Stay on track – 10 Tips for self-motivation

The end of the year is fast approaching. The first Christmas ads for 2018 are being broadcast and in the shops, all the glitter is back in full green, red and gold glory. This is also the time of year when people start to reflect, sometimes even overthink their lives. Have I met all my goals for the year yet? What happened to all my New Year’s resolutions?

What if you haven’t met your goals? What if you are still stuck in the same rut that you were last year this time? What if you are just too tired to cope? If you are feeling overwhelmed?

Maybe you have reached some of your goals, but now you are a bit stuck. Well, here is some help.

1. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Remember you are only human, not some kind of superhuman being. Sometimes you just need to relax a bit, take a breather before you get going again.
   
2. Make a list of all your achievements. The big ones and the small ones. It will help you to realize you have conquered problems, obstacles and challenges before and you can do it again.
   
3. Go back to your goals. Re-write them if necessary. Make sure you put in achievable timelines. Let’s face it, you are not going to lose 40 kg between the end of October and 25 December. Be realistic in what you want to achieve.
   
4. Get a goal buddy. You know people are not supposed to be struggling all alone or doing things on our own. Get a friend who is also working towards a goal, it need not be the same goal. You might want to lose weight, she might be training to complete the Comrades next year. Fact is, both of you are working towards a goal and it will help if you get together every once in a while, to motivate each other to stay on track.
   
5. Gather as much information as possible. Yes, spend some time online searching for how to reach your particular goal. Learn from other people’s mistakes and victories to make your own journey easier.
   
6. Award yourself for small achievements. If you have managed to keep to your schedule for a week, to go to the gym three weeks in a row, to eat healthily or to finish that project in time… award yourself with whatever makes you feel special, from going to the movies to relaxing with a good book. You deserve it.
   
7. Practise positive self-talk. Yes, I do mean talk to yourself and answer yourself. (Maybe not where somebody can hear you!) Sometimes we need to look at ourselves as “somebody else”. Talk yourself through something as you would talk to a friend who comes to you with the same problem.
   
8. Don’t overthink everything. Just do it! Whatever you are working towards, go for it. Get going on your journey.
   
9. Have patience! Lots and lots of patience. Remember, nobody gets thin, rich, fit, successful or healthy overnight. All good things in life take time.
   
10. Don’t give up. Remember that Disney movie “Finding Nemo”? That little blue fish, Dory, had a song that she sung every time she got stuck or there was some challenge or problem in her way. “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” You should do it too. Whatever you are working on from building a business to overcoming depression, just keep going. One step at a time. You can do it!!