“Oh, wasn’t you aware? She went back to the corporate world.” G blurted out just as I popped a piece of salmon sushi into my mouth. I nearly choked.

“Huh? You mean she’s no longer working on her business?” I muffled. “What’s she doing now?”

“She went back to being a secretary.” G explained, taking a sip off her cup of green tea. “You know, it can be really nerve wrecking just surviving on the business’ income. It’s too unstable.” G nibbled on a piece of meguro sashimi and continued, “So after several months working solely on the store, she took on another part-time job. Sales related. But that industry was too competitive and newcomers like her had no edge. She called it quits and finally went back to her old line. But she’s still manning the webstore on the side though.”

I put down my chopsticks.

G’s friend was one of few people within my social circle who inspired me in one way or another. Back at the time when everyone of us – myself included – were slogging on 9 to 5s, G’s friend left her job in a corporate firm to setup an online business. Though she had no prior knowledge in the line of products she was selling, you can tell from the way she went about learning the tools of the trade that she really wanted it to be a success. I secretly admired her guts to go against the tide and yearned that one day I would muster enough courage to do the same. Learning about her decision to quit had a surreal impact on me.

The feeling was as if you’d just lost a fellow comrade in a battle. A fight towards living a conscious life where one will never settle and give up easily no matter how arduous the going seems to be. Knowing that someone like her – one of the more strong willed & self aware persons I knew around me – also gave in to the realities of life, I was slightly disappointed.

“Never Never Never Give Up!” ~ Winston Churchill

I’ll be lying if I tell you I never give up on anything in my life. Most of us have been quitters at any one point of time. I did and I still grapple with such thoughts every now and then. In fact, it was the act of quitting on goals that didn’t worked out that led to where I am now. Every endeavour served its purpose in chronicling this path I’m treading on. And I don’t regret embarking on every single one of them!

So what does “never give up” really mean?

It’s an attitude. It’s a refusal to kowtow to one’s circumstances regardless of what happens. It’s an attitude of life when you’ll continue to believe in yourself and never succumb to the experiences that life throws at you. It’s not about staunchly holding onto something for the sake of your ego. Or for putting up a pretense.

It’s not about winning every time or not failing at all. No one can do that. But rather, taking heed from our failures, pick it up from we left off and move on. Either to continue in the same ambition with a different twist or plunge into an entirely different domain altogether.

You can fail. And you can lose for now. You can even quit on those goals that don’t serve you any more. But no matter what happens, don’t ever be defeated in spirit to even try and forge much stronger than before.

People Who’ve Never Given Up

So many wonderful men and women of the past have shown us how they’d never given up on their ambition. In my next article, I’ll be featuring some of these famous successful people who failed umpteen times only to emerge stronger, tougher fighters. And whenever you feel like throwing in the towel, read about them and ask yourself

“They never give up. Why should I?”

** Photo by Shandi Lee

“Let me ask you a question, children.” She paused, peering at the kids to make sure she had their attention. “Which is easier? To improve from a score of ’0′. Or from ’100′?” The students’ faces brightened.

When I first read about this story in a newsletter, I couldn’t help smiling. It’s a very simple tale. Perhaps even cliché. But what’s behind the message really sunk into my head. The defeatist always see their stagnant circumstances as limiting. Potentially hopeless. But the optimist?

He reframes it.

Your Thoughts

Have you been ever been stuck and frustrated with the ways things have turned out, but then enlightened when someone pointed out something you didn’t think of in your situation? How did you feel? What do you think is holding you back from seeing what the other person saw?

** Photo By Pedrosimoes7

Upon the request of one of the Goal Setting College reader Chris, I’ve taken the liberty to compile this list of popular top motivational songs for your enjoyment. I’ve even added some of my personal favourites! But remember, even though inspirational music has the power to drive and motivate you, nothing beats the sound of your inner voice.

Something that’s really true to your heart.

