8 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Take Action‏

Taking action towards your dreams and goals is clearly vital, but it's not always easy to stay consistent and build momentum. However, taking action is one of those important pieces to the puzzle along with proper planning and the drive to succeed.

Those that take action are the ones that see results. How do you motivate yourself to continue working toward your goals, especially when you face challenges? Although some strategies will motivate you more than others, it's good to experiment with several different ways of finding your motivation. Then, when the chips are down, you can depend on one of these strategies to get back on track.

Try these techniques to motivate yourself to take action:

1. Break your goals into smaller, attainable steps. Especially if you're working toward a bigger goal, break it up into a series of small steps that you know you can achieve. After each step, celebrate and reward yourself for a job well done. With small steps, you'll be more likely to stay on task because your rewards come often.

2. Know your limits. You know yourself best and only you can identify your personal limits. If you move too slowly, you'll know deep down that you could be taking more action. However, when you try to do too much, you risk burnout. Figure out that magic point where you can achieve success without much stress, and you'll remain motivated to keep taking action.

3. Take away your distractions. There are some things that might be more likely to distract you than others. Remove yourself from these situations when you know that you need to be taking action.
For example, if you get busy in the afternoons and then find you don’t have time or can’t be bothered exercising in the evening, make a commitment to getting up earlier in the mornings. Once it’s done it’s done, then you can go about the rest of your day with a clear conscience.

4. Ask for the help you need. Don't be afraid to get help from others. There's only so much you can accomplish in one day all by yourself. It's true that sometimes you'll have to accomplish certain things on your own, but if there's any way at all that someone else can help, consider that possibility and ask them.

5. Find an activity that energizes you. Sometimes you'll find that there's a period in the day where you go into a slump. Maybe you have trouble starting your engines in the morning, or perhaps it's the afternoon that causes you to feel sluggish.
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In these times, find some activity to re-motivate and energize you. One thing that can energize you is a good exercise routine. It'll get your heart rate up and send resh oxygen to your brain. This will refresh you, help you think more clearly, and make you feel more like doing your work and everyday chores.

6. Keep a tight schedule. A good schedule and organized plan will help keep you motivated and on track. In the beginning phases of planning your goals, be very specific when deciding what you need to do and when. This way, when you complete a step, you won't have to spend time figuring out what you're supposed to do next.

7. Look for ways to succeed, rather than reasons to fail. This is all about your attitude and the way you perceive obstacles. If you encounter an obstacle, find a way around it rather than accept it as a reason to fail. Let’s face it - things won’t always (or ever!) be perfect. The only way to succeed is to perceive everything as a challenge that you can, and will, overcome. You will feel a huge accomplishment and sense of power and control if you make this simple change to your attitude.

8. When you don’t feel like doing it – do it anyway. Motivation will ebb and flow, that’s a given. You need to be aware of this from the beginning. When you’re feeling low, accept it, but don’t use it as an excuse to back off. Do your exercise and eat your healthy meals anyway. Your motivation and desire will return and you’ll be pleased that you didn’t allow things to derail you.

If you want to succeed, you can do it through purposeful action.

Just think about what you've done to accomplish goals in the past. Chances are you had a plan and followed through. It might not always be easy, but when you remain motivated, you'll reach whatever goal you set out to accomplish!