10 Motivation Hacks from Successful People
What’s the secret to success? Is it passion, hard work, talent, or perseverance?
The answer might surprise you — yes, yes, and yes!
But there’s one ingredient that tops them all when it comes to success — motivation.
Motivation can get you through the hard times, keep you going when you want to quit, and help make sure your goals are achieved no matter what life throws at you.
Without motivation, success will be just out of reach. Luckily, successful people know how to pump themselves up and get motivated to do great things despite obstacles and failures.
#1) Visualize What You Want
Before your dream job comes your way, you’re going to need to know exactly what it is that you want. Visualizing yourself in a different role and where you’ll be working can help keep your eyes on the prize during rough patches.
It also helps prepare you for interviews and landing your next gig. There are tons of benefits associated with visualization, from improved focus to better productivity. So it’s worth giving it a shot, even if at first glance it seems like a waste of time.
What do you have to lose? Just close your eyes and think about what it will feel like when all of your hard work pays off and what awaits beyond that finish line. Make sure those thoughts are positive, too.
#2) Plan It Out
When it comes to motivation, a lot of people think creativity or inspiration are needed to get things done. Instead, successful people plan ahead and know where they want to go.
That way, when difficulties present themselves or obstacles need to be overcome, they don’t feel lost; instead, they simply have a new course of action mapped out.
Plan your day in advance so you can follow through on your goals effectively and efficiently. The more organized you are, the better you will perform at work. Even if there is an unexpected interruption during your day that throws off your schedule, at least you will have already planned how to deal with it and stay focused on your priorities.
This is especially important for remote workers who may not always see their co-workers in person throughout their days but still need to make sure they keep up with tasks as expected.
Without planning ahead, these remote workers might find themselves drifting away from their jobs as they become distracted by other activities that aren’t part of their workday, even if those distractions aren’t necessarily bad ones.
Plan for success by mapping out what needs to happen each day before getting started.
#3) Write Down Your Goal
Writing down your goals is a powerful way to clarify and focus your thoughts.
The most common way we think about our goals is that they’re far off in some vague future, says psychologist Peter Gollwitzer, Ph.D., of New York University’s Stern School of Business.
That robs us of urgency. Rather than thinking about where you want to be in one year or five years, think about what you need to do right now — to make next week a great one.
If it takes more than 15 minutes a day, break it up into smaller actions that you can accomplish daily or weekly. Your goal will come into a clearer view as you take steps toward it. And keep track of these small steps so you can look back on them later for motivation.
Every time you reach an important milestone, write about how good it feels to have accomplished something important and meaningful and how much further there is still to go.
This makes sure your brain doesn’t forget all those tiny successes along the way. Your brain loves feedback like that; it creates positive feelings that help motivate you even more.
#4) Set Realistic Goals
It’s a lot easier to get motivated when you know that your work will lead to success. Achieving goals is inspiring, and knowing you can do it fuels motivation.
But some people set high standards for themselves without considering whether or not they’re even attainable. When you set unreasonable goals, you’ll likely grow frustrated and give up too soon, which just discourages you more.
Instead of making high-stakes plans that could be unsustainable, focus on what makes sense in light of your personality type, resources (i.e., time, money), and available opportunities.
Setting attainable goals is an effective way to motivate yourself into reaching further than ever before. And if you don’t make them realistic, then you won’t be discouraged if things don’t go as planned.
#5) Stay Motivated — Find an Accountability Partner
A great way to keep motivated is by enlisting an accountability partner. This can be a friend, co-worker, or even just a personal trainer you’ve hired. When you have someone who knows what your goals are and why you want to achieve them, it makes staying on track much easier.
An accountability partner will make sure that you don’t give up when times get tough because they know why your goals are important to you. And if they miss a goal or start falling behind? There’s no better motivator than knowing that someone else is depending on you.
Research shows that people with social support (including those who simply believe they have social support) consistently outperform their peers.
