success

How to Get Motivated to Achieve a Goal

Do you struggle to find your motivation at times? You have this big goal you want to achieve, but for one reason or another you just can’t seem to get yourself motivated. You’re just struggling to find the motivation you need to take inspired action toward that goal. As a result, you kind of feel as though your life is stagnating. You feel stuck and kind of unable to move forward. Inside though you feel very restless. You know you have the ability to achieve this goal, but at the moment you’re just unable to move forward. What to do? Well there are actually six ways to get motivated that might just help you get unstuck and achieve your goal.

1) FIND EMPOWERING REASONS

How can I motivate myself to achieve my goals

You will never truly get motivated without a compelling reason that drives you forward. In other words, you must know precisely why you are wanting to accomplish your goal. However, this isn’t just about knowing why you want something, it’s rather about understanding the true value of pursuing that goal and how it can subsequently help improve your life and circumstances. With this in mind, list down all the benefits of achieving your goal. Furthermore, as you work through key tasks and activities, list down why taking these specific actions is important, and how these actions can potentially help you achieve your goal.

2) BUILD AN INSPIRING WORKSPACE

It’s difficult to get motivated while working within an uninspiring environment. A workspace that is cluttered, messy, and unpleasant, will make you feel uncomfortable, and may even distract you from your main objective. For this very reason it’s important to carefully craft an inspiring workspace that will keep you energized, focused and motivated. With this in mind, build a workspace that is distraction free, practical, organized, uncluttered, clean and inspiring. Make sure that it has all the tools you need to help you stay productive and focused throughout the day.

3) DEVELOP A REWARD SYSTEM

It’s difficult to find motivation when there are no rewards on the horizon. Rewards can be used to fuel our motivation over an extended period of time. This is especially of value while pursuing long-term goals. Pursuing these goals can of course be quite challenging. It’s challenging because these goals are often made up of many different components that need to fit together to bring your goal to life. Managing all these parts takes a significant amount of effort — requiring short bursts of motivation. With this in mind, it can be helpful to turn long-term goals into short-term milestones that are built upon a hierarchy of rewards.

4) CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE

How you begin your day sets the scene for what’s to come. If you begin your day in an inspiring way, then this makes it easier to find the motivation you need to stay productive and focused. If on the other hand you start your day in an uninspiring and hectic way, then you’re likely to get lost in a sea of distractions. High achievers often have a very specific morning routine that helps them get their day started on the right track. This morning routine often involves a combination of reading, meditation, goal setting, exercise and journaling. What kind of morning routine could you create that would help you stay focused and inspired?

5) HIRE A MOTIVATION BUDDY

One of the most effective ways to get motivated comes in the form of accountability. When we feel accountable for our actions, we naturally feel more motivated and inclined to follow through with the promises we make. Personal accountability is of course fantastic, however it’s not as powerful as the accountability that comes along with a motivation buddy. A motivation buddy is a friend, colleague, mentor or coach who regularly holds you accountable for your actions. You inform them of the steps you will take toward accomplishing your goal, they then hold you accountable for following through with your promises.

6) DESIGN A VISION POSTER

Motivation comes to us in many different ways. Some people will for instance hear something that inspires them. Others might read something, or may even get a feeling from doing something that instantly motivates them to take proactive action. We all of course have our own personal triggers for finding motivation. One trigger in particular that’s common for most people comes in the form of a vision poster. This is very much a collage of inspiring words, doodles, photos and quotes designed to keep you focused on your goals. Take some time to create a memorable vision poster, then use it as a source of daily inspiration.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

To get motivated may initially take a little thought, however once you understand your triggers for motivation, it’s not so difficult at all to find the motivation you need to pursue your goals. In fact, combining multiple motivation triggers can become a great source of inspiration that will help you build the momentum you need to to achieve your goals. It of course might take a little experimentation at first.

At times you will find motivation one way, while at other times you will find it another way. In fact, you may need to change and adjust your approach depending on your circumstances. What worked in the past may very well not work in the present moment, or in this particular situation.

To get motivated over the long-run takes ongoing effort and adaptation. Just as we need to eat food to keep ourselves fueled and energized throughout the day, we also need a source of daily motivation to drive us forward toward the accomplishment of our goals and objectives.

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Imagine for a moment you could develop new habits and methods of thinking where you naturally and effortlessly adopt these ideas into your life. How would that make you feel? Would you feel more fulfilled, empowered and in control?

Yes, there is such simplicity within this IQ Doodle, but of course there is a reason for that. Making positive change doesn’t need to be a complicated process. It just needs to be a consistent process where we progressively develop new habits-of-mind through repeated exposure and implementation. And that’s what these IQ Doodles are for.

