It’s that time of year again. Everyone is committing to new year’s resolutions. But we know that most will fail. It may seem a harsh thing to say, but it is unfortunately true. This is what keeps most gyms in profit. The people who sign up for a year in January and then never go.
But if you want to succeed and not fall into the same traps, check out the motivational hacks below.
10 Motivational Hacks to reach your goals.
- Compete against your friends, colleagues, strangers etc. No matter whether your goal is getting a promotion, losing weight or being able to run a 5K, there is always someone you can compete against. Fitness and weight loss are the easiest in this category. You can sign up to myfitnesspal and track each others goals and there are also apps such as fitbit’s, where you track your steps, weight, calories etc. Going up against colleagues is a little more difficult. If you are friendly with them, setting a goal and having a bet could work. Then again, if you don’t like them, beating them to a promotion should be all the motivation you need!
- Track your goals. No matter what your target is, without tracking your goals it will be much harder to get there. Tracking allows you to keep a track of your progress and also motivates you as you progress. Whether it’s weight loss, lifting weights or bringing in new business, make sure you’re tracking it.
- Start Now. Tomorrow is too late. You don’t need to start on an arbitrary date, at the beginning of the week or month. You don’t need to wait until after your holiday. The biggest killer to your motivation is not beginning now. Stop making excuses, you can do this.
- Motivation is temporary. Yes, you heard that right. We all have bursts of motivation and there are ways of keeping it topped up. But, you must be able to recognise that some days are worse than others. This is where determination plays a key role. So, on the bad days, when you don’t want to go to the gym because it’s raining. Or you don’t want to go to class because you had an argument with someone, do it anyway. Get up, put on your clothes and go do it. Afterwards you will be so proud of yourself.
- Positive Reinforcement. Join groups on social media or forums related to your goals. Watch as others post their successes and learn when people post failures. Seeing others succeed at something you also want to achieve can be one of the best motivational hacks. It proves that it can be done. On your low days this reinforcement can be the most powerful tool at your disposal.
- Make sure everyone knows your goal. If everyone knows, failure becomes much less of an option. Update people regularly on your social channels and keep making progress towards your goals.
- Educate yourself. No matter your goal, more knowledge will be a key factor in whether you succeed or not. If you don’t understand calorific content, you are much more likely to fail in your goal to lose weight. Similarly, if you want to earn a promotion or learn how to lift weight, more knowledge will be important. Take the time to study.
- Motivational Apps. Apps such as pact (available on Android & iOS) allow you to earn or lose money. How? Well, you input your goals, connect a credit card and then check in a certain amount of times a day to update your goals. If you reach them, you earn money. However, if you slack off and miss your goals, money is taken from you. It’s not for everyone but it will certainly provide motivation to those who are money motivated.
- Create a worse alternative. Make a deal with yourself to complete your goal, if you fail, make it much harder. For example, you want to run a 5K but fail, now you have to run 2 5K’s. If you quit on something, you make sure that everybody knows. Doing this can really help to motivate you to keep pushing yourself.
- Be your goal. You’re not “on a diet”, you have made a lifestyle change. You’re not “trying to go to the gym x number of times a week”, you’re a gym goer. If you incorporate your goal into your personal identity, it won’t seem quite as difficult to achieve. It will become part of who you are.
There we have it. 10 of the best motivational hacks to help you achieve your goals this January and for the rest of the year. Use them and make sure you can look back on 2017 as a success. Not as the year when you failed to reach your goals.
Need a little more motivation, watch this video.
Pain Is Temporary