Accountability partners also provide you with a wealth of knowledge and advice, including motivational tips, which can help propel you forward towards success.
It’s easy to stay motivated when we surround ourselves with people who share our goals and interests. If there isn’t anyone in your life right now that qualifies as an accountability partner, try joining an online community or attending networking events in your area where you can meet like-minded individuals with similar interests.
Or, find a buddy for regular exercise dates so you always have someone to work out with.
#6) Clean Up Your Diet
Your diet is a huge factor in your motivation. If you’re eating food that doesn’t support your goals, then you’re stuck with lots of willpower but no direction.
Get rid of all refined sugar, alcohol, and junk food. A healthy diet will give you more energy to burn while also helping keep depression at bay (which is a leading cause of low motivation).
Look into going gluten-free, too; many people find their energy levels skyrocket when they avoid gluten. These small changes make it much easier to muster up enough motivation to pursue your goals.
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help. You can do everything on your own or you can ask for help.
Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of intelligence.
It takes a lot less time to get something done if someone else helps you than if you try to do it alone, especially if what needs doing requires skills outside your wheelhouse.
Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family members for help moving furniture or cleaning out closets or simply ask them for some advice about how they approached certain tasks when starting their own businesses.
#7) Change Your Routine
Our lives often get so busy that it’s hard to find time for anything, and working out is one of those things that typically gets pushed to a lower priority. But if you don’t schedule in time for your workouts, you’re going to have a difficult time sticking with them.
If you think I don’t have enough time, try making a schedule. Schedule everything: sleep, work, meals, workouts, anything important into 30-minute blocks of time.
You can even get an online planner or use Google Calendar to block off when you need to work out or focus on other areas of your life. Once you start seeing results, you’ll feel motivated to keep up with your new routine.
#8) Wear What Makes You Feel Good
If you feel good about what you’re wearing, chances are you’ll put in a better performance. This hack is as much about dressing for success as it is about not giving yourself an excuse to lose.
With that said, there’s no reason your everyday style can’t be professional. It all comes down to what feels comfortable on your body and how it makes you feel, not whether or not it meets any specific dress code.
The most important part of looking good at work? Investing in pieces that work for your body type and make you look forward to getting dressed each morning.
My general rule is? I want my clothes to fit me well enough that I don’t have to think twice before putting them on.
#9) Stay Positive — Read Positive Quotes
It sounds simple, but there’s scientific evidence to back up why reading positive quotes and telling yourself you can do whatever you put your mind to is good for productivity.
It can be just as motivating as winning a monetary reward. If you find yourself getting stuck on something that doesn’t feel very positive, try following some of these success quotes instead:
It always seems impossible until it’s done. — Nelson Mandela
What you’re afraid of doing most is probably what you were meant to do. — Rumi
You only live once, but if you work it right, once is enough. — Joe E. Lewis
#10) Don’t Compare Yourself To Others
One of my favorite motivational quotes is by Derek Sivers:
There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality or lower your expectations.
We all have unique strengths and weaknesses, so when you find someone who seems to excel at something you don’t think you can do (or worse, they make it look easy), realize that they have put in more work than you can imagine getting there.
Don’t compare yourself to others — instead, focus on improving yourself every day.
Practice gratitude for what you do have and be honest with yourself about what’s really holding you back. You don’t need anyone else for motivation; just follow your own heart and decide where your priorities lie.
Final Thoughts
It’s easy to get trapped in an unending cycle of unproductivity. But there are a lot of things you can do to keep yourself motivated and productive.
Take, for example, performing random acts of kindness for others — it doesn’t just make them feel good, it makes you feel good too.
Focus on building strong relationships with your spouse and family, friends, and colleagues as opposed to focusing solely on work. And make sure you give yourself plenty of time to rest and recover after long hours of working.
Even if your company doesn’t offer that kind of flexibility, find a way to make it happen — it’ll be worth it.