We have prepared for you an IQ Doodle pack that includes several variations of this IQ Doodle that you can use for guidance and inspiration throughout the day. Use it consistently and you will begin making positive changes in the way you live, work and interact with others.

Visit the IQ Doodle Store to learn more about how to use this IQ Doodle and begin optimizing the way you live your life today.

Learn More About this Topic

Want to know more about this topic? Here are some helpful links to articles that you may find of value:

70+ Ideas for Developing Unstoppable Motivation in Pursuit of Your Goals @ IQ Matrix
The Science Behind Motivation @ Forbes
The Science Behind Why You Don’t Feel Motivated @ Success
The Three Critical Elements that Sustain Motivation @ Scientific America
Will we Succeed? The Science Behind Motivation @ Science Daily

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How to Have Good Luck in Life

2 Comments / success / By Adam Sicinski

How is it that some people just seem to have all the luck in the world? No matter how bad things get, it all just works out for them in the end. Everything they do just seems to turn into a lucky break. How could that be? How is it that some people have all the luck in the world, while others just can’t catch a break? Just maybe they read the manual on how to get lucky in life and they now understand the secret rules for success. But is that really possible? Are there actual rules that can help bring good luck into our lives? Yes, there actually are, and here you will find six of them.

RULE #1: COMMIT YOURSELF TO LEARNING

The first rule for having more good luck in life requires a commitment to lifelong learning. Luck is of course all about being in the right place, at the right time, but more importantly it’s about knowing what to do. Those who get lucky have the required skills, knowledge, resources, and the experience on hand to make the most of life’s greatest opportunities. They just understand how to take advantage of a situation. And of course, this understanding comes from the fact that they are insatiably curious and hungry to know and learn more about anything and everything that can help them achieve their goals.

RULE #2: NETWORK RELENTLESSLY

Get Lucky: 6 Time-Tested Methods to Boost Your Luck

The second rule for having more good luck in life requires a desire to network relentlessly with many different people. It is often said that it’s not what you know, but rather who you know that makes all the difference. Or maybe more specifically, it’s about who knows you and how willing they are to help you get ahead. In one way or another, opportunities often come through other people. The connections you make provide you with access to tools, resources, knowledge, skills and the support you need to achieve your goals. And of course making the most of these connections is what generates good luck.

RULE #3: HELP PEOPLE GET WHAT THEY WANT

The third rule for having more good luck in life comes down to helping other people get what they want. The Law of Reciprocity states that when we help others, they will feel more obliged to give us something of value in return. In other words, helping people get what they want actually helps you get what you want. The value that people give you in return may however not come directly from them, but rather from someone connected to them. This person subsequently provides you with the tools, resources, knowledge and the support you need to achieve your goals. Kind of lucky, don’t you think?

RULE #4: PREPARE YOURSELF THOROUGHLY

The fourth rule for having more good luck in life comes down to thorough preparation. Those people who seem to have all the luck in the world work tirelessly behind the scenes preparing themselves mentally and physically for any opportunities that come their way. They don’t just suddenly get lucky. They get lucky because they are thoroughly prepared for what’s to come. They know exactly what they want, what they will do, and how they will adapt if things inevitably go wrong. Luck after all favors the prepared mind that is flexible enough to adapt to changing conditions and circumstances.

RULE #5: WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER

How to Become a Powerful Good Luck Magnet

The fifth rule for having more good luck in life comes down to working smarter, not harder, and then having the courage to take risks when opportunity presents itself. There are of course a great many people who work extremely hard but seem to make very little progress toward their goals. They’re just unlucky, right? They’re unlucky because they never question whether there is a better way to get things done. The people who work smarter, in more optimal ways, and those who are willing to take courageous risks, are the ones who make the most of the opportunities that come their way.

RULE #6: KEEP PERSISTING AND PERSEVERING

The sixth rule for having more good luck in life comes down to your willingness to push yourself further than anyone else. Those people who suddenly catch a lucky break persist and persevere for far longer than the average person is willing and able. They show a steadfast determination to succeed that pushes them forward through the toughest of challenges that stop other people in their tracks. They end up succeeding in the end, not because they are smarter or better, but purely because they never quit. They get lucky in the end when they finally figure out the valuable lessons in all their mistakes.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Luck isn’t some kind of miraculous random event that suddenly blesses us with good fortune. It’s rather something that develops over time through the choices and decisions we make each and every day. Yes, some people will for instance get lucky and win the lottery. A lottery is however pretty much all about potluck. Besides buying more tickets, there is simply nothing you can do that will increase your chances of success, and even with more tickets in your pocket, you have absolutely no control over the outcome.