Classic Popular Hits

1. Eye of the Tiger – Survivor
2. Chariots of Fire – Vangelis
3. The Final Countdown – Europe
4. We Are the Champions – Queen
5. We Will Rock You – Queen
6. I’ve Got the Power – Snap
7. It’s My Life – Bon Jovi
8. Affirmation – Savage Garden
9. Beautiful Day – U2
10. What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong
11. I Feel Good – James Brown
12. I Can See Clearly Now – Johnny Nash
13. Lovely Day – Bill Withers
14. Walking On Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves
15. Live Like You Were Dying – Tim McGraw
16. I Believe I Can Fly – R. Kelly
17. You Gotta Be - Des’ree
18. When You Believe – Mariah Carey/ Whitney Houston
19. Hero – Mariah Carey
20. I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
21. Bad Day – Daniel Powter
22. Man In The Mirror – Michael Jackson
23. I’m Alive – Celine Dione
24. Tub Thumping – Chumba Wumba
25. Lose Yourself – Eminem
26. Remember The Name – Fort Minor
27. Till I Collapse – Eminem
28. Return to Innocence – Enigma
29. O Fortuna – Carmina Burana

My Personal Favourites

1. Orinoco Flow – Enya
2. Only Time - Enya
3. True to Your Heart – 98 degrees & Stevie Wonder
4. Fly – Celine Dione
5. Now We Are Free – Lisa Gerard
6. When You Say Nothing At All – Ronan Keating
7. New Day – Celine Dione
8. One Day More – Les Miserables
9. The Prayer – Celine Dione & Andrea Bocelli
10. Nessun Dorma – Pavarotti *
11. Time To Say Goodbye – Sarah Brightman & Andrea Boccelli *

* These 2 songs remind me of Paul Potts. And if you haven’t caught the story of this inspiring car phone salesman, check out here. Feel free to add any inspirational songs that you like to this list!

Disclaimer : The links point to external resources and I sincerely apologize if they contain scenes or comments you find deplorable. I also appreciate the fact that everyone will have their favourites and if none of the above are inspirational songs or motivational songs in your point of view, please accept my deepest regrets!

**Photo by Aubergene inspirational songs

Weeks later, when the crew followed up with the mother and son, the little boy was literally a changed person. He was still playful but was more responsive to his mother’s instructions. In fact, he was impressively subservient at times. A stark contrast to what he used to be weeks before.

What do you think was the reason for his improvement?

Well, the title of this article has probably given it away. Yes, rewards.

The psychologist proposed an easy-to-administer reward system for the child. Every time he behaved or did something good, his mum would put a smiley face sticker on a chart. For every 10 stickers accumulated, he was entitled to a mystery prize. It could be a piece of stationary, a treat at the McDonald’s or an excursion trip. Counting the number of smiley face stickers was literally a source of motivation for him to behave. Because that meant he was getting closer to another reward.

Questions to Ask Yourself Before Setting Up A Reward System

Pure physical reward in itself is not sustainable. But when implemented with effective self appreciation and a burning desire to achieve the goal, it can still be a rather powerful tool in setting the course. By using a simple award chart, smiley face stickers and mystery little prizes, the mother managed to tame the boy in a matter of weeks. Something that she had difficulty with for the past year.

Likewise, if you’ve been having problems disciplining or motivating that willful side of you to observe daily to-do lists, goal action plans or deadlines, do give this a try. But before you tee off to setup your own reward system, here are some questions you may want to ask yourself first :

• What’s “Rewardable”?

  In other words, what’s your basis for dishing out the prize? The mother in the reality show used 10 smiley face stickers as a guideline. In your case, you may want to align it with your milestones. If your goal’s to lose 20 pounds in 6 months and every 4 pounds lost is considered a milestone, complement that special moment with a nice gift. Maybe a trip to the day spa. Or watch a movie with your friend. When that happens, trust me, you’ll definitely start looking forward to your next 4 pounds.

• Who’s Administering?

  Are you impartial when it comes to conferring the rewards or do you tend to play cheat? If you know you’ll not likely stick to the rules, get someone such as your goal buddy, spouse or friend who does.

• Is the Reward Aligned With Your Goals?

  Say your goal’s to save 6 month’s worth of your salary as your emergency fund by the end of the year. It simply doesn’t make sense to have a prize which will cost you thousands of dollars. Otherwise, instead of motivating you to move towards your goal, it’s likely to set you back.

