A short motivational talk by Brian Tracy outlining five practical keys to self-motivation and success: 1) clear written goals you work on daily; 2) measurable standards to track progress; 3) deliberately creating success experiences; 4) public or interpersonal recognition; and 5) tangible rewards (self-provided if necessary). The piece ends with a brief exercise asking the listener to pick one important goal and a reward to visualize and pursue, and a teaser about developing a powerful personality in the next segment.
Chapters
Did you know that you could become completely self motivated by structuring your life in a special way? In success psychology, they find that there are five keys to high levels of motivation. First, you must have clear written goals that you are working toward achieving every single day. You have to have a target to aim at if you want to be successful. Second, you must have standards and measures that tell you exactly how much progress you're making toward your goals. This is why in marathons they have markers at every mile and half mile to keep the runners motivated for the long race. They always know how well they are doing and how far they have come relative to the goal or the finish line. Third, to keep yourself motivated, you must have success experiences. You must actually complete a task or achieve a goal for you to feel successful. Jobs that have no clear beginning or end cause people to become negative and discouraged. Very much like government jobs, which are circular and can never be completed. They're bureaucratic in nature. Fourth, to be motivated, you must have recognition of some kind. Someone must acknowledge that you have done a good job, either your boss or your spouse or someone else. This is why most world records are set in front of large cheering audiences. The more people who are cheering and recognizing a success experience, the more motivated people are to perform at their best or even better. The fifth requirement for success and motivation is rewards of some kind. The reward can be a trophy, a plaque, a ribbon, or something to hang on the wall. But the best rewards are financial and material. They consist of money or things. Here's the Even if someone else does not provide this type of reward for you, you can provide it for yourself. You can give yourself a reward or a series of rewards as you move toward your goals. You can take yourself and your spouse out to dinner or to a movie when you complete a task or part of a task. If you enjoy a big success, you can give yourself a vacation or buy yourself new clothes or a car. In any case, before you begin working toward a big goal, you should determine the reward you're going to give yourself when you achieve that goal. This will motivate you 24 hours a day, day and night, and make you feel like a real winner when you finally achieve the goal. Now, here's an exercise for you. Select one goal or task that is important to you and decide upon a reward that you're going to give yourself when you when you achieve it. From now on, think about that reward day and night until you succeed. In the next motivational moment, you will learn how to develop a powerful personality.