The goals you are pursuing are not built upon potluck. Achieving these goals is built upon your ability to implement these six rules into your life. The more you apply yourself to following them, the higher your chances of succeeding in the end. And that’s of course when others will tell you that you just got lucky. 🙂

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Want to know more about this topic? Here are some helpful links to articles that you may find of value:

6 Ways to Actually Increase Your Luck @ Inc.
Does Being Present in the Moment Increase Your Luck Factor? @ 99u
How to Attract Good Luck to Achieve Your Goals @ IQ Matrix
How to be in the Right Place at the Right Time More Often @ Lifehack
The Scientific Proof that You Do Make Your Own Luck @ Daily Mail

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How to Make the Most of Life’s Opportunities

Leave a Comment / success / By Adam Sicinski

Have you ever faced a problem that actually provided you with an opportunity to learn, grow and move forward in a better way? I’m sure we’ve all been there, however most of the time we fail to recognize these opportunities because we’re too transfixed on our problem. We worry, we fret, and we stress about the consequences of this problem, and subsequently fail to see the value of having this problem in the first place. As a result, we miss out on the real opportunities that life consistently presents us with. However, you need not miss out on an opportunity ever again by working through the following six steps.

1) CLARIFY YOUR GOALS

The first step to making the most of life’s opportunities is to know exactly what it is you want. In other words, what goals do you want to achieve? Having goals provides you clarity and helps you focus on your most important activities and priorities. However, simply knowing what you want unfortunately isn’t enough. You also need to understand what a potential opportunity looks like. More specifically, you need to clarify exactly what kind of opportunities you are looking for and how these opportunities can be of value to help move you toward the attainment of your goals.

2) MENTALLY PREPARE YOURSELF

Has anyone ever told you that opportunities are abound? I guess what they meant was that life is full of opportunities. However, how many of us are actually capable of taking advantage of the opportunities life throws our way? Statistically speaking, probably not a great many people. Most people are unfortunately ill-prepared for opportunities. They are ill-prepared because they simply don’t have the relevant knowledge, skills, support and tools at their disposal to make the most of opportunity. As a result, hasty and careless decisions are made that turn opportunities into insurmountable problems.

3) NETWORK WITH PEOPLE

For a great many people opportunity comes in the form of a weekly lottery ticket. However, the odds of that ticket turning into a positive outcome are of course extremely slim. The truth is that real opportunities come through one single channel, and that channel almost always involves people. Yes, people are the one key factor that can help drive opportunity your way. It is often said that it’s not what you know, but rather who you know that matters. With this in mind, it’s important to regularly spend time connecting and networking with people who can potentially help you get ahead and achieve your goals.

4) QUESTION EVERYTHING

Opportunities don’t just suddenly appear in front of our eyes like the genie in Aladdin’s Lamp. Many times opportunities actually come to us in very covert ways — slipping right under the radar. In such instances it’s not about taking advantage of opportunity but rather about “opportunity creation”. And that’s of course where questions come into the picture. Asking questions that challenge you to think outside the box in creative ways stretches your imagination and encourages you to see things a little differently. Curiosity then becomes the driving force that helps you spot hidden opportunities in any situation.

5) RECOGNIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

For the most part, opportunities don’t come wrapped up in a gift basket. They rather come dressed in dirty overalls holding a shovel. In other words, life’s opportunities are often disguised as problems that require hard work and major emotional discomfort. And it is for this very reason why most people fail to recognize opportunities. They fail to recognize an opportunity because they expect opportunities to be given to them on a silver platter. If it ain’t easy, then it ain’t no opportunity but rather a distasteful set of tasks that require too much effort. And as a result, they fail to make the most of their situation.

6) TAKE CALCULATED RISKS

6 tips to create opportunities to develop yourself

Having recognized your opportunity, it’s now time to use it to your advantage. And many times of course, this does involve some degree of risk. Weigh up the pros and cons of your predicament and then choose to either act quickly — to make the most of this opportunity — or choose to move on. It’s up to you to decide whether or not an opportunity is truly worth taking. There are after all no guarantees. Your risks might not payoff in the end, but if you’re careful and calculated, they very much may. Remember though, that sometimes the true value of an opportunity lies in the choices left unmade.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Many years from now when you reflect upon the journey you’ve taken, you may very well realize that everything you have accomplished effectively comes down to the choices you’ve made. You either chose to take advantage of that opportunity, or you chose to do something else. Either way, something happened and your entire life script was subsequently written on the canvas of the decision you made.

In the moment, we will of course never truly know where each of our choices will take us. That’s something we will eventually discover years down the track. Looking back, there may even be some regrets and disappointment, and most of them will probably be because of opportunities not taken, and choices not made.

