Self improvement and motivation – the key ingredients of success

'I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it" – Thomas Jefferson.

Welcome to the magnificent world of self-improvement. You have given yourself the opportunity and the permission to embark on a journey which will be thrilling to the core. You have set your target, you know what you want to achieve and how. Now it’s time for the real action.

This is where most of us meet our biggest road block. Deciding goals was no cake walk; however working towards achieving goals is where many of us fizzle out. What would you choose? Let your goal slip away or make sure that you don’t lose focus and achieve your goals. After all, we can all do a lot of talking but what is the fun if that talking doesn’t translate into taking action!

Quite a number of us fall prey to the biggest hurdle in our self-growth – procrastination. There will always be something to divert your attention and take you further away from achieving the goals. This is where you will need to be stubborn and keep your focus, if you want to achieve something bad enough. You will need to recall what was it that motivated you to change yourself in the first place.

For example, you decided that you will put aside $200 each month for the next six month – to be able to pay for that Advanced Photography Training Course you have been eyeing for so long. When you set the goal, you had something motivating you or you would not have come this far. Great!

The real test is when you will have to stick to this monthly target. You will face plenty of temptations, but don’t give in.

Because if you give in, you did not want it bad enough.

As a Japanese proverb rightly says, ‘Vision without action is a daydream’.

However, in real life, sometimes it becomes hard to keep up the initial enthusiasm. Having learnt that the hard way, I have jotted down some motivation tips that will help you zoom right back into action.

• Each morning, begin your day by reading your goal to yourself, reminding yourself how much you have wanted to do this.
• Don’t be deterred by criticism or disapproval. What’s important for you may not be as important for someone else.
• Share your dream with someone that you trust.  Ask for help to help you stay focused and warn you if you are wavering.
• Face your fears. Write down the reasons that are stopping you from taking action. Confront your reservations head on and challenge yourself to overcome barriers. It’s difficult, however when you do it, you will feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
• Do not fall prey to excuses. If you find that you are making excuses for deviating, stop yourself right there and work to rise above the small setbacks.  
• Most important, do not give up. The road to self-improvement is laden with challenges, but each time you overcome challenges, you will experience absolute joy. So don’t give up, yet!

And when you need a bit of motivation, come back here and you will find a lot more motivational tips to prep you with lots of energy and enthusiasm.