We all need motivation in order to consistently do our best work and to achieve our goals. However, we all experience periods where our motivation drops, usually due to unexpected challenges or circumstances that stand in our way to achieving our goals.

The key to surpassing them is to get our motivation levels back up as quickly as possible. To learn more about how motivation works and how to maintain high levels of it, we look at the three main components of motivation below.

Those three components are activation, persistence, and intensity.

Related: The Art and Science of Motivation

1| The first component of motivation is activation.

Activation involves the decision to do a behavior or action. If we choose to go for a walk or listen to music, that is activation. Noted actor Woody Allen once said that “80% of success is showing up.” Many times, success occurs because we are in a position to take advantage of an opportunity; if we aren’t in that location, we won’t achieve that success. For instance, if you want to lose weight, you need to head to the gym or the workout location in your home or apartment; if you don’t decide to go there and work out, you’ll have no chance of losing that weight and achieving your goal.

2| The second component of motivation is persistence.

Persistence is where we continue to strive for a goal even when there are obstacles or challenges standing in our way to reach that goal. Persistence involves using a great deal of our time, energy, and resources in order to overcome the obstacles and achieving the goal we want to achieve. Persistence is what enables us to continue striving for a goal after the initial euphoria of a new challenge wears off; after we realize the hard task and challenge that lies ahead of us to achieve the goal, it’s persistence that enables us to keep going after it, despite the challenges in our way.

3| The third component of motivation is intensity.

Intensity is where you put in the concentration and vigor to achieve your goals. If we want to lose weight, we need to maintain the intensity to continue to eat less and exercise more; doing it for just a few days or even a few weeks is not going to get us to our goal of losing significant weight.

Activation, persistence, and intensity are the three main components of motivation. All three are needed in order to have a high level of motivation to achieve our goals, especially our most challenging goals. By choosing to act, continuing to endure, and maintaining the concentration and vigor needed to achieve our greatest goals, we can achieve the success and goals we want to achieve.