Category: Achieving Your Goals

How do I stay motivated to achieve long term goals?

Ever ask yourself, how do I stay motivated to achieve my long term goals? I am sure you have. Unfortunately, our brain does not like pursuing long term goals.

The Brain is Focused on Instant Gratification

When it comes to pursuing long term goals, we run into problems because our brain is focused on instant gratification. It is motivated to seek out any goal or activity that promises a more or less immediate reward.

When you consciously desire something that is truly meaningful and valuable – even if it is a fantasy – this too will stimulate the motivational center in your brain. Dopamine is released and this increases your conscious ability to plan a strategy to achieve that goal.

However, if the the goal is long range, you need to “reward” yourself daily, weekly, and monthly as you progress. Holding your vision starts the motivation process and pleasurably rewarding yourself along the way keeps those motivational “juices” flowing.

How Do I Stay Motivated

Part of this motivation will come from achieving small incremental goals along the way to your longer term goal. Additional motivation will come from the following Pleasure Board exercise that I am about to introduce. The combination will keep you motivated towards pursuing your long term goals.

The Pleasure Board Exercise

The Pleasure Board is an idea pioneered by noted neuroscience researcher, Mark Robert Waldman.

To make a pleasure board, write down every pleasure – large and small – that brought you deep joy and happiness in the past. Write down your most powerful pleasant memories. List all the experiences that make you smile, either now or in the past.

Mindfully meditate on this list and circle all of the small pleasures you still enjoy.

Commit to Giving Yourself Pleasure Every Day

Once you have identified what still gives you pleasure, commit to consciously add pleasure to your work day. Set a mindfulness clock to go off once an hour. Stop for 10-60 seconds and do something pleasurable from your list.

Additional Resources

If you found value in this post, you will likely also enjoy these two other similar posts:  How Can I Motivate Myself, and Savor Your Achievements

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Four Quick Tips from John Assaraf

Four Quick Tips from John Assaraf

Want more success in life? Here are four quick tips from John Assaraf, CEO of Neurogym, that you can put into action today.

Here are tips on:  1) reducing stress, 2) vision boards, 3) utilizing mental contrasting, and 4) writing down your goals.

Three Minute “Innercise” to Reduce Stress

Stress is bad for you. When you feel it starting to weigh on you, take three minutes and “innercise.” Allow the stress to evaporate. Innercise is John’s term for mindfulness. It is to your brain as exercise is to your body.

3-Minute Innercise to Reduce Stress

Some stress, when it comes to performance, may be good for you . . . but too much will drain your energy and overwhelm your willpower. This simple 3-minute Innercise can dramatically reduce stress levels so you can relax and feel more focused and productive.

Posted by John Assaraf on Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Create a Vision Board

Create a vision board and look at it frequently throughout the day.

Vision boards contain pictures of your goals: what you want to become or want to have in your life. When you see these images, they turn on the dopamine receptors in the brain.

When you take those visions and see yourself doing the things that you need to do to achieve your goals, you activate the release of dopamine which causes you to feel  motivated and seek even greater goals and rewards.

Do Vision Boards Really Work?

Do vision boards really work? It’s a question I get asked all the time… and my answer is YES! Here’s why: It works because when you see images of the things you want to achieve, or do, or become, you're actually activating the dopamine receptors in the brain, the feel-good chemicals in the brain. And when you take those visions and you see yourself behaving in ways that are required to achieve that vision, you're actually activating the left prefrontal cortex, which is the CEO, genius part of your brain.Do you currently have a vision board?

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, July 2, 2018

Utilize Mental Contrasting

Mental contrasting is a technique used by astronauts, navy seals, CEO’s and others to motivate themselves to take action towards their goals

To do mental contrasting, take a goal you want to achieve. Write down what that goal looks like when you achieve it and what it feels like.

Next, close your eyes and see yourself as you are today and see yourself as you want to be, achieving that goal.

When you create this mental contrast, you will motivate yourself to start taking action automatically.

Why Navy Seals and CEO's Love Mental Contrasting

Astronauts, Navy Seals, and successful CEOs all use mental contrasting. Why? Because it helps you achieve more of your goals!Here's how to put it into practice…-Pick a goal you want to achieve-Write down and think about how it will feel once you’ve achieved your goal. Really hone in on the positive aspects and emotions.-Now, write down and think about several obstacles that may make achieving this goal difficult.-Finally, close your eyes and visualize where you are today and see yourself overcoming those obstacles and actually achieving your goal. Do this frequently and you’ll start training your brain to automatically start taking action towards your goals!Let me know in the comments one goal you’ve been wanting to achieve…

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, June 25, 2018

Write Down Your Goals

Write down your goals and review them daily.

Recent research indicates that writing down or typing our goals, makes us up to 42% more likely to achieve them.

Why? This happens because the process of writing them down, forces us to get clear about what we want. It also gives our brain a clear direction that this is something that is important to me. This is what I want to achieve. We need to figure out how to do this.

So don’t leave that goal in your head. Write it down on paper and achieve it.

Have Goals? Then Do This Now!

Here's this week's goal setting tip. In this video, I share one exercise that recent studies show will help increase your chances of achieving your goals by up to 42%. Commit yourself to doing this exercise this week and then let me know how the process made you feel.

Posted by John Assaraf on Monday, June 11, 2018

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How to be more open to seeing opportunities?