• Does the Prize Come With A High Perceived Value?

  In other words, is your reward irresistible to you? Most reward systems fail because the person receiving the prize doesn’t associate a high value to what he gets. And when he doesn’t think what he’s getting is worthwhile, he loses the momentum to work towards the next milestone. Being irresistible doesn’t necessary mean it has to be expensive. It can even be something intangible, such as a peck on the cheeks from your spouse. Or a whole day off from your goal plan. Making a reward irresistible isn’t about the physical reward at all. It’s about the experience you associate with the reward.

Some Creative Ideas To Make Your Rewards Irresistible

Experience? What’s that?

Imagine there’s a box in front of you and you’re told that whatever you get from the box is your reward for achieving your milestone. After groping for a few minutes, you took out a piece of paper that says “4 day 3 night’s Cruise to Alaska”. Would you be more excited at that time than to know the reward right from the start?

Almost instantaneously, the value of the cruise reward augmented. By adding an element of surprise and fun in the way you delivered the prize, you’ve enhanced the experience of your reward. Interestingly, the same tactic’s used by retailers in the form of lucky draws and dips to draw crowds to their sales or product launches.

This works extremely well for rewards of lower monetary value. So, if you’ve always had a budget constraint, here are some creative ideas to make your rewards seemingly irresistible :

1. The Blindfold Game.

   Get a trusted person to fill up a mystery pack of gifts in a box. When it’s reward time, blindfold yourself and randomly pick one from the box.

2. Genie In A Bottle.

   Write down all your rewards on slips of paper and put one into a bottle each time. Open it up and find out what you’ve got for yourself this time.

3. My Vouchers.

   Create a set of favours redemption vouchers endorsed by your family members or friends. The vouchers can be “Please do the cooking for today” or “Please run an errand for me”. Use them deservingly!

4. Hide & Seek.

   Get your kids to hide your prize in a room and do a search for it when it’s due. No clues please, children!

5. Shoot!

   Create a dartboard and mark it with your prizes. You get a chance to throw 1 dart once you’re due for a reward. If it’s out the board, sorry. Try again next time!

That’s all from me. Do you’ve other creative ideas? Let me know in the comments!

Yesterday, I scoured through 2,800 different motivational posters just to choose one as a gift for a friend abroad. Although I haven’t decided which poster to get, I’ve already bookmarked some pretty interesting ones.

While these may serve as excellent gifts, the messages behind these motivational posters is the main reason why I’m sharing this with you. Take 5 minutes off what you’re doing and indulge in some private inspirational moments as you preview these 25 motivational posters. Some of the better ones.

Enjoy!

“Been busy lately?” I quipped.

She had been working really hard on her production for the past months to qualify for a much coveted industry award. But instead of looking worn out from her frantic schedule, she appeared radiant. I could see that she was really passionate about what she was doing.

“Yes, very. ” she replied, heaving a sign of “happy” frustration while stirring the cup of hot tea in front of her. “But it’s all worth it. I’ve met the quota set for 2 years in a row and the company’s sending me to Korea and New Zealand as incentives. All expenses fully paid.” Her mouth parted into a smile.

When I heard that, I was really happy for her. I was happy for her not because she was going on a free vacation to 2 beautiful countries. Nor was it because she was doing very well in her job, duly compensated with huge commission checks.

I was happy for her because the person that I’ve seen struggling with a tough decision to quit a comfortable, well paying government post 2 years ago, chose to thank herself for one of the wisest decisions in her life by loving and doing the best she could in her newly chosen career!

It’s Not All About Physical Rewards

I know this may sound unsettling for you but showing appreciation to yourself doesn’t always necessary mean pigging out on expensive dinners, going to luxurious spas, buying branded ostentatious handbags or getting the latest tech gadget you see in the market. I know of some people who’ve pampered themselves to such after some personal achievements, only to suffer from post-reward blues. Despite chasing one reward after another, they still felt a sense of loss.

