The Ultimate Guide to Staying Motivated: How to Achieve Your Goals Step by Step
Motivation—an indispensable fuel in the process of achieving a goal. No matter what the goal is, motivation is essential. Without it, we are like a car without fuel, unable to move forward. Therefore, if you want to successfully achieve a goal, you must maintain consistent motivation from start to finish.
Motivation pushes you forward step by step as you take action, all the way to the finish line. Besides the initial burst of enthusiasm, which generates motivation, we need to actively create a continuous stream of motivation to fuel our ongoing efforts.
Today's title—The Ultimate Guide to Staying Motivated: How to Achieve Your Goals Step by Step—is here to help you create and maintain motivation throughout the process of pursuing your goals. By following today's guide, you will become more persistent than ever before, staying committed until you achieve the goals you set for yourself.
1. Setting Clear Goals
Maintaining motivation requires one key step: setting clear goals.
Goals
Before anything else, you need to have a goal—a goal that comes from your heart, something you genuinely want, not something you blindly follow from others. The difference between a self-chosen goal and one adopted from others is that your chosen goal aligns with your desires and interests. In contrast, a goal you follow blindly is not something you truly love or want. Just by liking and wanting something, you can generate a powerful initial motivation.
Clear Goals
So, what is a clear goal? Simply put, imagine your goal is to lose weight, so you think about exercising every day. To summarize, you want to lose weight, so you choose to achieve that through consistent daily exercise. Does this seem clear enough? Perhaps you already understand what you want to do to achieve something, and it seems clear to you. However, I believe it can be even clearer.
If it were me, I would make this goal more comprehensive and specific. First, I would record my weight; let’s say I currently weigh 68 kg, and it's August. I would aim to reduce my weight from 68 kg to 55 kg by June of next year, 2025, to look slimmer. That’s a 13 kg reduction. I enjoy working out, so during this period, I would choose fitness as my method for weight loss.
Now, doesn’t this seem clearer than simply saying "exercise to lose weight"? We can more clearly understand the extent of what needs to be achieved and within what time frame.
In short, a clear goal involves setting a specific target, a clear timeline with start and end dates, and determining what actions are needed to achieve it. The most important aspect is that the goal must be achievable; an unattainable goal can lead to unnecessary anxiety.
Compared to vague goals, people are more inclined to complete clear and visible goals. It’s like choosing between two paths: one is brightly lit, and the other is pitch black. You would definitely choose the well-lit path, just as I would.
Little summary: Compared to vague and unclear goals, people tend to prefer and complete goals that are clear and have well-defined steps. To set a clear goal, you need to establish what you want to achieve, define a clear timeline with start and end dates, and determine the actions needed to accomplish it. Finally, the goal should be achievable. However, setting a distant goal is also possible. I, too, have a distant goal that may not be achievable, but I still want to believe that it can be. No one can influence the goals you choose; as long as it’s a goal you want, achieving it adds your personal touch of color to the blank canvas of your life—a color you’ve painted yourself.
2. Creating and Breaking Down a Plan
Once you've chosen your desired goal, the next essential step is creating a plan. A quick tip: always have a plan in place before starting anything to avoid feeling lost at every step.
Creating and Breaking Down the Plan
I won’t hesitate to tell you that I was once a 68 kg chubby person. Later, by sticking to a plan I created and following it daily, I successfully reduced my weight from 68 kg to 53 kg. It took me a year to lose 15 kg, and the sense of accomplishment was immense!
I want to use my plan as a foundation for you to make modifications and apply it to your own goals in different areas.
At that time, I used the method I described in the first step to set my goal. My goal was to lose 15 kg in a year through daily exercise.
Since clarity is key, I started by focusing on exercise. I chose specific exercises, eventually settling on crunches, push-ups, and planks.
Next, I broke down my plan into days, months, and years. First, the year—it's straightforward; I aimed to lose 15 kg in one year. Then, the month—I calculated how much weight I needed to lose each month to achieve my goal of losing 15 kg in a year. My calculations revealed that I needed to lose 1.25 kg per month to reach this goal. Lastly, the day—I didn't need to calculate weight loss here; I just planned my daily exercise. I decided on 1 hour and 30 minutes of exercise daily, scheduled at 5:00 p.m. because that was when I was most free.
