How to stay motivated with your 2021 goals

January the month of new opportunities, setting new intentions and having a fresh start. Sounds so lovely and dreamy doesn't it but it's not an easy transition. Just because the month instantly changes when the clock strikes on New Years Eve doesn't mean you do.  It takes hard work to reached your goals and one of the hardest elements I find is staying motivated.

Motivation- the reason behind your decisions and actions.

Without motivation you don't take the required action to reach your goals. I believe everyone can experience lack of motivation. We are human and different things happen in our lives that can significally impact the way we feel. I'm sure we've all had them moments where we wake up feeling excited to do something but you get some bad news and you no longer want to do what you intended to do. The news changed your emotional state, you went from happy to sad, which in turn can effect your actions.

We may have the odd spells of being unmotivated but we can soon pick ourselves back up again and get back on track. However, it is easy to fall down the rabbit hole when de-motivation strikes. One day you don't do the required action, so you think what's the point and miss it the next day, and the next...before you know it it's 31 December again and you're mad at yourself for not achieving your goals and say 'this year will be the year'. Sadly, the cycle will keep repeating itself unless you recognise where you go wrong and make a conscious effort to work on it. Today's blog is here to help with just that.  

One of the first steps I recommend is journaling.

I believe it is really beneficial to take the time to write down any key thoughts you have throughout the day. Ask yourself 'what has been on the forefront of my mind today' and begin writing it out. It's a fantastic way to allow built up tension to leave your body whilst building an understanding of what you have been experiencing. There will likely be things you write on the page that you didn't realise you were experiencing.

By taking 5-10 minutes to reflect you can start to uncover what experiences are negatively impacting you thus what is causing you to feel de-motivated. Once you realise the cause you can begin to work on not letting it hold you back.

Remember to not be hard on yourself.

You need to except that this is a process and you can't expect everything to be perfect. Accepting our own 'mistakes' can be difficult but it's very important that we work on accepting our past. What has helped me is changing my perception on my mistakes. From everything that has gone seemingly wrong something better or a vital lesson has come from it. Therefore, it really wasn't a mistake at all, it was a necessary step that's brought me closer to my desired life.

Through journaling you might uncover that being around a certain person makes you feel low. Instead of being angry at yourself for not recognising it sooner, be thankful and proud that you took the time to uncover the issue. If you work with it, it will no longer hold you back. That's an incredible lesson.

When you get into a stage of feeling down/unsure remember your why. 

Behind every decision you make there is a reason. For example 'I want to lose weight so that I feel confident in my own skin' or 'I want to learn to drive so I can be more independent'.  Make sure to always remember your reason and remind yourself of it when times get tough. 

If your why is strong enough it will carry you forward. You'll recognise that if you don't do the required action you won't get to your dream destination and that cannot happen. If it isn't strong enough to overcome your hurdles perhaps you need to take the time to see whether it's the right step for you. Are you doing something for yourself or for someone else/society?

*It can be really beneficial to write down your why down somewhere you can see it everyday so it's a daily reminder. This could be in your planner, on the fridge or even on the bathroom mirror.

Another way I find really helps me stay motivated is limiting time social media. 

Don't get me wrong I think social media can be a fantastic tool but for many of us we can use it to compare our success to others. If  you perceive that someone is ahead of you, it can make you feel rubbish, which in turn can switches off  your motivation. By limiting social media usage you only use if for what you really need thus are less likely to find the time to compare your life with someone else. 

Don't waste your time comparing yourself to others, use that time to improve yourself.

Lastly don't overwhelm yourself.

It can be so easy to list 101 goals but it is unrealistic. How can anyone find the time and energy to work on so many different things? If you do this you'll suddenly realise you can't achieve everything and it will make you loss motivation and you'll be back to square one. 

I believe the best approach is finding 3/4 areas of your life you want to improve and setting a goal for each one. This could be relationships, career, health or personal development. Let these goals be the ones that if achieved, would have the greatest impact on your life. Better to achieve 3/4 goals than try to achieve 101, get burned out and not make any progress. Having a key focus in key life areas will ensure you can make daily actions, which will turn your dream into a reality. Also, by completing daily actions you will feel positive, which will contribute to you keeping motivated.

I really hope you have found this week's blog useful. If you have any questions or advice of your own please leave it in a comment below. I hope 2021 brings you lots of success and happiness.

Until next week,

Mx