Saying thanks to yourself can be an absolutely private moment where you unknowingly experience a tinge of ease and satisfaction with life. That kind of feeling has the power to sweep you off your own feet and make you even more fervent in your goal pursuit. Especially when it comes during or straight after an immense struggle.

My Experience

I’ve unknowingly experienced this again a few weeks back. While training up for my 5km marathon, I’ve noticed that instead of feeling fatigued after each run around the stadium track, I end up being more revitalized.

At first, I thought it was the effects of exercising, which was supposed to make you more energized. But week after week, as I continuously challenge myself to run a few more rounds, trying to match the distance to the 5km target, I realized there were other elements driving the energy.

Subconsciously while running, I told myself not to let myself down for having come so far. Out of gratitude for my own hard work, I told myself I need to work even harder for the sake of … myself.

See the connection?

How to Appreciate Yourself The Right Way

There was a spiritual difference between striving hard for that dinner treat or handbag versus YOU. A world of a difference. You can diminish the value of a physical reward but you can’t downplay your own self worth.

Do you deserve the hard work? Yes.
Do you deserve the pampering? Yes.
Do you deserve to be treated better? Yes!

See? It’s all about YOU. It was never about that physical reward outside of you. You can get 1001 rewards but if you don’t feel you deserve it, you’ll never be able to relish the true benefits of being appreciated!

How do you get yourself to feel like that?

(1) Remove that Self Sabotaging Little Voice

You know it exist. Whenever you did something well, instead of saying “hey, good job!”, that little evil you will tell you “OK, you’ve done a not too bad job but don’t be complacent or you’ll slacken! There’s more to come”. Subconsciously, you’ve already acknowledged that there’s going to be more pain after just going through one.

If I tell you there’s another tornado in front of you, after you’ve just been through one, do you think you’ll enjoy the lemonade that was given to you as a result of going through the first tornado?

If your answer is yes, good for you!

But most people will usually feel frustrated. To them, the pain seems never ending. So what’re you going to do if you find your little evil friend lurking to pounce on you again? Here’s a new trick I’ve learned recently. Try saying this 4 phrases to yourself as if you’re speaking to a divine self after filling in the blanks :

“I’m sorry _____________”
“Please forgive me ______”
“Thank you ____________”
“I love you.”

The divine self can refer to anything you regard with a spiritual connection. It can be the God (of your respective religion), life, the Universe or simply just you. When you’re uttering such phrases, you consciously flush out the negative ideas in your mind. This was same approach used by Dr Ihaleakala Hew Len (as described in Zero Limits, a book co-authored with Joe Vitale) to heal a ward of mentally ill criminals without even seeing anyone of them.

For example, this is what I’ll say “I’m sorry if my little evil friend is downplaying my contributions again. I know I absolutely deserve whatever I’ve achieved and please forgive me if I’ve ever thought even for a split second that what he said could be true. Thank you for making me realize this. I love you”.

Skeptical it’ll work? Try it.

(2) Make it A Daily Affair

Be generous and say thanks to yourself everyday. You don’t have to wait for some particular awe inspiring achievement before you start appreciating yourself. In fact, the more you say “thank you” and pat yourself on the back, the less chances this little evil friend is going to appear. Like what they say, you cannot be grateful and worrisome at the same time!

How do you do it?

My advice is, just go along with the flow. For instance what I’ll usually do is to reflect the events for the day while lying on my bed or whenever it flashes through my mind, as if I’m watching a movie. If I come across things that I’ve done well, I’ll smile. The smile is some kind of an self programming anchor use to commend myself for a good effort. Even if there’s a situation where I’ve not performed up to my own expectations, I’ll still encourage myself to learn instead of dwelling on it badly or wishing I’ve never done it in the first place.

And if that little evil friend creep in to add a sarcastic remark or so, I’ll use Dr Len’s technique to keep it at bay. So far, the results has been quite good.

(3) Cool Down Your Grueling Moments

Remember those hero-saving-the-damsel kind of stories? What makes the hero an absolute darling? The fact he saved the lady when she was in some kind of distress!

It’s the same thing when it comes to the art of appreciating yourself. If you’re going through a tough time, such as working late in the office for a major project or studying hard for the mid term exams, give yourself a pat. Complementing it with a physical treat at this time can do wonders!

