Working On Your Goals Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

Your goals are not going to accomplish themselves. Even if you are working with others to achieve a common goal, you will still need to ensure that the specifics of the life you are trying to build are met by you.

Pursuing anything that could potentially transform your life for the better is certainly not easy. Among the many challenges, you will face is the challenge of being consistent at making progress.

There is always a great energy at the beginning of any pursuit. But it seems that for many, this energy gets depleted over time. Without a strategy to keep the energy replenished, it is inevitable that one will ultimately abandon the pursuit of what he or she desires most.

It also doesn’t help that life and situations that happen around us, contribute to distracting us from getting any important work done. Whether that be school, work, jobs, family, and demands imposed on us by others.

So how do we ensure that no matter what, we keep the energy and focus alive to keep doing the work that we know we should do no matter our situation?

Well, I have experienced this way too many times and decided to provide some of the tips I followed which might help you in your own struggles.

1. Rest

Take a break. I don’t do this as often as I need to, but sometimes I’m just too tired mentally to tackle any important work. Sometimes the desire to succeed places an unneeded sense of urgency that keeps me up at night working on projects like a zombie.

Working hard is something I love doing and appreciate, but only when you are in a 100% functioning state (or maybe even 80%). Because an exhausted tired person rarely works effectively.

2. Remind yourself regularly of the importance of what you are doing

You most likely started the pursuit because of a very important reason/decision. It helps to remind yourself just what that reason was.

This, I believe, is the foundation of self-motivation. The most useful kind of motivation. Self-motivation drives self-initiative. And it is most effective if the reason why you want to work hard on achieving your goals… is very important to you.

If you practice this before you begin work, you will be surprised how this can sometimes give you a surge of energy that reminds you why your dreams matter. Also reminding you that you are capable of achieving them. Reminding you that the work you are about to do is meaningful.

3. Work for 5 minutes then call it a day

This is an interesting trick you can play on your mind. Just get started doing whatever it is you need to be doing for just 5 minutes and then stop. If you don’t feel like working after that, fine… call it a day. Go play video games or do back-flips.

But at least you would have made 5 minutes’ worth of progress for the day.

Trust me… that is better than 0 minutes. You have no idea.

But if you do manage to sit for just 5 minutes, chances are, you might just want to continue for 5 more. It works on me every time.

4. Get on Social Media… but not in the way you are thinking

Yes. Visit Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or Twitter… but only if you are going to catch up on what others in your industry are doing as far as making progress is concerned.

It is pointless to advise against social media for those of us who seem to not be able to go a day without it. But here’s the catch…

Try to align your social media experience to the goals you are trying to accomplish. In other words, be the master of your online experiences.

You have the power to follow those that can actively contribute to your own goals. You do not need to follow those that do not represent the lifestyles or habits that you aren’t trying to develop.

If you are still getting frustrated every time you visit social media because someone has said something offensive or has posted something that makes feel negative in any way… then just know that you aren’t being forced to do so.

My Twitter timeline is full of things that excite and motivate me. I keep my following manageable and focused around my areas of interest (and I don’t mean funny cat videos).

Gone are the days when I used to follow things that made me feel sad, depressed, and offended in some way.

Today, when I need to take a break and check on what’s happening online, I can do it without having to leave what I like to call a “positive” space.

5. Hang around like-minded people

As a software developer, I find that I feel alive when I am able to share ideas with those in the same field. Depending on who I’m making conversation with, I might end spending hours exchanging goal-related ideas with like-minded people through what I would consider “normal” conversation.

You have probably seen this among business owners who get together sometimes. They might seem like they are having mindless fun, yet if you paid close attention to the exchange going on… you would be surprised to find out that sales are being made, networks are being established and business alliances are being strengthened.

All these activities in one way or another… are helping you get closer to your goal… while, at the same time, could be helping others achieve their goals as well.

6. Form positive habits

You are what you repeatedly do.

Habits have a way of rewarding you over time and not always immediately.

Creating a strong work ethic FOR YOUR GOALS will help by giving you the energy to work on what’s important when someone else would have easily given up.

I have created a routine in my life where I’m working every single day.

While this may sound like a death sentence to many, only a few will understand when I say that I couldn’t be happier with such a routine. It helps me get a lot done every single day of my life.

You see, when you create a rhythm or pattern around what you do… your body and mind tend to make it permanent. So that it becomes a part of your life. Trying to change an established pattern is hard and sometimes impossible.

If a person shows up for work without fail from Monday to Friday for 8 hours… you will notice a considerable amount of resistance if you suddenly ask this person to show up on a Saturday for just 30 minutes.

This is how humans work. We are creatures of habit. Once habits have been formed, it becomes hard to break them. In fact, any attempt to break a strongly formed habit… can even seem uncomfortable.

That’s how I feel when I try to do nothing on a Sunday. It’s just… weird.

Anyway, my point isn’t that you should start working on Weekends if that’s not your thing. What I’m saying is that you should attempt to form a positive work habit around the goals you wish to attain. When you have stuck to this process long enough, you will find yourself getting to work without much effort. The routine becomes a part of your identity.

There’s nothing wrong with being known as one who prioritizes their goals/dreams over anything else. In fact, it is something to be proud of. The fact that you show up to your pursuit without fail to ensure that your goals on this planet are met before anyone else’s… is worth respecting. After all, it is the same respect we give today to all those that accomplished the very same thing.

Never forget that there are a ton of excuses for why a person SHOULD NOT DO. But it is the few that investigate the reasons why a person SHOULD DO… that ultimately lead them to the success they desire. We end up respecting the latter and forgetting the former.

#makeProgressNotExcuses