Six Steps for Making the Most of Life’s Opportunities

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3 Ways to Unlock Opportunity in What Scares You @ Huffington Post
How to Prepare Yourself for Big Opportunities @ Inc.
How to Unlock Opportunities to Achieve Your Life’s Goals @ IQ Matrix
The Best Opportunities are the Ones You Create Yourself @ 99u
The Smartest Leaders Make their Own Opportunities @ Harvard Business Review

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Rules for How to Win at the Game of Life

1 Comment / success / By Adam Sicinski

What would you say separates high achievers from everyone else? What is it that they do, and what is it that they know that gives them such a superior advantage? Do they possibly understand things that the majority of people simply aren’t aware of? Just maybe life is kind of like playing a game, and these high achievers know the secret rules of this game and therefore understand how to play it to their advantage. But are these rules for winning the game of life really a big secret? Are they only bestowed to the chosen few? Well not today! Here are the six rules for winning at the game of life.

1) SET CLEAR AND EMPOWERING GOALS

How to Succeed and Win at the Game of Life

The first rule for winning the game of life is to set clear and empowering goals. Goals are of course important for a couple of reasons. Firstly, they help improve your mental focus. When you set goals you work with more urgency and purpose. In other words, they help provide you with a sense of direction for your life. As a result your mental focus is driven by the priorities you set that help you achieve those goals. Secondly, goals enhance your level of commitment and inspire passion. However, in order to fully commit yourself to this journey, you must clearly outline why you want to achieve these goals in the first place.

2) CONSISTENTLY STRETCH YOUR COMFORT ZONE

The second rule for winning the game of life is to consistently stretch your comfort zone. This is of course important when it comes to goal achievement. After all, everything you want essentially lies outside the boundaries of your comfort zone. You will actually need to step outside your comfort zone to grab a hold of these goals. Unfortunately, a great many people simply don’t take this necessary step. They don’t take it because every goal comes riddled with problems that must first be overcome. However, little do they realize that overcoming these problems will stretch their comfort zone and move them closer to their prize.

3) GENERATE PLENTY OF BAD IDEAS

The third rule for winning the game of life is to generate plenty of bad ideas. As you stretch your comfort zone you will deal with a vast array of problems. Overcoming these problems may not be easy, and many times you might even be forced to think quickly on your feet. As a result you will make some poor choices that won’t seem to work in your favor. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying again, and again. Life is a number’s game. Don’t be afraid to repeatedly take a chance on yourself. The more times you try and fail, the higher the likelihood you will succeed the next time around.

4) MAKE MISTAKES AND LEARN FROM THEM

The fourth rule for winning the game of life is to make mistakes and to learn from them. As you repeatedly try new things to overcome your problems, you are bound to make mistakes. Mistakes are simply a part of life, and a part of living that life. They are a natural part of the human experience, and we all of course make mistakes. However, those who don’t win at the game of life simply don’t take the time to learn from their mistakes. Life only rewards those who learn from the errors of their ways. It rewards those who treat every experience as a lesson that helps them move forward in a better way.

5) WORK SMARTER AND HARDER THAN YESTERDAY

The fifth rule for winning the game of life is to work smarter and harder than yesterday. Those who make progress in life do so because they are constantly learning, growing and improving. They are building ever greater momentum toward their goals because they learn, adapt and upgrade their effort, skills, knowledge and methods. They clearly understand that in order to do better they must get better, think faster, and work smarter than the day before. They strive to make consistent improvements in a multitude of ways. Life is after all a game of inches. You gain an edge by beating your best-self today.

6) EXPOSE YOURSELF TO NEW IDEAS, PEOPLE AND PLACES

Life Rules: How do you play the Game of Life

The sixth rule for winning the game of life is to expose yourself to new ideas, people and places. We only grow and develop ourselves when we experience new things, when we learn something unique, and when we step outside the boundaries of our comfort zone. Expanding your horizons in this way provides you with new perspectives and opportunities for further growth and development. And as you grow, you gain ever deeper insights and understandings into your life and circumstances. You then grow wiser with the passage of time and subsequently make more optimal choices and decisions moving forward.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

As you can see, the rules for winning the game of life aren’t complicated, and they’re certainly not one of life’s great big secrets. We all know and understand these rules, but how many of us actually put these rules into practice?

A great many people don’t become high achievers because they are just not willing to put in the work to play the game of life as it was supposed to be played.

Yes, of course life isn’t all about rewards and accomplishments. But these rules are not just about that either. These rules are about challenging yourself to live your life to the fullest in the most optimal way possible, so that in the end, there are no regrets.

Six Rules for Winning at the Game of Life

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Want to know more about this topic? Here are some helpful links to articles that you may find of value:

10 Reasons Life Might Just be a Computer Simulation @ Listverse
How to Succeed and Win Playing the Game of Life @ IQ Matrix
If Life is a Video Game, then Video Games Also Reflect Life @ The Guardian
Life is a Game and You Make the Rules @ Huffington Post
Life is a Game. This is Your Strategy Guide @ Oliver Emberton

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