I remembered there was once I worked pretty late in my last job. I was about to cry out in frustration until I start telling myself “You’ve done your best and nothing matters as long as you put in your best foot forward. Even if the world doesn’t know the hard work you’ve put in, I know. Thank you!” Straight after that, I called a few friends to get some drinks at the bar.

It was so satisfying. Getting appreciated by someone you value.

Yourself.

It’s not all loom and doom if you do experience the occasional bout. Here are 22 ways to help you with it:

1. Quit Your Job

   Chronic bouts of Monday Morning blues spells trouble. Your love for the job has probably expired. Reassess your personal and professional priorities to decide if you’re better off without the job than appearing stressed out for work every Monday.

2. Workout Your Sums

   for retirement or brainstorm on other streams of income. It’s exhilarating to know you’ll get out of the rat race in no time and that makes every Monday much more tolerable. Trust me, it works.

3. Reduce Weekend Sleep-ins

   Research reveals that sleeping in during the weekends breeds passivity. Plan as many leisure activities as you can on Saturdays and Sundays. Playing hard lessens the tendency to sabotage yourself on the coming Monday.

4. Start on Tuesdays

   Convince your boss to let you start work on Tuesdays instead. Your unique Tuesday-Saturday work week stands out and paradoxically relieves the mind of panic attacks.

5. Flash it!

   Pin your Vision Board on the back of your main door. Paste your goal reminders around the house. Repeat your affirmations every day. Dreams and goals crash fatigue or lethargy and nothing works better than such daily reminders.

6. Do Morning Exercise

   Yoga, Jogging, Aerobics or Swimming. It doesn’t matter which exercise you do. The adrenaline rush is enough to drive you off to a vroooooooom.

7. Eat Breakfast

   Maintain your metabolism through a well balanced breakfast and top it up with a well brewed coffee. The caffeine will keep fatigue at bay.

8. Look Your Best

   The attention will leave you more flattered than flustered about how your Monday goes. And here’s another 5 reasons why dressing for success can be important!

9. Watch Over the Kids

   Catch a glance of your children cuddling in their sheets before you leave the house. The warmth generated will serve you well for the rest of the day.

10. Get Humourous

    Laugh your way to a great start by reading funny comic strips and silly jokes. Guarantee to chase the blues away.

11. Read Empowering Books

    on your way to work. The enriching information will divert your mind from unproductive thoughts and empower you with creative ideas to supercharge your life.

12. Call Your Friends to Complain

    Ranting off pent-up work frustrations leaves you with a clean slate to start off the week. Don’t let your boss overhear your conversation though

13. Dance to Upbeat Music

    Blast your ipod on the headset and sway your head a little while typing away on the computer. The vibes will keep you on your toes rather than your knees.

14. Shop for Cosmetic Surgery Online

    25 year old leading UK cosmetic surgery provider The Harley Medical Group reports that traffic to their official website peaks on Monday between 10am to midday every Monday of the week. How about joining the 100,000 monthly website visitors and vouch if this works?

15. Take A Break

    … the moment you reach your office. Chat with your colleagues about how they spend their last weekend. Not only does it ease the nerves, it’s a great way to connect with your coworkers too! Kills two birds with one stone.

16. Plan For Your Next Vacation

    Send quotation requests to travel agencies of your next holiday destination. Experience the instant satisfaction upon seeing the replies.

17. Check Your Personal Projects Status

    … during office hours. Find out how many pages you’ve written for that novel that you’ve been dreaming of. Watch the traffic statistics of your website scale the roof. Read through the comments left by visitors to your personal blog. You’ll appreciate that your work still leaves you time for your own stuff. Monday and work aren’t that bad after all.

18. Schedule Lighter Work

    … for the day. Do more of the simple administrative stuff and leave the meetings or conference calls till the later part of the week.

19. Arrange Activities for the Coming Weekend

    MSN or text message your friends for another round of partying. I’m sure they’ll gladly oblige!

