Motivation is defined as, why people do what they do. Long-term motivation can be difficult when you do not make yourself stick to your goals. Most people make goals, but those who are successful have the discipline and drive to achieve their goals and dreams.

Different things motivate people. Some are driven by internal or intrinsic motivation. Others need extrinsic motivation, or outside forces, to help them stay on track. One easy way to help you achieve your goals is to make a contract with yourself and work hard to stick to it. Sign it, date it and keep track of it.

The first step in making a contract with your self to stay motivated is to make an outline. When you make an outline in your contract, you will list long-term goals, short-term goals, payoffs and benefits, rewards and a detailed action plan. By having everything you need to know about achieving your goals, you will stay motivated.

Before making this outline, take some time and think about what exactly you want to accomplish. Maybe you want to reorganize your home, or maybe you want to try out a new fitness plan.

Perhaps you want to go back to school and finish a degree. Whatever it is, you will need to do some research and understand each step you will need to accomplish.

When you list your long-term goals, you will make a list of the things you want to achieve within one to three years. Try to be very specific so you will know exactly what you are working towards.

If you want to lose thirty pounds, your long-term goals will be to lose the weight through diet and exercise. Your long-term goals will be your final end result that you are working towards. This works for almost any goal and will help you in staying focused and motivated to reach your goals.

Short-term goals will be things that you want to accomplish within weeks or months. If you are working on going back to school, your short-term goals may be to request school applications and catalogs or to talk to a financial aid office about your payment options.

Your short-term goals should be specific and should be something that you can accomplish in a short amount of time. Short-term goals are also important because once you finish one goal; you will feel motivated by knowing you are one step closer in reaching that long-term goal.

Your next step in making a contract with yourself is to list payoffs and benefits of your goals and achievements. While losing weight is a benefit, you will want to list the reason why you want to lose weight.

Maybe the payoff is fitting into a certain size jeans again or looking great for an upcoming reunion. Maybe it is because you want to better your health by losing weight. Again, you should be specific when you set these benefits in your contract because it will help you stay motivated.

Now you can think about rewards. Rewards are important when you are setting goals for yourself. When you think about rewards, think about the fun things that you will accomplish by reaching your goals.

Lose that weight and buy a new dress. Reorganize you house and get a new couch. Whatever you think it the best part about reaching your goals, use that as a reward to help stay motivated.

The last part in setting a contract with your self is to have a specific action plan. An action plan will tell you what steps you need to take to reach your final goal.

It is here that you will list what you need to change, do, or accomplish in a day, a week, a month or a year. This action plan will help keep you motivated to reach your end goal. List your action plan and keep it in mind everyday you are working towards your goal.

When you take the time to make an official contract with yourself, you will stay motivated and ready to reach your goals. It will be easier when you can see your long and short-term goals in writing and know what rewards and benefits are waiting for you along the way.

Your action plan will help you stay on track when you are working hard to accomplish your goals and dreams.

The decision I made took me out of character. It went against the grain of my early life experience and clashed with how I’ve become as an adult.

This decision has left me feeling part-whole – more spirited – part scared – uncomfortable and confused. It really took me outside my comfort box.

As a child I remember people often making comments like, ‘Children should be seen and not heard.’ I remember kids I went to school with telling me I couldn’t sing. I can remember my opinion being laughed at in a classroom and family asking me to make ‘Less noise.’

As a result of all of these comments I learned to keep my mouth shut, keep my opinion to myself and live a quite almost monkish existence.

Then at 6am one morning, while out for a walk on a country lane I had an uncontrollable urge to shout.

It wasn’t that I wanted to shout anything in particular. I wasn’t angry, frustrated or fed up. I just wanted to shout, ‘Hello’, ‘Thank you’, and ‘Yes I am here.’

It felt so good. I wanted to do it again. But louder. So I did. Then I wanted to laugh. And it wasn’t just a quite laugh. It was a really good belly laugh.

As I’m writing this I understand that my spirit wanted to raise the roof and let some more of the hidden me out.

You see it’s all very well being ‘spiritual’ – meditating, understanding, being agreeable, showing empathy and all that, but it’s quite another thing to be ‘spirited.’

Being spirited might mean allowing yourself to make a little noise, letting your voice be heard, perhaps not complying to protocol – or the norm – when you don’t agree with it.

Having let out my voice I was faced with the urge to dance – the part of me that is uncomfortable was pleased I was at home by this stage and not still walking a country lane – I mean what would it be like to be caught dancing in a country lane at 6am in the middle of nowhere?

Then throughout the week I’ve had the urge to put music on – rather than sit and read or meditate – to speak at a higher volume than usual – shout thanks up to the sky when something good happens rather than bowing my head. And do you know something?

It feels more like REAL spirited living than all that quite stuff.

When someone seeks me out as their coach they are often frustrated at circumstances or looking to accelerate their growth – in other words find how they can have what they want and get rid of what they don’t want.

What I’ve found from my experience with REAL SPIRIT is that I want to live with more of the kind of spirit – shouting with glee and dancing and laughing. It made me feel more inspired and enthused.

When we’re inspired and enthused we are on the journey to having everything. It also means we digest every experience that comes our way in a more positive light.

Three things to try:

1. I dare you to shout!

2. At dinner time, throw your head back and shout thank you for the food.

3. Put some music on loud and just allow your body to do what it wants

With Love and good wishes

Neil

Most successful people are those who always try to look things from the positive point of view. They are unlikely to get stressed. They can always find solutions to their problems.

And those who are not positive enough, are likely to get stressed easily and find it hard to solve problems.

Which group would you like to be in?

I’d choose the first one, for sure. And I bet no one prefers the second one.

Here are some little known ways to be a positive person:

• Throw away all your negative thoughts

Don’t let a single second of your time is used to think of something negative. If it suddenly cross to your mind, direct your thought to something else. Even if it’s hard on the first days, later you’ll get used to it.

• Focus more on your achievements than your failure

Everyone must have had experienced success and failure. Yet, don’t focus too much on your failure. You can learn from it but don’t let it turn you down. I bet you also have had lots of success. For example, you might have been the best in class when it came to history papers. Or, you were once the best employee of the month, etc.

• Get a mantra

Even if you’re not a magician, you are allowed to have a mantra. It can be ‘I’m a great writer’ or ‘I am very good in web designing’ or ‘I am a happy person.’ When you wake up in the morning, spell your mantra at least three times and use your imagination. A simple yet useful trick!

• Grab energy from successful and positive people around you

Learn from them. You are who your friends are. So, try to be their good friends.

• Stop being judgmental to yourself and others

Yes, don’t be so hard on yourself and on others.