Whether it be a new year, new month or new week, setting goals can be an exciting exercise. We dream of what our new life could look like and imagine how great it will feel once we reach that milestone. But more often than not, actually achieving goals is rarely an easy task. When life inevitably throws you a curve-ball, it can be incredibly difficult to stay on track and achieve what you’ve set out to do. This is why it’s so important to know how to stay motivated when it comes to achieving your goals in the long term. In the past, I’ve had my own personal struggles with staying motivated and achieving my goals, whether they be related to health, career or my personal life. Over the years, through much research and practice, I’ve learnt a few tips and tricks to overcome these struggles. Read on to learn 7 ways to stay motivated and achieve your goals.

1. Define your why

This is one of the most important elements in goal setting. If you don’t know why you’re working towards something, you’ll never be able to stick it out in the long run. Get deep down to the bottom of exactly why you want to achieve that goal and how it will improve your life. For example, say your goal is to eat healthy and exercise at least 5 days a week. A superficial reason why might be “so I can look better in a swimsuit”. Instead, a more powerful reason would be “So I can be stronger, more confident and healthy, meaning I can perform to the best of my ability and live a longer life”. Take the time to really think about why you value this goal and how it will make your life better. Then, in times when you’re feeling less inspired, refer back to your why and you’ll be feeling motivated in no time!

2. Break down your goals into steps

Overwhelm: The feeling of being buried in and overcome by a massive amount of work. This is a feeling I’ve personally known too well and is a major factor in why many people lose motivation to achieve their goals. When it seems like your goal is so far away and their is still an enormous amount of work that needs to be done, feelings of hopelessness can arise, causing you to lose motivation completely. Breaking your goals down into smaller steps can massively reduce this overwhelm. By chunking your goals down into smaller, task-oriented action steps, you’ll feel like you’re actually making progress, keeping you motivated for the long haul.

3. Create a vision board

A vision board is a collage of images that represent your dreams, wishes and goals. Having physical pictures to focus on will offer you a constant reminder of your goals. Hang your vision board somewhere you’ll see it every day. Your vision board can be physical or digital. In my case, mine is both. I have a physical vision board hanging in my room and a digital version saved to my phone and desktop background. A visual representation of your goals is an extremely powerful tool for motivation as it allows you to physically visualise how your life will look once you’ve achieved them.

4. Find a mentor

The fastest way to achieve any goal is to learn from someone who has already achieved it. Now, before you freak out and tell me that you don’t have thousands of dollars at your disposal to spend on a mentor or coach, here me out. A mentor doesn’t necessarily have to be someone you pay, although it can be if this is within your budget. A mentor can also be someone you learn from through watching them on YouTube, listening to their podcasts or reading their blogs or books. Learning from someone who is where you want to be will help to keep you motivated in the long run and fast track your road to success.

5. Eliminate negative energy

One of the biggest reasons people lose motivation to achieve their goals is negative energy. Whether that be negative people you surround yourself with or negative content you consume. As motivational speaker Jim Rohn puts it, “you are an average of the 5 people you spend the most time with”. Research shows that we are more affected by our environment that we think. We are strongly influenced, when it comes to relationships, by those closest to us. Not only do these relationships affect our self-esteem and way of thinking but they can also affect our decisions. This is why, if you surround yourself with people who are lazy, constantly complaining, gossiping and always playing the victim, you will inevitably start to notice that both your mood and motivation will decrease. So, ditch the debbie downers and surround yourself with like-minded, positive people.

6. Get an accountability buddy

Accountability buddies are people with similar goals who work together to keep one another motivated and on track. This person may be a friend, family member, colleague or anyone that has similar interests and intentions as you. The journey to achieving your goals can often feel like a long and lonely one so having someone you can rely on for support and to bounce ideas around with can do wonders for your motivation, making certain you stay committed to your goals for the long run.

7. Celebrate your wins

So often, we get caught up in thinking about how far we’ve got to go that we can forget to see just how much we’ve already accomplished. Celebrating your wins is an important step in ensuring long term motivation. Make an effort to celebrate and document each milestone, even the seemingly small ones. Then, in times when you are feeling overwhelmed or lacking inspiration, reflect on those wins and you’ll be feeling motivated again in no time!

Have you engaged in any of the above practices when setting out to achieve a goal? If so, i’d love to hear how it went for you along with any other tips you may have for staying motivated. Leave me a comment down below or reach out to me on social.