Change is only hard in the beginning
Set a goal that motivates you to the core.
The only way you're going to want to jump out of bed in the morning, is if you're working towards something that excites you enough to make you LITERALLY want to leap out of bed to begin the day.
Anticipation
Think back to a time in your life when the anticipation for an event was all you needed to keep yourself excited and enthusiastic. Remember when you were a child on Christmas morning waiting to open all your presents and how you felt? Or, perhaps when you were 16 and it was your first time behind the wheel of a car learning how to drive? I know I experienced it when I graduated high school and was moving out on my own to college. My excitement was out of this world. I was so proud of myself, thinking I could take on the world alone. I was buying all the typical dorm items, I was packing up everything I thought I could possibly need, and I was ready to learn how to live on my own. This anticipation drove me to feel excitement every single day leading up to moving in.
Motivation
Anticipation is an example of something that keeps me motivated and excited to work on myself and my future. If you're not excited about your goal, it's not a true goal. I am jumping out my skin with anticipation for my goals to manifest right now. I'm working hard every single day making certain that my goals and dreams will come true. Find something that motivates you. It could be the thrill of the chase, the feeling of getting that paycheck in your account, knowing your family will be better off, or maybe even helping friends and family experience things they otherwise wouldn't be able to. Whatever your reason is, find it deep within yourself and tune into it whenever you reach a bump in the road.
Setbacks
Every time I reach a setback, I always think back to my original source of motivation that pushes me towards accomplishing my goals. I might be feeling disappointed and frustrated in that moment, but then I take a step back and realize that feeling negative will only breed negativity. Misery loves company. So, I cancel the negative thoughts and immediately remember how excited I am for my goals to become a reality. I realize that no matter what happens, I'm still on the same path, I still have the reason for doing what I'm doing, and I still want the same things.
Break it down
Sometimes it's easier to break big goals down into smaller ones. They say you should have big goals and small goals. Long-term and short-term. My big goal is to be renting an apartment in Philadelphia, PA within the next 8 weeks. Along the way, though, I need to mark my progress and make sure I'm accomplishing the milestones needed to reach my big goal. So, I broke the process down into daily goals. I'll make 50 phone calls a day, I'll doorknock 20 clients, and I'll set at least 3 appointments. Those are my goals that are associated with work to raise the money to move forward with my plan of relocating. Then, I can look back and feel accomplished with the work I put in, knowing I am, in fact, working towards my goal and not wasting time. Mark your progress and you will realize that even when there are setbacks, you are still moving forward.
Rewards
If it helps, you can set up a reward system for yourself. If you reach all of your short-term goals, treat yourself. Take a break and hike a mountain, take yourself our for a mani/pedi, relax with a bubble bath and wine. Whatever you want to do to reward yourself for accomplishing your goals. This will also help push you towards making sure you're not slacking.
Keep up the good work!