Losing 1.25 kg per month became a small goal, and exercising for 1 hour and 30 minutes daily was another small goal. I broke down the seemingly distant goal of losing 15 kg into smaller, more manageable goals that could be achieved in the short term. This way, the distant goal could be completed step by step through the small goals.
Finally, I kept track of my progress on a calendar. After completing my exercise each day, I would check off the date to monitor my progress. At the end of each month, I would weigh myself and write down my weight to see if I had met the monthly goal. This is an important part of the plan—when you see what you’ve accomplished, you’ll certainly feel proud of yourself.
The plan I just described was based on my goal at that time. Of course, the key is that the plan must be executable and adjusted according to your lifestyle. I knew my physical limits, so I chose 1 hour and 30 minutes of exercise daily. Additionally, I was most free and energized at 5:00 p.m., so I set my plan based on these answers.
Little summary: The purpose of creating and breaking down a plan is to simplify your goal so that it doesn't become overwhelming due to time constraints or difficulty. People are more likely to give up when they see that a task requires a long time and is very challenging. Breaking down the goal into smaller tasks allows you to complete the goal step by step. Once the goal is broken down, it can be integrated into your plan. You can organize your plan according to the year, month, and day, while also aligning it with your daily routine. The key is to create a plan that is achievable, clear, and tailored to your needs.
In short, the more detailed the tasks, the better.
The Importance of Creating and Breaking Down a Plan
Creating and breaking down a plan not only simplifies your goal, making it seem easier to achieve, but it also generates motivation as you complete each small task.
As I mentioned, I broke my goal into small tasks by year, month, and day and integrated them into my plan. Each time you accomplish one of these small tasks, you’ll gain a sense of achievement and confidence. This sense of achievement and confidence becomes the fuel for tackling the next goal. These smaller accomplishments provide the motivation needed to keep pursuing the overall goal.
Little summary: Small goals not only make the larger goal clearer and easier to achieve, but more importantly, the sense of achievement from completing each small goal becomes the motivation to tackle the next one.
3. Maintaining Focus and Positivity
When implementing your plan, it's crucial to pay extra attention to maintaining both focus and positivity. These two elements must be consistently upheld throughout the process.
Focus
Some might ask, "Isn't its motivation that drives focus?" I used to think that way too, but I later realized it's actually the other way around—focus can generate powerful motivation.
Let’s break this down step by step, starting with how to maintain focus.
You can achieve focus by changing your environment and habits to enter a state of deep concentration, also known as a "flow state."
Why do changes in environment and habits help you enter a flow state and become more focused? It's simple—it’s about signaling to your subconscious. In other words, by performing certain actions, you can tell your brain and inner self that it’s time to focus.
For example, before I started writing this article—The Ultimate Guide to Maintaining Motivation: How to Achieve Your Goals Step by Step—I first completed other tasks like household chores and exercise, then set a time of 8:30 to start writing. Before beginning, I closed my eyes and meditated for 10 minutes to calm my mind.
This is a habit. These three actions serve two purposes: first, to avoid interruptions from other tasks while writing; and second, to signal to myself that something requiring my focus is about to begin. Lastly, meditation helps calm my mind, reducing distractions. Eventually, these habits will prime your subconscious, so you won’t be as easily distracted during your task. When your subconscious is prepared, it essentially alerts your brain and inner self.
Another approach is to change your environment. For instance, before writing, I prepare a cup of coffee and tidy my desk, leaving only my books, computer, mouse, phone, and a bottle of water. I also have a designated work corner in my room. When I sit in that corner, I must focus and complete the day’s tasks.
By tidying your desk and leaving only essential items, and then altering your environment to create an immersive setting, these methods effectively signal your subconscious to focus.
