1. Figure out what really motivates you.

Everyone is motivated by different things. Our different personalities and our different situations in life mean that we are moved by different things, we desire different things, and we go after things in different ways.

The key to effectively motivating yourself is knowing what really motivates you. Think about the goals that you have really gone after. Ask yourself these questions:
? What is important to me?
? What has been important to me?
? What have I really tried to achieve?
? How did I achieve it?
? Why did I want it?

The answers to these questions can help you determine what it is in life that really moves you to action, which is what motivation is. It might be your family, it might be other people, it might be some internal drive to be the best, it might be a physical, concrete reward. Whatever it is, you need to incorporate it into your goal-making and your goal-achieving. Otherwise you won't be driven to achieve your goals.

2. Assess your current situation.

Look long and hard at where you are now. If you want to get motivated to clean your house, look carefully at what needs to be done. Then look carefully at your cleaning habits. What types of things do you put off? What do you like to do? What is your organizational style? Where do you pile things or put things to look at later?

Here's another example: what you eat. Look carefully at the foods that you turn to when you want a snack. Do you eat for comfort? Do you eat out of boredom? What is in your refrigerator? Is it full of vegetables, or do you prefer frozen TV dinners?

Looking carefully at where you are now can help you see what you need to change to get where you want to be.

3. Decide where you want to be.

Now that you know where you are, where do you want to go? Realistically, where do you want to be in a certain amount of time? Do you want to be a regional manager? Do you want to lose 5 pounds? Do you want your blood pressure to be a certain level? Do you want a retirement account of a certain amount?

4. Make realistic goals.

You know where you are, you know where you need to go. This is where you figure out how to get from point A to point B. This is also the place where people make the biggest mistakes.

Don't be overly optimistic. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't be setting goals! Instead, set realistic ones. If you never exercise, you aren't going to be running three miles a day. Instead, start by walking for 20 minutes every other day. If your savings account is $25, you aren't going to be saving $2000 a month starting this month. Work up to your desired savings amount.

As you achieve these goals, you can set new ones that will get you closer to your bigger goals. But work up to those bigger goals. You won't achieve them overnight.

5. Give yourself challenges.

One of the best motivators is an actual physical challenge. Instead of just saying that you're going to start running, decide that you are going to participate in the local 5K that is held in 6 months. Instead of saying that you are going to clean the house more, set a goal for a deep cleaned house-every area-in one month. Decide that when you reach a particular goal, you will reward yourself with something. That something should be your challenge.