Habits That Maximize Motivation And Great Achievement

Habits That Maximize Motivation And Great Achievement

Here are some habits that maximize motivation and great achievement and How to stay on top of things even when you really don't feel like it. You don't need extraordinary superpowers or abilities to achieve. In fact, all you need are specific habits to make your life a little bit easier.

In general, these are the habits that I feel work the best for my life and my business. These are what I have found to be the driving force in my motivation and creativity even in the crappiest of times. 

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Here is a list of book recommendations if you want to dig a little deeper.

The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey

The Productivity Project by Chris Bailey

The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris

Mind Hacking by Sir John Hargrave

How To Get Shit Done by Erin Falconer

Lean Out by Tara Henley

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Stillness Is the Key by Ryan Holiday

The Most Powerful Woman In The Room Is You by Lydia Fenet

Do Less by Kate Northrup

I'm Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi

Alright so let's jump right in. 

Have A Clear Purpose In Life

The first habit is having a clear purpose in life. What does this mean? It means asking yourself the big questions in life, things like, what is my legacy, and how do I want to be remembered? Or maybe something as simple as, what the hell do I want to do with my life? Not only do I ask myself these questions, but I do it often.

Every month, I reassess where I am and where I want to be, and while some might find this tedious it really helps me to have the mental clarity to move forward and have a purpose. I know exactly what I'm doing and why, this gives everything I do intention and purpose. Not to say that I plan out every single second of my life because that's just not the case, but I do know all the goals I'm working toward consistently.

I like to send my email community quick self-assessments to help them stay grounded and aware of themselves and just ask themselves, "Hey, how am I?", and "What am I doing?". Life goes by so fast and we tend to lose ourselves in the motion.

Some great questions you can start with are:

What kind of person am I? If you feel like you need to make some improvements, ask yourself who you want to become?

Are you the best version of yourself? If not what can you do to be that?

Are you kind? Attentive? Humble? Intentional in your job? What about with family, friends, and social gatherings? How can you be intentional in all that you do?

Do you know what your biggest skills are and what you bring to the table?

Do you know what you need to work on like listening or being more vocal?

And are you doing something in your life that also brings joy to others?

Who can you surprise with a gift, small gesture, or thank you note? Making other people happy also gives me clarity, in the life I want to live and help others live as well. 

Be Mentally And Physically Fit

Second is being mentally and physically fit, a self help book or inspirational story keeps the mind right and out of the shit zone. I make a list of inspirational books I plan to read for the month ahead. I try to shoot for 5-10 books or audiobooks when I don't have the time to sit and read. Keeping your mind healthy is just as important as keeping your physical body healthy. What are you allowing to enter your mind every single day? What types of images are you allowing yourself to see? To engage with? Is it positive or is it negative?

A quick exercise I like to do every day is to ask myself what I have to look forward to in the day ahead. And at night, I think of something positive that happened during my day. You don't have to physically experience something to generate these feelings or “spark joy” as Marie kondo would say, just thinking of it in anticipation brings happiness and remembering said things bring a sense of fulfillment. 

Being physically fit helps with mental focus as well, exercise helps with brain function like learning, memory, and it also improves your mood and reduces stress. I like to get outside and go for a walk or run each day. Sometimes spending a little time outdoors is exactly what I need to get out of a funk, clear my head, and not be glued to online gadgets.

Don't be afraid to stop what you are doing, take a deep breath, and do some stretching. As entrepreneurs, there are always a million things we need to get done, but scheduling in some much needed YOU time is just as important. If you have to, write it in your calendar. You time, from this time to this time, fully commit to this arrangement. 

Use Inner and Outer Expectations To Stay Motivated With Goals

This next one is something you've probably heard before, and is about using your inner and outer expectations to stay motivated with your goals. This is common for people that are maybe trying to start a new gym routine, lose or gain a specific weight and by a specific time. The trick is to announce and share your goals with a  lot of people to ensure that it comes together. You are simply raising the stakes and not allowing yourself to fail if other people are invested in your journey or project. No one wants to fail publicly and the more people you tell, the more committed you'll feel.

When I decided to pivot my business I only told a few of my closest friends but these are the people that were asking me about it every week. I couldn't avoid it. I had to get it done for myself and for them because they were excited to see the final outcome. So once you start something, commit, and tell the world. This also helps you see what it will become and make you feel more motivated because it's coming into fruition.

Avoid Distractions And Create Deadlines

The fourth habit is to avoid distractions and plan out deadlines. Easier said than done I know, but just hear me out. What's more important? Checking your Instagram first thing in the morning or protecting your freshly woken mind? I'm hoping you chose the second because IG can friggen wait. There's nothing going on that's more important than your morning mental clarity. A brand new brain full of nothing that doesn't need to be stimulated yet. Allow yourself this time to think positive thoughts, enjoy the smell of coffee, and listen to some morning coffee shop music. Set yourself up for success.

Imagine opening your social media first thing in the morning. It's a giant picture of someplace getting bombed or a post about another thing that's wrong with our political world? It’s so chaotic, do you really want that to be the first image you see in the morning?

