Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal – a commitment to excellence – that will enable you to attain the success you seek. – Mario Andretti
The one thing successful people have in common is determination, the will-power to turn their dream into reality. It is easy to assume successful people were born like that but if you ask any of them they will tell you that they are no different to anyone else. They did however find a way to train themselves to become focused and determined.
So how do we strengthen our will-power and determination?
Do the most difficult things first
If you are like most people in today’s busy world, you probably have a lot of things to get done, every day. There are tasks that are easy, things you enjoy doing and there are difficult ones or things that make you uncomfortable. Always do the hardest thing first! Always do the thing that you’d rather leave to last! So don’t start your day by sipping coffee while reading the newspaper or screening through your emails.
Why? Difficult duties will not get easier the longer you wait. Spare yourself that ‘looming’ feeling you have when you know you have to do something you don’t really enjoy doing. Get it out of the way as soon as you can. You will feel good and effective afterwards and free to do things you enjoy. AND you have trained your will-power. The more often you do that, the more likely it is that you will make it a habit to tackle difficult things head on and lose your fear of failure.
The power of visualizing your vision
Always keep an eye on the big picture and regularly remind yourself of what it is you are working towards, your vision. Create a vision board that helps you visualize details about your vision, the more details, the better. Try to make it as emotional as possible by adding picture, music, video or anything that reminds you why you want to achieve this. Knowing your purpose – your WHY – is hugely important as it will motivate you to keep going when you hit a rough patch.
Focus and eliminate distractions and time wasters
Every morning ask yourself the question: What is the one thing that would make your day a successful day? That is what you will be focusing on that day.
Emergencies come up every now and then and we will have to deal with them. The majority of situations that distract us however, are not emergencies and do not require our immediate attention. Note them down, so you don’t have to spend the rest of the day worrying about it and then go back to the task you chose to do.
Wake up to a plan
Before you go to sleep, make some basic decisions about the next day, so you don’t have to waste valuable energy, time and brain power on unimportant decisions. What will you be wearing? Are you going to work out in the morning or not? How are you going to get to work? What and where will you be eating for lunch? It’s much easier to prepare a healthy lunch the night before than to decide what you are going to eat with a burger restaurant across the street.
Save being spontaneous for your vacations or spending time with family and friends. At work stick to your schedule, do the hard work first and by the end of the day take a few minutes to appreciate what you have accomplished and how good it feels to be in charge.
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