20. Treat Yourself To Your Favourite Foods

    … during lunchtime. Sooner or later, your mind will associate treats to Monday and make you looking forward to it every week!

21. Promise Yourself You’ll Leave On The Dot

    If you’ve decided to work overtime on the first day of the week, it simply reaffirms the mind that Monday really sucks. You’ll feel worse on the next coming one.

22. Imagine As If It’s Friday!

    Who says Monday has to be Monday? You set the rules and you play the game.

In fact, this is such an important concept that I’m repeating the message again.

If you want to be more effective and produce quality work for your major projects, spend more of your time on leisure and recreation activities.

Now, before I explain why this is so, let me share with you a true story about ST.

ST’s Story

ST was the regional IT network manager in one of the group of companies that I’ve implemented in my last job. Working with ST was a pleasant experience as he never failed to accomplish the technical upgrades that myself and my colleague had instructed him to do, even though he might encounter a few issues here and there. Overall, he came across as someone who was passionate in his work. A rather competent and efficient worker. What impressed me further, was the fact that despite his numerous roles and responsibilities, he seldom stayed back after office hours. At least, that was what I thought.

It never occurred to me what could be the “secret” to his efficiency. Until…

I was at his office for a regional conference after office hours one day. While making a casual comment to another staff about him, I realized that he was in the company’s server room playing interactive computer games with his colleagues!

It suddenly dawned on me. ST was able to keep to such high productivity levels because he knew he had time for his recreation. His conscious effort to incorporate a session of computer games assured him of the fact that his busy day at work wouldn’t deprive him of time with his hobby.

He cleverly scheduled it after his official working hours so that it inadvertently acted as a reward for working hard in the day. He would try to use creative thinking for solving problems in the least amount of time and effort so that he would have sufficient time and energy after work for a full game. Most importantly, he always looked forward to going to work everyday! Because work was fun for him. Literally.

No wonder he was always full of energy!

Why is Play Important?

Interestingly, what ST went through coincides with the observations from Dr Neil Fiore, psychologist and author. While working as a counselor at the University of California, Berkley, he studied a group of graduate students who were procrastinating in their doctoral thesis. He noticed that those making good progress toward finishing their projects were dedicated and committed to their leisure time.

They played more, spending almost the same if not more of their time trying different forms of sports, catching up with friends and other social activities, as compared to doing their research. After their activities, they were usually so rejuvenated that they would effortlessly gear up momentum for their projects.

Because they don’t see their projects as robbing them of pleasures in life, they slowly gravitate towards achieving a natural balance.

That’s not all. It’s also through play that we get to learn new skills. For example, playing squash in my spare time allows me to know new friends who’re interested in the game. It improves my social skills. Writing for Goal Setting College as a hobby previously allows me to improve my literary and technical skills.

How To Incorporate More Play, Without Compromising Productivity

While it’s fascinating to know that play doesn’t have to come at the expense of quality work, there’s still a risk of total play indulgence! After all, we’re humans!

That’s where the Unschedule comes into the picture.

What’s an Unschedule?

Due to the inherent nature of procrastination, Dr Fiore recommends in his book The Now Habit for everyone to commit to start 30 mins of quality, uninterrupted work time a day. Every 30 min blocks of such is then recorded onto a weekly calendar that is pre-tabulated with social appointments, recreation and other non-work time. This calendar is called the Unschedule.

He believes that such impromptu bursts of work in fitting a schedule of prearranged non-work activities subconsciously create a desire to contribute a greater amount of quality work. Some people may be skeptical about this method. But having tried it for myself, I’ve to admit it’s a simple and nifty tool. In fact, this article you’re reading now is a byproduct of such 30 min blocks!

Unlike other conventional methods, the Unschedule reverses the psychology that work has the first priority in anyone’s time table. This paradoxical thinking forces one’s subconscious to revolt, gradually increasing the 30 min work blocks. And when combined with Dr Fiore’s other instructions for filling out the Unschedule, I’ve achieved higher productivity in this week than I’ve ever attained in one month!

Cool, isn’t it?

