How to build motivation for those important goals you are avoiding

We all have many goals and aspirations that we want to achieve. Some of these are ones that we define as our life purpose. Others are in the “good to have” category – goals we would like to achieve but would not regret it in case we don’t. And quite a few goals fall somewhere in between life purpose and “good to have”. Some goals are set in moments of motivation while others are part of our consciousness for reasons we may not be sure of. Just that the goal exists and that it is important to achieve it.

For some people when a goal is important enough to be defined as a life goal it gives them enough motivation to work on the goal until they get the result they desire.

For others, however, this becomes a challenging task. While knowing that the goal is important to them, they continue to push it on the back burner of there lives. Some do it visibly, by avoiding the goal altogether. They may have the time but not the motivation to work on those goals. Or they find reasons (or work) that keep them so involved that they never get round to the goal. They convince themselves that they are too busy to focus on that goal right now.

How would you know if you are avoiding an important goal?

Check if any of the below resonate with you.

1. The goal is on your mind all the time or at least hovering in the backdrop.
2. You feel the need to achieve these goals viscerally.
3. You define your level of success in life and /or self-worth by these goals.
4. Not achieving these goals it will leave you very dissatisfied with yourself or your life.
5. There are no significant external or internal reasons or circumstances stopping you from achieving the goal.

So why do you fail to find time on your schedule for your most important priorities? Is it because you lack motivation? And if it is lack of motivation why is that? After all the goal is important to you, so you should want to achieve it.

Things that stop you from working on your goals:

1. The goal seems too far away and hence not urgent enough to put in the effort now. This may be a valid reason except if left unattended time does tend to fly and before you know it you are closer to your deadline than you thought.
2. There is no defined timeline and there is nothing holding you accountable so you don’t really know when to start.
3. The task seems too big and overwhelming and it scares you to take on something so big. Maybe you doubt your ability or bandwidth to reach the goal or worry about the sheer amount of effort it will take to get there
4. There is a lack of clarity about how to proceed. You may have some idea of what you want to achieve but maybe very unclear on how and where to start.
5. There is a lack of clarity of the outcome. When you’re starting something new and not yet tried the outcome may just exist in your mind and not be very clear. Working on an unclear outcome can be confusing and at the same time stressful
6. Fear holds you back. This can manifest in many ways. It could be fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, fear of ridicule or fear of putting yourself out there.

How to find intrinsic motivation to achieve any goal

• Be clear on why you are doing what you are doing: Connect with your purpose. Why is this goal important to you and what will it do for you? Constantly remind your self why you want to achieve this goal.
• Set clear timelines: Define dates and set up time on your calendar to work on your goal. If required find an accountability partner to hold you to your timelines. Create time for the goal so that it stays in focus. Set reminders if needed.
• Break it down and start small: If the goal is big and complicated break it down into stages and milestone. It is okay if some of the milestones are unclear. Clarity will emerge as you move forward. Start with the smallest and most doable step for you today. It could be as simple as making a list or calling someone to ask for information. The key is to get started.
• Don’t expect to get it all right: Get into an exploratory mode and work from curiosity and a need to learn especially, if you are in uncharted territory. Be willing to fail. Be open to learning.
• Set clear outcomes for unclear tasks: Some task may simply be vague by nature. Define specific outcomes for such a task. What do you want to get out of that task? Instead of setting a task of reading a book set the goal as understanding the top 3 concepts in the book you read. Or instead of researching an industry set the goal to be able to articulate the top 3 trends in that industry. Having specific outcomes lets you know how much effort to put in and when to stop.
• Address your fears: Start by first acknowledging the fears and understanding what you need to do to address them. If you need professional support to seek it. Fear can often numb you and stop you from moving forward. On the other hand, when your mind has a strategy to deal with the fears it feels free to focus on the goal at hand.