To put it simply, think about where people go to study or work—usually the library or a coffee shop, right? Everyone has their own preferred environment, and why is that? Because they believe they can achieve enough focus and relaxation in that setting. Moreover, being in such an environment encourages them to remove distractions from their workspace, like putting away their phone. Those who work with coffee at a café aren’t just drinking it to stay awake; subconsciously, they associate coffee with the need to work or study.
In fact, drinking coffee can also be considered a habit. I placed it under the category of changing environments because seeing coffee beside me signals that I need to complete a goal or task. On ordinary days, I wouldn’t prepare coffee unless I needed to work or was extremely tired.
Based on these points, changing your environment and habits helps you create an immersive experience and signals your subconscious, making it easier to enter a focused state.
Flow State
Entering a focused state gradually leads to immersion, which is what I refer to as a flow state. When you enter a flow state, you become fully absorbed in an activity, deriving immense satisfaction from it. This satisfaction transforms into motivation because, in a flow state, you’re highly focused, and the progress you make through persistence gives you a sense of fulfillment.
Little summary: Entering a focused state gradually leads to immersion, or a flow state. When you enter a flow state, you become fully absorbed in an activity, deriving immense satisfaction from it. This satisfaction transforms into motivation because, in a flow state, you’re highly focused, and the progress you make through persistence gives you a sense of fulfillment.
To enter a flow state, you must be highly focused. You can signal your subconscious by changing your environment and habits. Simply put, through certain actions, you give your subconscious cues, which are then communicated to your brain and inner self. These cues act as reminders, though these reminders are created through your own actions and don’t require words; the actions themselves convey the meaning.
Positivity
As you work towards your goal, you’re likely to encounter negative emotions. This is perfectly normal, so when negative emotions arise, it’s important to respond with positive feedback.
The difference between being in a negative state and a positive one is significant. In a negative state, you may struggle to focus and persist, whereas in a positive state, you’ll stay focused and continue to push forward.
In reality, all it takes is paying a little extra attention, comforting yourself, and providing positive feedback. For example, when you feel like something is too difficult, tell yourself, "It’s okay, take your time." Similarly, when you feel tired, don’t complain right away; instead, remind yourself that this is all for the sake of achieving your goal. The tiredness is worth it, and you’ve already come so far, so keep going!
In any situation, the most important thing is to respond to your inner self with positivity.
Additionally, when you achieve a small goal, you can quietly tell yourself, "I’m awesome; I’m one step closer to my goal!" This will help you build momentum and motivation as you move on to the next small goal.
Little summary: Positivity comes from giving yourself positive feedback. There are two types of positive feedback. One is comforting yourself with positive words or phrases. For example, when you feel like something is too difficult, tell yourself, "It’s okay, take your time." When you feel tired, don’t complain right away; instead, remind yourself that this is all for the sake of achieving your goal. The tiredness is worth it, and you’ve already come so far, so keep going!
The other type of positive feedback comes from giving yourself a bit of praise after achieving a goal. This self-praise can fuel your motivation to tackle the next goal.
4. Facing Challenges and Setbacks
Challenges and setbacks are inevitable on the road to success, but their occurrence is not what matters; what truly matters is how you respond to them.
In simple terms, a few failures are bound to happen, but how you choose to respond often determines whether you reach your goal.
So, how should you handle them?
When you encounter failure, resist the urge to complain about unfairness. Instead, I offer you an alternative approach: start by taking out a blank sheet of paper, then grab a pen, and finally, sit quietly at your desk.
Once you're seated, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself the following five key questions:
What was the cause of the failure?
Why did this cause lead to failure?
Was this really the reason for the failure?
Are there any other contributing factors?
Based on these questions, what should I do next?
Summarize all the questions and their answers and write them down. The next time you encounter a similar issue, use the answers you've identified.
This method can be applied to any field where failure occurs, and it truly works wonders. Once you’ve identified the answers, even if the next problem isn’t exactly the same, you can adapt these answers, making them suitable for the current issue.
Acknowledging Your Failure
In my view, acknowledging your failure is equivalent to accepting it. When you learn to accept your failures, you begin to grow from them.
