It is so easy to tell yourself that you are going to accomplish something new, but what happens when this task takes longer than you had allowed for? Your motivation starts to disappear and quite often you give up on the idea altogether.
Why is it hard to stay focused and motivated?
It definitely can be hard to stay focused on certain things. Weight loss is a fine example of this. If you have ever tried to lose weight you know your enthusiasm is so high for the first week or two. As you make lifestyle changes the pounds drop off quickly and you are feeling great about your efforts.
A few weeks into your diet you plateau and don’t lose any weight. You start to eat a little more or stop exercising as much and then before you know it you have abandoned your goal and have gone back to your old habits.
There are several reasons for this. First you may not have recognised that plateauing is a perfectly normal occurrence when it comes to losing weight. Secondly did you use not losing any weight as an excuse to have that extra treat or to miss a workout? Your mind can do wonderful things and is capable of coming up with hundreds of reasons to not do something.
Building your business can follow exactly the same path. You start out with enthusiasm and even see some quick results. But then you can easily become overwhelmed with everything you want or need to do. Learning new technology, or even choosing the technology to build your business on, can be daunting. You see others doing things that you think you also need to do (despite them being in a very different place to you and following a different plan). It can be very easy to become distracted and demotivated.
So what can I do to stay focused and motivated?
To stay motivated and focus you can do a number of things including:
- Make sure you have a clear plan and stick to it
- Set smaller goals
- Keep a habit tracker, calendar, food tracker or exercise planner
- Share your goals with someone else, perhaps a business coach
- Join a group of people with the same goals
By creating smaller goals you won’t feel as overwhelmed when your results start to dwindle or slow down. If you break your goals down further into weekly targets you can easily stay focused longer. It isn’t as hard to do something new from a Monday to Friday as it is to think about doing it for months at a time.
Next you really need to be honest with yourself. If you have lost 15 pounds before you hit that plateau then congratulate yourself on that achievement. Focus on what you have done and not where you have to go! This is why it is often a good reason to keep photos of your weight loss journey. When you are feeling down take a look at them and remember what you did look like.
By keeping track of the things you have succeeded in doing you can feel good about them, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the things that are still on your task list.
By changing your mindset to be more positive you can stay focused on your goals, retain your motivation and achieve more with your business, or any goal you have set for yourself.
Next Steps
Check out our Dominate Your Year Quick Course to discover the step by step guide to finally crush your goals and reach new goals.
