Distractions, excuses, reasons to quit... with so much working against us everyday, how do we stay motivated to achieve our goals, to get what we want out of life?

If our goal is to improve ourselves, then surely staying motivated will help ensure our success in reaching our goals, as well as in accomplishing everything else in life.

The old adage "All work and no play" is certainly not the way to live one's life.

As in all things, balance is the key.

When you focus on only one aspect of your life too much, you eventually find that other aspects in your life start to suffer and can get placed to the wayside.

Imbalance in one's life causes one to feel pressure and stressed, eventually culminating in a feeling that giving up would be preferable to perseverance in life.

You can see then, that it is imperative to find ways to stay motivated and avoid the trap that is caused by imbalance in your life.

Reward yourself.

It's important to acknowledge your hard work and achievements by taking the time to reward yourself from time to time.

If you don't have anyone in your life who is willing to do it for you, then become your own biggest fan, your own biggest supporter, your own best friend.

Giving yourself little awards to celebrate your accomplishments will refresh your spirits and keep your mental energy high and positive.

Let your imagination go.

Right now I want you to sit back and muse over the things you say and do all day long to motivate yourself. For instance, the things that motivate you to go to your job, to clean up around the house, to just about anything at all.

Obviously, you already have this skill of motivating yourself deep inside you; after all it pushed you to read this article!

You already have the key... you just need to use it to unlock your potential! Just exercise this skill, and then practice it over and over until it becomes an automatic habit.

Some ideas that can help you motivate yourself.

Try reminding yourself of the final reward.
Go and motivate others! This reinforces the skill to motivate yourself when you do it.
Praise yourself for your accomplishments. This reinforces your self-esteem and self-confidence.
Big risks are not easy to take on! Being able to do this is praiseworthy in and of itself.

The sad fact of the world is that too many people live their whole life wishing they could conquer their fear of attempting some brave move that could change their lives for the better.

Learn the habit of motivating yourself and let a future of rewards and accomplishments open before you.

It's not worth ending up with a pile of regrets later in life.

Tom Straub
http://www.best-selfimprovement.info/