This growth comes from the changes you make after accepting and understanding your failures. The result is that you gain valuable lessons and improve yourself.
Finally, after accepting failure, remind yourself that failure is not something to fear; what’s truly frightening is giving up.
Whether it's one approach or another, the key is to derive motivation from the experience. The source of this motivation lies in your enhanced understanding after accepting and analyzing your failure. Once your awareness grows, you'll realize that failure isn’t scary. The real challenge is identifying the reason for your failure and finding the right solution.
Moreover, after resolving a failure, you’ll experience a profound sense of achievement and self-affirmation because you know that you now possess the ability to overcome setbacks. This sense of accomplishment and self-recognition will transform into motivation.
Little summary: By asking yourself the five key questions, you can identify the true cause of your failure and find the right answers. Your task is to summarize these findings and understand the underlying principles. When faced with failure, avoid complaining. The path to success is often hidden within failure; it’s about finding the cause of failure and the correct solution. Once you recognize that you have the ability to overcome failure, you’ll gain an unprecedented sense of achievement and self-affirmation, both of which serve as sources of motivation.
5. Rewards and Self-Motivation
Reward System
What do parents often say to children when they want them to do something? That’s right, "If you finish this... I’ll give you... as a reward." Usually, upon hearing this, the child will complete the task without hesitation.
This is the concept of setting up a reward system to generate motivation. A reward system entices you to complete tasks because you know that upon completing the task, you’ll receive the reward you’ve set for yourself.
During the process of completing the task, your anticipation for the reward will grow, especially as you approach the finish line. Once you complete the task and receive the reward, not only do you get something you like, but you also experience a deep sense of satisfaction and joy.
As you pursue your next goal, knowing there’s a reward waiting for you upon completion, you’ll be even more motivated to take action.
To be honest, if you ask me to sit in front of a computer and write articles for several hours, I might just procrastinate endlessly, even if I enjoy writing. So, I set a reward for myself: after writing for three hours, I’ll get one hour of free time. During that free time, I can do whatever I want, but once the hour is up, I must return to the computer and continue working on the unfinished article.
Of course, rewards can take many forms, but I believe they don’t need to be extravagant; something simple and satisfying is enough. Also, be careful not to overindulge—for instance, studying for one hour and then relaxing for five hours might be a bit excessive.
Self-Motivation
Rewarding yourself is a way to motivate yourself, but that involves using external factors to convert into motivation.
Now, let’s talk about self-motivation through positive self-affirmation. You can try standing in front of a mirror every morning and say some encouraging words to yourself. Or, if you prefer not to stand in front of a mirror, you can quietly say these words in your mind.
The key is to use positive words to generate the motivation to take action. For example, tell yourself, "Today, I’ll do even better than yesterday," or "I’ll give it my best today!"
Little summary: Both the reward system and self-motivation can effectively guide your inner self to persevere. By setting up a reward system, you create motivation as the rewards entice you to complete tasks. You know that upon completing the task, you’ll receive the reward you’ve set for yourself.
Positive self-affirmation can also generate a certain level of motivation. When you tell yourself that you’re the best, you’re sending a message to your inner self that you can achieve anything today.
Positive self-affirmation truly influences a person’s behavior. If you constantly tell yourself that you’re lazy, you’re subconsciously reinforcing that belief. But if you replace "lazy" with "hardworking," the effect will be different and much better. In simple terms, words have power—they can influence a person’s behavior, so never underestimate them.
Last Thoughts
The five methods I’ve shared can be seen as options to choose from or steps to follow. Either way, as long as they help you, they are good. Lastly, I want to say that while these five methods can generate motivation, in my personal experience, the most important thing is to transform your subconscious. By constantly reminding yourself that you need to stay committed to achieving your goals, you’ll find that, over time, you’ll become more motivated than before. Although there will still be moments when you lack motivation, I can confidently say that I’ve improved significantly compared to the past.
GET MORE ARTICLES? IT’S HERE >C.CALVIN’S LIFE BLOG