No matter how bad things seem, there are always opportunities. You just need to be able to spot them and then take action. Have you ever wondered how to be more open to seeing opportunities in your life? We all have at some point.

How to be more open to seeing opportunities

Here are four simple strategies to enhance your ability to see all the opportunities that exist in your life:

1. Always keep pen & paper nearby nearby so you can jot down any ideas that pop up.

2. Five minutes a day sit down and brainstorm ideas for improving your financial situation. On different days of the week ask yourself questions like:

* How can i make more money?
* What do i have that i can sell on eBay or elsewhere to
generate cash?
* What unnecessary expenses can i eliminate?
* How can i get a better return on my money?
* What can i do to earn a raise at work?
* Which skills do i have that others would pay me for?
* Are there unfulfilled needs in my community?

3. If you see a good idea, take action on it immediately. If you don’t start taking action on an idea right away, you probably never will.

4. Remember that there are always opportunities and you just need to be open to seeing them.  Keep your eyes open and expect to see them.

Next Steps

If you enjoyed this post, make sure that you check out some of our other posts on this website. Here are some posts that may be of interest.

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Eight neuroscientific secrets of financial success

The formula for making more money is entirely different from the strategies that will bring you happiness.  Making more money is simple but it’s not easy. Noted neuroscience researcher, Mark Robert Waldman, has identified eight neuroscientific secrets of financial success that I will share with you today.

You can incorporate these strategies into your day to help you double or triple your income.

Eight neuroscientific secrets of financial success

Here are the eight secrets:

1. Just dreaming about your desires will not make them come true. You need to know WHAT motivates you to make money and achieve goals. What do you REALLY desire, and even more importantly, WHY?

2. You need to VISUALIZE the goal and then VISUALIZE the way to achieve it. Most people forget the second half of the visualization process.  According to Oettinger, you also need to visualize how you are going to overcome the obstacles that stand in your way.

3. You need to CRAVE the expected reward. Otherwise, you won’t be motivated to work for that goal.

4. You need to work MUCH HARDER AND LONGER than you are neurologically programmed to do. The brain is lazy so you’ll need to be creative to keep your energy high and your motivation strong. Achieving little successes through out the day will get you releases of dopamine that will help keep you motivated.

5. You need to train your body, mind, and brain, to work more EFFICIENTLY. This requires EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE of your field and your skills. If you don’t have the needed skills you must learn and acquire them.

6. You need to keep your STRESS levels low. This involves exercise, relaxation, taking pleasure breaks, and eating well.

7. You need to triple your OPTIMISM and interrupt your DOUBTS on an hourly basis.

8. You need a TEAM. Success requires colleagues, partners, teachers, and coaches…the best you can afford. None of us can achieve financial success solely on our own.

Next Steps

Again, what you need to do to make more money is simple. However, it is not easy and not everyone will take the time to make it happen. Spend a few minutes now and assess how you can use these neuroscientific secrets of financial success to drive your income higher.

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How can I motivate myself? The Real Truth

Do you often find yourself asking how can I motivate myself? Are you having trouble taking action? Are you looking for that spark of motivation that will get you going (again)?

Unfortunately, motivation is NOT the spark that will get you moving. Motivation is a result. It’s the fire that is lit after you take action.

The Truth About How Can I Motivate Myself?

Each time you take action, and either achieve a small goal or at least learn from the try, your brain gives you a shot of dopamine as a reward.

Motivation is something you get, from yourself, automatically, from feeling good about achieving small successes. Accomplishing something, no matter how small the task, makes us feel better about ourselves and more ready to take on additional tasks.

The Best Way to Get Motivated

Real motivation comes after you start. Therefore, the best way to get motivated is to “break a sweat” and get started. That is why John Assaraf is constantly telling us to chunk down a goal into easily eaten bites and to do less to completion.

The secret is to start.

So today, list three things you can do to today to move towards one of your goals. If you cant think of three, at least list one. Then take action and do it.

Do this and you will find quickly that you have even more motivation to do more.

The above is based on the book, The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win, written by Jeff Haden.

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Secret To Achieving Your Goals

Want to know the secret to achieving your goals?  Once you have set your goal and developed a daily plan to achieve it, focus on that process and not the goal itself. That is the advice of Jeff Haden, author of The Motivation Myth.

Everyone has goals. The people who actually achieve them, create routines, build systems and anticipate the obstacles that are going to come up against and plan for them. They consistently take steps that in time will ensure that they reach that goal. In effect, they forget the goal and focus on the process.

The Old Way of Achieving Your Goals

In the past people spent all your time focusing just on the end goal. Those who do that may become disheartened by how far they still have left to go. For example, say you want to lose 125 pounds. After several months you have lost twenty pounds (a significant sum). If you continue to focus on the goal, many will overlook all the progress and fixate on the fact that they are still far from achieving it. If you continue to focus on this gap, instead of the weekly progress, you may give up and eventually gain the weight back.

The Newer Way of Achieving Your Goals

There is a better way. Instead of focusing on goals, focus on the process.

If you focus on doing the things that you need to do, day in and day out to achieve your goal, you will make daily progress, and each day this will give you a dopamine reward to help you stay on track.

What matters is not how you currently compare with your goal. What matters is that you consistently work your process and do what you set out to do, each and every day, to reach your goal.

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