You need to work out hard and spend a lot of time to get good results. As in any business, here you may face various kinds of difficulties: you are sick, or lazy, or you have holidays, or weekends, or one of your friends thought that you look worse or you just tired at work.

All this, and much more, throw you off your work out mood, preventing you from achieving your goals. What to do? Boost your self motivation!

What Is Motivation

Motivation is the energy that will help you overcome all obstacles on the way to your goal. A motivated person achieves a goal consciously and explicitly gives up other people’s interests to do his own.

Intention to achieve goals moves you from the realm of doubt into the realm of conscious, energetic, effective action. You can increase this intention by consciously working on motivation. With the right approach, anyone can develop a strong motive and come to a state of such a strong will to achieve their goals that success is as inevitable as the sunrise.

How To Increase Self Motivation

So, how to boost self motivation and keep it for as long as it takes? I’ve been through quite a bit of motivational literature. And the most valuable information I try to put in this post. I’m going to give you the most effective self-motivation techniques, and I’m sure that not every item on this list will be to your liking. We are all different. But some things, one way or another, may come in handy for you.

? Burn All Bridges

It’s probably the most radical way to make a difference in your life. Consciously put yourself in a position where you have to reach your goal. How to do it?

For example, publicly promise that you will do it by a particular date. If you don’t do it, you’ll be called a chatterbox. That’s harsh? I agree. But it makes you act as never before in your life. A lot of people won’t like this way. And that’s okay.

When a person consciously puts himself in challenging situations, all the silly prejudices, self-deception, and rose-colored glasses come off him like shells. He becomes a realist and acts as effectively as possible.

Soldiers were fighting in battle much more desperately if they know that there is no escape route. A trapped predator is doubly dangerous. Trap yourself, and fight! If you think an ordinary person wouldn’t do that, you’re right – that’s what an “ordinary” person is.

? Create A Motivating Environment

Surround yourself with things that inspire you. That can be anything as long as it’s something that gets your heart beating faster. What kind of items can you use?

For example, photos, clippings from magazines, screensavers on computers, and cell phones. It can be a photo of a person whose figure you would like to have.

Don’t worry about what people around you may think of you. You are doing this for yourself, not for them.

? Create Your Perfect Image

Don’t make idols for yourself, but have your attractive image in your head. What I mean here is this. Imitating someone is not a bad thing. That’s how we learn, determine in what direction to move.

But! Don’t forget that your ideal (I mean the specific person you’re looking up to) is not you. That is the different person with his unique personality, physique, destiny, biography, heredity, relationships, habits, financial opportunities, etc.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is an idol for many athletes. This man, with his destiny and endless charm, bewitches millions of aspiring athletes. Arnold is indeed a cool guy. But that’s not what I would like to say. Arnold is Arnold. And you are you. What led to Arnold’s success won’t necessarily lead to yours. It may even end sadly for you as you are different.

Consider the following to be the best way to emulate your ideal. Compare yourself to your chosen model honestly. Compare everything: height, weight, physique, behavior, thoughts, feelings, statements on various occasions, sense of humor, food preferences. For example, Arnold likes meat. But you do not have to adopt his taste. Use all the sources of information. Become aware of what you excel at and where you fall short of your ideal.

Determine what character traits and life events have led this person to the heights. And based on this analysis, which will take time, make a composite picture of yourself with your ideal traits. Thanks to the work you have done, you will have an image written by yourself. And it will be much closer and more familiar to you than a picture of the coolest hero from the screen. Strive for it!

Idols are a great example to show you that a person can do a lot. Even emperors or presidents are only humans, like you or me. And that keeps us not to sit in one place and makes us work much harder.

? Circle Of Like-minded People

Create a positive community around you. It is a circle of like-minded people. These are people who inspire you on the way to your goals, pointing your mistakes out of fair motives, out of enthusiasm and goodwill.

I had an interesting conversation with one of my friends about this. I shared this idea with him, and he said, “Do you want everyone around you to tell you how good you are and you do everything perfectly? So you want to surround yourself with flatterers who will lie to you?”

Of course not! Why would I surround myself with such sycophants? When I talk about the circle of like-minded people, I mean serious, mature relationships of people united by a common idea, spirit, or goal. That leads to communication that does not exclude well-reasoned criticism directed at me. That’s what friends are for, to tell you what no one else will say to you.

Avoid talking about your plans and goals with people who treat them with cynicism or cold indifference, as there is no honor in remaining loyal to people who expect you to fall. Stay with people whose attitude is worth it.

? Remind Yourself Of Your Goals

Motivate yourself every day and even more often. It means: always remember your objectives and desires. In our information-abundant world, this is a vital skill, and nobody will teach you this. It helps to avoid wasting unnecessary time and energy. It changes the priorities of things. You’re unlikely go to a boring hang out at a friend’s house if you know that you need this time to exercise, thanks to which you’ll change yourself, even if it’s just a little change.

Reminding yourself of your goals is easy. Just look at items related to your goals, imagine yourself having already achieved your goals, read about people who have reached the same goals as yours. It’s great for lifting your spirits and stimulating your concern assertiveness.

? Look For External Stimuli

Connect to sources of positive energy. It can be people, books, audio recordings, pictures, photos, videos, a conversation on the phone, a cup of coffee in a pleasant company, a TV program. Become aware of what takes away your good mood and causes you to lose energy. If you often watch TV, avoid watching crime news, another crash, rape, or murder report.

After connecting to the source of positive energy, you feel warm and cozy, energetic, and cheerful, while you may feel devastated, depressed, sad, or indifferent from negative energy. Examine your life for such sources and leave only the positive ones. They will support you in moments of mental weakness, in moments of doubt and disappointment.

? Emphasize Your Virtues

Dress so that your bodily merits were visible. It is not necessary to accentuate them explicitly. Your clothes should give a little hint of what’s underneath. The person looking at you should think, “This guy/girl looks great!” You have to dress up for the situation. But if you have a choice, you should dress to please yourself. And when you see yourself in the mirror during the day, you’ll be happy.

For me, it is always a pleasant adventure to go shopping for clothes. The thing is, a lot of people are surprised by my muscular body. And the way clothes fit on me is very different from how it looks on non-sporty people of my size. I have to say it sets me apart from others. And it also encourages me to exercise harder. I like that people look at me, especially some ladies ?. I know women who have build a great body thanks to their workouts. And they adhere to this principle in their clothing too.

? Activity! Be active!

Be proactive. Start taking action right away. Begin training immediately after study of basics. Do not wait for the right moments and beneficial circumstances. They will never come, as long as you do not create them by your actions!

Related: 10 Tips On How To Get Motivated To Work Out

There will be a lot of questions and uncertainties, but that’s what moving forward means. All the answers are in the process of getting there. It is a general pattern in any endeavor. Take the very first elementary step, and the rest will form in the right way.

❗ Motivation follows action. Live action fuels your motivation. A delay, too hard thinking, weighing the pros and cons – kills motivation.

Final Words

Use this knowledge and achieve what you want! Maybe you use or know other motivation boosting techniques. These can be the strangest things at first glance. But if they move you toward your goal, then you’re doing everything right. Please, share them in the comments below.