Now before you start rushing to create your own Unschedule, do remember this. When you work, work intensely. Likewise, when you play, play to your heart’s content. Nothing infuriates the mind as much as thinking about work when you’re watching a movie or fantasizing about your favourite sport while in a business conference call. Trust me, it can be more disconcerting than you thought.

“Maybe they’re right that I should go back to getting a stable job”. “Perhaps I should stop thinking about publishing a book”. As you start questioning if you should continue the pursuit of your dreams, your mind slowly manifests images of situations where things didn’t work out. The future looks bleak. Chaos ensues. You’re getting more and more scared. Shucks, what do you do now?

Go back to your whys.

Yes.

What was the burning desire that got you to ditch that position you’ve slogged hard in the company for, to setup a business? What was the driving force that pushes you to wad through tonnes and tonnes of recruitment papers and employment websites before you can find a ideal job position to apply for? What is the source of motivation that made you sacrifice thousands of hours of your leisure time writing each page of your new novel?

That same compelling reason will help you expel your fear of not achieving your dream. Whatever that has the power to compel it, drive it, has the power to sustain it. Even if it means breaking through negative sources of energy such as fear or doubt and forcing you to focus on your objective. Remember, what got you started in business is the reason why you stayed in business. What ignited your fire in searching for your dream job is precisely the reason that kept you in the career chase. What made you write that first word for your novel is the definitely the reason that will keep you writing till the last word. You don’t just give up easily because of a little fear ripple ruffling your mettle.

But should you ever succumb to the fearful bug in the fit of the moment, instead of blaming yourself for being such a weakling, try channeling that negative energy into constructive wisdom by writing down all the reasons that keep you started in the race in the first place. You’ll be surprised at how much you’re forgetting.

And I’m sure you’ll feel reinvigorated after that

The car doesn’t bulge. Well, of course. How will the car move when there is no petrol in the tank?

In a way, goal setting is just like a car. It’s merely a vehicle that transports us from point A to point B. You may have the fastest Ferrari or Posche but if you don’t load it up with petrol, it’s just an obsolete white elephant. Similarly, you may have a comprehensive and well designed goal plan, but if you do not inject it with the powerful fuel of daily motivation, it’s just a piece of paper.

So, how do you generate daily motivation? Ha ha. It definitely involves more than just shouting “I can do it!” everyday. But if you take the effort to do these on a daily basis, I guarantee that you’ll feel invigorated and more energized in working towards your goals. Your resolve will get stronger by the day, driving you a kilometer nearer towards your destination.

Ready to take off? Here are the 5 tips to help you instill daily motivation, from dawn to dusk.

(1) Develop an Energy Plan

An energy plan involves sleeping well, eating healthily and exercising regularly. You may wonder “What has all these got to do with motivation?” Well, take a moment to review your goals. Do you think you’ll need boundless energy to make that seemingly infinite number of cold calls in order to clinch a sale, lift that heavy dumbbells so as to develop those beautiful arm muscles or do that amount of research before you can write an informed article? And if you don’t complete these due to a lack of energy, don’t you feel de-motivated and frustrated because you aren’t seeing any progress?

Studies shows that people who get 8 hours of adequate sleep and maintain a healthy diet such as eating breakfast and drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day tend to be more alert and perform better. I learnt about that the hard way. When I first embarked on my goal to start Goal Setting College, I’d make silly mistakes like working through the night to write an article and waking up late the next day. At times, I’d had to miss my breakfast too. In the end, it just made me so groggy and lousy that I got very little done for the rest of the day.

I’m still learning how to maintain a more consistent sleep routine and making sure that I eat breakfast everyday. And as I continue to do so, I do feel a growing source of energy emerging from within. If you think it takes a bit of effort to do this, yes you’re right. But it is these little efforts that segregate the winners from the rest. So, which do you choose to be?

(2) Setup Little Reminders on Your Goals & the Whys

What’s the burning desire that’s pulling you towards that goal? Write down your goal and all the reasons why you want to achieve it in a positive context on a piece of paper and put it in your shirt pocket, your handbag or wherever that’s convenient for you to whip it out for an instant motivation booster.

