Reigniting your fire

“The race is not for the swift but for those who can endure.” That saying is probably true for many of you who made resolutions and set lofty professional and personal goals back at the beginning of the year. Where are you now? Have you accomplished what you wanted or are you slowly losing steam and losing hope?{{more}}

Or have you given up altogether?

If you’ve achieved your dream(s), congratulations!

For those who have not, it’s time to get moving again. It’s perfectly normal to lose your motivation while pursuing a goal; it happens to everyone at some point. Maybe you were hoping to find a job, get a promotion or a pay raise; maybe you wanted to change careers, start a business or build your inner strength enough to cope with the negative people in your workplace.

Whatever your objective, you still can achieve it.

Examine why your fire went out. People lack motivation for different reasons, and to regain it, you must know the root of the problem. The most common reasons tend to be feelings of being overwhelmed, setting unrealistic goals, unwillingness to make the sacrifice of time, money and selfdiscipline, fear of success and/or the goal becomes obsolete. Whatever the reasons, here are a few quick tips to help light your fire.

1. Make sure your goals meet this universal goal criterion before you go any further. Goals must be S.M.A.R.T. S-Specific, M-Measurable, A-Attainable, R-Realistic and T-Time Specific.

2. If obstacles are draining you, enlist the help of people who are more experienced or quite frankly smarter than you and learn from them. Seek out a trusted friend or colleague who can always cheer you on.

3. If you have been pushing yourself hard, take a quick break and concentrate on something unrelated. This will give you a chance to recharge your batteries and get the creative juices flowing again.

4. If you are your own worst enemy with negative self-talk, self-doubt and low self-esteem, visit the library or hop online and saturate your mind with motivational books, read about successful people or anything that is uplifting. Take time to meditate, pray, take long peaceful walks or relax on the beach.

It doesn’t matter that you stopped. What’s important is that you get up and keep going!

● Karen Hinds is “The WorkplaceSuccess Expert.” For a FREE SPECIAL REPORT on Avoiding Career Killers in the Workplace, send an email to info@workplacesuccess.com
Visit online at www.workplacesuccess.com