or find a new role there are certain behaviours and attitudes which will help you. So let’s take a look at what those are:

Start with small mini-goals.

Start with something small and easy, then grow from there. Sometimes a large goal or even a long-term goal is too overwhelming. You can lose motivation quickly when there is a lot of time left before you reach your goal. Let’s say you have a goal of getting more exercise. Don’t think you have to do intense 30-45 minute, 5-day-a week exercise right from the start. Instead start out with something smaller, say a five minute routine or a ten minute walk for one week. Then the next week add a few more minutes until, by the end of the month, you’re doing 30 minutes of exercise.

Work on one goal at a time.

Working on several goals at once saps your energy and can rob you of your motivation quickly. It’s a mistake many of us make. Keeping your focus is out of the question when trying to accomplish two or more goals at the same time.

Really want what is is that you are striving for.

This is essential. You have to be passionate about your reasons why you want something. Write your reasons down. They have to be reasons you are really excited about and you want deeply.

Commit to it publicly.

Nothing holds you more accountable than sharing it with others. No one wants to look bad in front of someone else. Tell your friends and family, write about it in your blog or on social media. Hold yourself accountable over and over by giving progress updates every week or so.

Build anticipation

. This goes along with the accountability. Build anticipation by setting a date in the future as your start date – say a week or two from when you announce your goal. Mark that date on your calendar. Talk about it like it’s the most important date in your life. Write out a plan for reaching the goal so you know the steps to take when you do start.

Print out your goal

. Post it somewhere where you see it every day, like the bathroom mirror or refrigerator and on your desk at work. Make it a big reminder to keep you focused and excited. Keep focused on the end goal.

Be positive about yourself and your success

. With faith in what you believe, you can conquer whatever you desire. Have a win-win attitude. Keep your attitude positive.

Be proactive

. Don’t let negative people or situations take control. Listen to yourself and how you feel.

Set priorities

. Learn what should come first in your life – only you will know this!

Anticipate pitfalls

. When you make a plan, troubleshoot any problems you may encounter.

Have an attitude of expectancy

. Motivated people know that you get what you expect. Expect great results. Expect to achieve your goal but ensure that you don’t come across as big-headed or arrogant. Confidence in yourself and humility do go hand in hand.

If there is a “secret” of motivated people it is to start with small goals, be really excited and passionate about your reasons why you are reaching for a specific goal, and to hold yourself accountable.

Can You Believe This? Myths about Motivation

We’ve been told by motivational speakers and authors what we need to do to become or stay motivated. No doubt they believed they were giving good advice. They genuinely wanted to help others reach their goals.

But were they unintentionally reinforcing false notions about how motivation works?

Let’s look at some of these motivational myths.

1. Write down your goals and you’re guaranteed success.

In all fairness there is some truth in writing down your goals and getting specific about what you want is important. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. You have to do more than write them down. Writing down a goal helps you plan, but action is what actually gets you to the goal.

2. Do your best.

Many people believe this is a great way to motivate someone. They think it encourages someone without putting pressure on them. Actually, it is only giving them permission to be mediocre. Instead, you should set specific and difficult goals. That way you push yourself to work harder and commit to the goal in the long term.

3. Visualize your success.

This is popular positive thinking advice. Visualizing success without putting in any effort isn’t helpful. In fact, it’s a recipe for failure. You can visualize your success, but you have to believe that to make that success happen you’ll need to put forth the effort, planning and persistence.

4. You’re your biggest motivator.

You could have all the gung-ho in the world, but if you are associating with negative people or are trying to do it alone, then you’re doomed to fail. For example, if you want to lose weight, then socializing with those who make unhealthy choices can derail you. In reality, you need the right social support to reach your goal. A good offline and online support structure is necessary for sharing experiences and building confidence.

5. Failure is a sign of weakness.

Don’t beat yourself up if you fail at some point. It could be because you stopped tracking your successes or skipped a few days on your diet. These aren’t a sign of weakness. It’s simply a sign of old, familiar behavior patterns working their way back into your life. Failure is a result of lack of planning or poor behavior patterns.

These motivational myths aren’t your keys to success. In order to succeed, you need to put in the effort and create a plan to achieve your goal. You can find motivation in these myths, but without putting in the work they’ll remain myths.

Do You Need A Goal Success Plan?

As we are now moving towards the end of the first quarter of the year it’s a good time to think about how we are doing with our goals for the year.

Do you set off with the best of intentions at the start of the year and set goals, only to eventually give up on them? Maybe you set a goal to lose 20 pounds this year. But by the middle of the year you will have given up completely. If this sounds familiar, it might be because you are trying to achieve your goals in the wrong way. Following through with your goals means you need to know the right way to achieve them. In other words, you need a goal setting success plan.

Let me share 10 steps for goal setting success that will get you back on the right track before more of the year disappears:

Focus on one goal at a time. Many people start out with several goals at once and try to do too much. At the end they become overwhelmed and lose energy and motivation. It’s a very common mistake. It is impossible to maintain your passionate energy and focus when trying to reach two or more goals at once.Choose one goal and focus on it completely. You can always go back to the other goals once you’ve accomplished your primary goal.
Write down your goals and post them someplace you’ll see them every day. Put them on your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, on your smartphone and on your desktop. Seeing your goals every day keeps you motivated. Having them written down means you won’t forget them or get sidetracked.
Believe in your goal. Have faith in the process and believe you can accomplish it. Make your thoughts positive and turn your thoughts into reality.
Visualise your end result. Think about what your want the finish line to look like. What does it feel like, look like, smell like? How do you feel? Be absolutely clear on what you want to happen.
Create a plan of action to achieve your goal. Write down a list of the action steps you need to take. When you have a goal, but no plan of action, you aren’t sure of what to do next. It’s like driving without directions of where you want to go. You miss deadlines, don’t have priorities and are unorganized. You eventually get frustrated and your goal fails.
Know your “why.” Knowing your purpose or the reason why you want to achieve a particular goal keeps you motivated to take the steps needed to reach the goal. It helps you recognize that the goal is worth working towards.
Commit to your goal. Write down why and how you are committing to your goal and why it’s important. What does the finished goal mean to you, and why is it necessary for you to make it happen? Write down the steps you need to take to make it happen.
Hold yourself accountable. Get outside help like a coach if you need to have someone else hold you accountable. They can provide valuable feedback when you need it.
Stay focused on your goal. There will be times when you get sidetracked or you won’t know the next step you need to take. It’s easy to give up on your goal when this happens. The key is to remain focused on your goal. Take out your “why” and remind yourself the reason you are reaching for this goal.
Review your goals every day. Then take action on them. This keeps your goals fresh in your mind. It also allows you to see which steps you still need to take, and to make any adjustments that you might need to.

If you really want to succeed then you might need to think about a good goal setting success plan. By following these steps and taking action on your goal every day, you have everything you need to succeed.