Avoid distractions for as long as you can. Set a time for when you will allow yourself to aimlessly browse. Set a timer if you have to. When I'm checking my email I set a 30-minute timer. The same goes when responding to direct messages, posting, and so on. I don't allow myself to be consumed for too long at any given time. I share, engage, comment, and move on. 

Planning out deadlines can be a little stressful. If that's the case, you need to break down your deadlines even more. Let's say I have a birthday to plan 6 months from now. How can I break this down to smaller goals so that I don't have a ton going on at once? Maybe I can book a place and give myself a deadline. Let's say the deadline is Sunday, now how do I break down booking a place even more? I can write down all the venues I'd like to use, price points, location, capacity, and music options on Monday. Next, I can call one venue from my list a day, settling on the one I like by Saturday. Then I hit my deadline for Sunday with the place booked.

Do you see how much easier that was? I didn't do it ALL in one day. I took my time, made sensible decisions, asked the right questions, and ultimately booked a place that I loved. Think of your bigger goals and break them down. Dissect them into smaller, way smaller goals that you can hit daily. Another example would be when I create an online course, I do this 3-6 months in advance. I first write my curriculum, then break down my curriculum into modules, then submodules, and so on. Small goals, equals big results.

Celebrate these small goals along the way. They keep things exciting and will help you you to keep pushing to get them done. When I finish creating my emails for six months I feel so accomplished. You bet I drink to that! It's one step closer to where I need to go, no small win is ever overlooked. 

Be Grateful, Giving, And Aware Of What Others Need

This next one is more of a life value than it is a habit. It's what allows me to enjoy my life and business wholeheartedly. When I sat down and looked at my values and beliefs, this was one of the main things I knew was the focus of who and what I wanted to be as a person. That is to be grateful, giving, and aware of what others need to succeed. I appreciate every small gesture, tiny bit of advice, gift, and let's be real, snacks that were given to me. I do not take this lightly. Where I'm from, you appreciate it, even if you are eating dirt for dinner.

Being appreciative and grateful can change your life. It makes you appreciate what you have rather than what you don’t have. It is the single most powerful source of inspiration that any person can tap into. Simply just stop and pay attention to the simplistic beauty that is life. I can honestly do an entire podcast about why gratitude is so important.

One of the reasons why gratitude is life-changing is because it shifts your focus. Whatever we focus on, we move towards. If you live in a state of lack and negativity, you will see more of that. It’s easier to see the negative, the problems, and issues within a situation when your thinking is geared towards that. However, with practice, it gets easier to see in a positive light, even when problems arise. A truly positive person always sees the positive even when something goes wrong. There is always a silver lining in their eyes. Stating that there will always be good that will come from a negative situation. Having gratitude can change your life, it breathes positivity into everything you’re doing.

Giving and being aware of others struggles and desires allows you to provide people with what they need. This is something that doesn't come easily to everyone. If you can harness it, you're golden. Let’s say you are eating out, your water is almost empty. The server comes around to fill it without you even having to ask. How does that make you feel? Maybe nothing, but what about if your glass is already empty. What if you have to flag someone down for more water, then how are you feeling? Pretty annoyed right? Maybe not right away, but it happens throughout the entire experience. You leave thirsty, irritated, and kind of want to log onto your yelp.

The person that filled your water EVEN though it was only half full is aware of your struggles, desires. They are serving you water without you even having to ask. This is something that is important to note because that's the spot. The spot where you understand what you need to make someone's life better and ultimately keep their glass full. They didn't even know they needed the thing until you said they needed the thing. Then you provided them with the thing that made them say WOW. Maybe it's all my years in the service industry, but knowing what people need before they even know they need it, is a superpower. 

Take Big Risks

Last of the habits that maximize motivation and great achievement is to learn how to say bye to your comfort zone. Instead, say hello to big risk-taking. When I first started my business, I was extremely afraid. So many things were running through my mind. What if this and what if that. What if someone hates my tea, chokes, has a reaction, or I get a bad review. The possibilities were endless. I needed to shift from that person to a person that took the risks. I needed to throw in bright colors even if it wasn't trending, and to just go with my gut. Somewhere, it just clicks. You want to make bold moves and you don't care about failing because you know that you will fail. You accept that and it's ok.

Higher risks will always have higher failure but you take action. SO In order to turn my passions into actions, I needed to take these risks. I understood that I had to be openly ambitious even if people call me crazy, delusions,  or even unrealistic. You find it gets easier the more you start to do it.

Though we want to avoid any type of struggle, being extraordinary and reaching your goals means learning to face great challenges with a smile. It's about having the right perspective. Rather than complaining about life being difficult, you see new challenges as an opportunity to grow. Don't be average. Once you get over that, you find that there are a lot of people out there waiting to help you turn your dreams into reality. 

Recap: Habits That Maximize Motivation And Great Achievement 

1: Have a clear purpose in life

2:  Be mentally and physically fit

3: Use inner and outer expectations to stay motivated with goals

4: Avoid distractions and create deadlines

5: Be grateful, giving, and aware of what others need even before they know it

6: Take big risks

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