“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Zig Ziglar
How to stay motivated and focused all day, every day?
Like many of you staying motivated was something I struggled with growing up. I used to breeze through life thinking everything will turn out fine. Now, this did work for me up to a point. I remember loving the adrenalin rush after a late night mad scramble to complete a project for college. Yet this feeling didn’t last as new projects piled up one after another.
I did manage to scrape through college and land my first job. And this is when everything changed.
It was at that moment that I realized my cramming method was useless in the real world. I had real-life clients to keep happy and a boss that wanted everything done yesterday.
Just months into my first job as a sales representative I was fired for just not getting things done. Still focused on leaving everything to the last minute I would do a rush job, and my results reflected this.
Not long after the humiliation of being fired I uncovered a secret that changed the way I motivated myself for life. A little known method I call the incentive sequence that has been responsible for my business taking off and the stress-free happy life I live today and I would like to share it with you.
First I have to ask you something.
Do you find it difficult to motivate yourself to get things done?
If you answered yes then I have to be honest with you.
You’ve got more than a few problems: In fact, you will probably find that your life is very stressful. That the quality of your work suffers because it is always a last minute rush job. And most importantly you can never really enjoy your free time because your mind is always spinning with stuff you have to get done and a never-ending to-do list.
I am sure you realize that the bigger and more complicated tasks become, the less effective the cramming method becomes. There is no need for it to be this way. You can’t afford to ignore something that is so important in achieving the success you desire.
Imagine waking up every morning full of energy (That’s right, constant worry and stress sucks your energy like a supercharged vacuum)
Imagine how incredible it will feel when you are motivated to get to work. Excited to achieve the daily tasks you’ve set for yourself.
Wouldn’t that feel amazing? Now I know that most people think that changing habits requires hard work and that it is not something that will transform overnight.
But that is because they don’t know about the “incentive sequence.”
When you apply it, you will find you will become focused, driven and determined and success will follow you wherever you go. This is the simple formula that ALL successful people naturally apply in their daily lives almost subconsciously, and you can do the same.
Let me break it down for you.
The incentive sequence formula is divided into three parts
First, you need to set small and achievable goals. Often, we tend to put a ton of pressure on ourselves with unrealistic goals, and then we feel terrible when we fail to achieve them. Small goals that are achievable help keep you motivated. These could be daily, weekly or even monthly goals.
Remember it is ALL about the journey. If we focus on the Journey, then the desired results will come to us.
Second, reward yourself when you hit your goals. What the reward is will depend from person to person. Rewards are a huge part of achieving goals and success.
As you may be aware, the sales industry thrives on this, offering financial rewards for staff that hit their targets. It’s about keeping them motivated long-term.
And this is not just reserved for work stuff this applies to every area of your life… The third part which ties everything together is visualization.
What do you mean by visualization?
This is where you imagine what it will feel like once you have achieved these goals and earned the reward to go with it. If you have never done this before it can feel a little weird or unnatural but trust me visualizing the result we desire dramatically boosts our inner motivation.
For example, people who go to the gym and want to succeed in losing weight constantly visualize how their body will look when they have reached their goals. This motivates them to continue moving forward.
The benefits don’t stop there. Once you can keep your motivation high, the effect will rub off on people around you, and in turn, motivate them. Personal trainers are an ideal example here. Their motivation rubs off on the people they train. That is their sole job – to motivate their clients.
So there you have the three parts that make up the incentive sequence
Here they are again:
#1: Have small, achievable goals
#2: Reward yourself
#3. Visualize your success
P.S Getting the best out of yourself and your day can be challenging, so if you’re looking for ways to increase overall success in your life, make sure that you check out this video presentation Mark created for you.
In it he teaches you how to develop a powerful magnetic presence that will significantly increase your ability achieve all your goals, and become more influential, likeable and successful on the way. Watch the free presentation here.
