Tip #1 – Give Yourself a Break
Throughout our lives, we repeatedly hear that hard work is the key to success.
But sometimes it isn’t. In some cases, working harder and longer hours won’t
bring you closer to your goal; it will only move you further away from having
perspective—and it will only sap your energy further.
So make sure you take breaks. Take some time to step away from your goal, rethink
it, and decide whether it is truly something you want to accomplish. And,
better yet, take some time to thing of other things, too. If you let your goal
completely dominated all aspects of your life, you may find yourself drained and
unable to continue.
Tip #2 – Enjoy Your Life
This shouldn’t need to be said, but often it does: if you don’t enjoy what you do
on a regular basis, then you’re going to have a very difficult time achieving your
goals. The reason for this should be obvious: even if you “know” you should be
working towards your goals, the pain and discomfort associated with them will
push you too far in the opposite direction.
This is why it is important to make sure that you enjoy your life, even as you work
towards very difficult goals. You can start by revising your current approach to
accomplishing your goals, so that they become more enjoyable.
For instance, let’s say your goal is weightloss; and let’s also say that you find it
painful and embarrassing to go to the gym. Well, instead of doing this, consider
taking long walks in the evening. This could do the job of helping you lose weight,
but without requiring you to be severely uncomfortable.
Tip #3 – Discard Your Fear of Rejection
Another reason why we often fail to accomplish our goals is that we fear
rejection. For instance, when it’s time to fill out a detailed application for a highpaying
job, we simply might not be able to do it. In the back of our minds, we
know it is a good idea, but at the same time, we worry that the application will
lead to a rejection—or, possibly, an interview followed by a rejection.
So we don’t apply. And we rationalize it by saying that we would have been
rejected, anyway, so we might as well save the time that we otherwise would
have wasted writing the application.
In moderation, this sentiment makes sense. But once it begins to permeate every
aspect of your life, dominating your emotions; and forcing you to accomplish very
little throughout the day, it has become pathological and needs to be dealt with.
Tip #4 – Don’t Fear Failure
Another thing we often do is live in complete fear of failure. We spend so much
time convincing ourselves that we cannot accomplish something (and that when
we fail to accomplish it, our lives will be horrible) that we stop working towards it
all together.
Instead of trying to accomplish the goal; and being disappointed only if we fail,
we convince ourselves to hedge against failure by only putting in half as much
effort as we could. Just like fear of rejection, fear of failure can be highly
detrimental to our personal and business endeavors.
If you want to be truly successful in your field, it is critical that you stop living in
fear of failure. If it happens, it happens. But if it doesn’t need to happen, then
don’t force it to happen with self-sabotage.
Tip #5 – Do Less
Often, we are told to do more. And that, if we don’t do as much or more than
others, then we’re somehow not worthy of success and will never achieve it.
Well, if you’re someone who is sick of trying to constantly do more, I have good
news for you: this simply isn’t true.
Yes, it’s important that you work hard. And, yes, it’s important that you dedicate
yourself to your work. But it isn’t true that slaving away for endless amounts of
hours will bring you great success. In fact, to the contrary, many successful
businesses have sprung out of simple ideas that arose from big-picture insights.
If you want to gain those big-picture insights, you have to cut down on the
amount of things you’re doing at once, so that you have time to step back, look at
the big picture, and then come up with ideas.
Tip #6 – Avoid Procrastinating
One of the most destructive things you can do to your productivity and to your
goals is to procrastinate. Of course, everyone knows this; and it is certainly
simple to say and to understand, but doing something about it is an entirely
different story.
I personally suggest that you tackle procrastination issues by making a conscious
effort to determine why you have them to begin with. For instance, are you
procrastinating when you get bored with your work? Or do you procrastinate
when you run into a snag and can’t immediately see how best to get around it.
It’s important to know the cause; and to focus on different strategies you can use
in each case. For instance, think about how you can continue plowing through
your work, even if you encounter something that doesn’t allow you to do things in
the order you’d prefer.
Tip #7 – Take Walks
From time to time, it’s normal to get bored with work and to want to do something
different. If you’re self-employed or if your employer will permit it, it may be a
good idea to spend this time doing something equally as productive, but different
and refreshing, rather than simply getting bored and procrastinating.
Personally, I suggest that you spend this time taking a walk. It’s a good way to
unwind, get some physical exercise, and distance yourself from your work in a
healthy way. By the time you return, you’ll be refreshed and ready to get things
done.
Tip #8 – Start Your Day Early
As I mentioned early, many successful individuals follow a similar morning
routine. Regardless of whether or not you want to try the full routine yourself, I
personally suggest that you at least try to start your day earlier, unless you have
compelling reasons not to do so.
Of course, you can’t start waking up three hours earlier starting tomorrow.
Instead, phase in the shift gradually. Go to sleep when you are tired at night, but
then wake up 15 minutes earlier each day. Keep doing this until you are waking
up at 6am or earlier.
Tip #9 – Let Yourself Day Dream A Little
Day dreaming can go a long way in helping you to stay motivated. It can help you
to visualize how you will feel and how your life will be tangibly different when you
finally accomplish a goal. And from these day dreams, you can draw motivation
to ensure that all of those things happen.
With that said, it is important not to let day dreaming overshadow the deep,
thoughtful, analytical thinking that is needed in order to actualize those goals. So
let yourself dream and visualize, but also try to remain alert, focus, and ready to
solve problems and tackle challenges.
Tip #10 – Create a Personal Slogan
This might sound stupid or clichéd, but consider creating a personal slogan for
your life and goals. What is that you want most? Do you want to travel the world?
Do you want to become financially secure or independently wealthy? Do you
want to attain a certain type of lifestyle for your family members?
All of these things can go into your personal slogan. Just think about what it is
that you want to do; and then make it a slogan. Whenever you’re tired and
dispirited, remind yourself of your slogan and what it means to you.