Let’s say one of your goals is to be financially independent so that you’ll have more time with your family. You can write “My passive income of $X gives me financial freedom to spend more quality time with my family” on a POST-IT note and then stick this positive affirmation around your house or office. You can even set it up as a text wallpaper on your computer. People who prefer images can create a Vision board, a collage of picture cuttings of a bank account statement that remind you of your goal and pin it up somewhere.

Make it a point to review these at least once every day with conviction. You can do it while brushing your teeth or relieving yourself in the loo, but the point of this exercise is to constantly remind yourself of your bottom line and why you’re going through the efforts of slogging hard for your goal.

(3) Listen to Success Motivation Cassettes, MP3s or other Materials

This is one of my favourite: listening to success motivation cassettes, MP3 or reading books close to your heart to keep yourself uplifted. I remembered an occasion when I was feeling pretty down amid all the challenges faced at work and all it took was a Kentucky Fried Chicken’s Colonel Sanders story to have inspired me to continue with whatever I was doing. As I was listening to Tony Robbin relating the story to his audience in the mp3 audio, I could literally feel his enthusiasm. You can also observe your surroundings on how to get motivated too!

After listening to such success motivation cassettes, mp3s or audio books on your car audio system (while driving, of course) or mp3 player for at least 15 to 30 minutes a day, you’ll notice a gradual change in your outlook and mood. Believe it or not, you’ll be so buoyant that it’s hard for anyone to break you down.

Now, with the advent of technology, you can even watch streaming videos from subscription based channels such as The Success Training Network, that offers quality motivational programs on demand as well as live. You can also catch free motivational videos clips available on the net. With so many options, there’s simply no excuse to say “I’m not motivated” isn’t it?

(4) Connecting with Your Mastermind Group Regularly

Napoleon Hill first brought forth the concept of a Mastermind Group in his 1937 classic Think & Grow Rich. A mastermind group is simply one that is made up of 2 or more people having a common goal. These people can be from different backgrounds and possess skill sets that help to provide leverage in the pursuit of your own goals.

In my opinion, if you’re able to connect with a bunch of like minded folks and form mastermind groups where you’re able to learn and tap on one another’s knowledge, you’ll be able to reap great rewards, one of which is constant motivation and encouragement from one another. For instance, if you’re interested to learn public speaking, you can sign up for a toastmaster club within your vicinity. Mingle around and network, you’ll likely find some folks very willing to share their knowledge and tips with you. Who knows, you may be able to team up with anyone of them to participate in a public speaking contest!

Nowadays, it’s also very common to find online forums or communities of all sorts where you can register with so it’s no longer just the conventional club that we’re referring to. Just do a search in Google and you’ll be directed to the forum of your interest. But remember, whether is it a brick and mortar special interest club, online forum or any group of friends with similar goals, it’s important that you maintain the frequency of such contact. Too long a lapse is unlikely to bring any substantial leverage. Contribute your knowledge, experience and encouragement just as when you’re receiving. Only then, you’re truly living the spirit of Napoleon Hill’s definition of the “Master Mind”.

(5) Visualize Living Your Dream Everyday

One of the most satisfying and motivating experience is to imagine living your dreams everyday! It will definitely motivate you to keep progressing with your goal tasks, isn’t it? Try this visualization exercise everyday:

a) Every night before you go to sleep, close your eyes and take few deep breaths to relax.

b) Build a picture in your mind. Imagine a typical day when you have achieved your dream. For eg, you can imagine a day when you wake up late at 11am without worrying if you’ll be late for work. Why? Because you have just “sacked” the boss the week before! You’re financially independent! See yourself as if you’re watching a movie in a large cinema screen with yourself as the lead actor or actress. Then as the image becomes more realistic, add more details in stages. Say, after waking up, you’ll imagine going to the bathroom, brush your teeth and dressing up to prepare for your flight to Spain for a backpacking holiday! Feel the rush in your adrenaline.

As you repeat the exercise every night, start adding colours, sounds and smells to your “movie”. This visualization technique not only allows you to build intense confidence towards achieving your goal, it implants a positive impression onto your subconscious, tapping on its power to achieve wonders in your life! That’s great daily motivation, isn’t it?