Changing times

Times have changed and we certainly live in an era where we have dozens of options to choose from on a daily basis. We decide how we spend our time, time that is much more complicated than it once was. Nowadays, we find the need to make goals so that we are sure to stay on track when it comes to the bigger plans that we have for how we want our lives to play out. Goals are necessary stepping stones to get us to where we want to be. Motivation to climb those stepping stones even when the road is steep is more important now because there are so many options to simply abandon the goal for a simpler, albeit less fulfilling, alternative.

Motivation, goals, and perseverance

Motivation and goals ought also to be paired with the term perseverance. Perseverance is the ability that we all have to endure through the hard times to remain motivated to accomplish a goal that we set out to achieve. We base our needs for motivation not only on the goal that we have set for ourselves, but also on the perceived level of difficulty involved in attaining that goal. The more perseverance or effort that we perceive is necessary, the greater the motivation we will need.

The many faces of motivation

Motivation comes in many different forms. While ultimately motivation is the result of an inner commitment to accomplish a goal, motivation can be acquired from a number of different external influences. Some people are motivated by money, others are motivated by the desire to please loved ones, other people are motivated by desires of a religious sort. It is also interesting to note that motivation is present both before and after a goal is set. Most goals begin out of one's motivation to get something done. That initial motivation is then used to carry the individual through their growth process until the goal is accomplished.

You can't have one without the other

The failure to be motivated almost inevitable dictates the demise of goal accomplishment. Once motivation to do something is gone, so too is the goal. One simply cannot exist without the other. Just as we can train our minds to motivate us towards success, we can motivate ourselves to follow a less productive mental pathway. We can actually train our minds for failure. Naturally, when we make goals we do not have the intention of failing on our minds. Motivation is naturally and obviously part of the equation, perhaps this is why its connection to goals (both setting and achieving them) is not as obvious as it should be.

Goals and their role in motivation are strongly tied together and ought to be thought of as two necessary components to the goal making process. Too often, we realize our mistakes in forgetting to motivate ourselves only after a goal has not been met, or after having been faced with opposition that weakens our resolve to accomplish a worthwhile goal.