Sometimes you don’t finish or even get started because you don’t know exactly what you want, where to begin or believe in yourself. Then there are times when your mood or feelings about other things prevent you from proceeding, it kills your motivation.

Motivation is vital if you want to excel. This element comes from within, you have to get yourself going. No one else is going to be able to influence you if you are resistant, so you have to know how to motivate yourself. Learn how to establish and keep momentum during tough times. You are the driving force to get yourself out of a rut, others can help but ultimately you hold the power. If you don’t learn how to trek on during hard times, you will have lost before you’ve even begun.

At times, motivation is temporary or completely nonexistent. You may have been excited to start something, may be even did a few things then stopped after a while. Only a small few see most things, from start to finish, through regardless of the circumstance.

Here are some tips to getting motivated:

Prioritize and Focus – Sometimes my lack of motivation comes from feeling overwhelmed. It just seems like too many things are going on at once and I feel discouraged when I try to figure out how to juggle them all. In an effort not to disappoint, we often bite off more than we can chew. End the end, your stress levels are through the roof and the quality of the outcome just isn’t there. When you try to throw all the balls in the air a once, you’re bound to drop a few. Instead you need to figure out what is most important and focus on that goal. Once that is completed move on to the next.

This sounds obvious, but most people don’t think about it much: if you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal. But how can you do that when you don’t feel motivated? Well, it starts with inspiration from others (see above), but you have to take that excitement and build on it. For me, I’ve learned that by talking to my wife about it, and to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head), I get excited about a goal. Once I’ve done that, it’s just a matter of carrying that energy forward and keeping it going. Visualize, and think about how you would feel after achieving your goal.

Feel it – When most people feel depressed they just ride the feeling out. They don’t try to snap out of it. Yes, it is good to let your emotions out instead of bottling them up, but don’t let them take over your life. Have your feelings then realign your focus, place it on other feelings. Like your feelings about your goal. To become motivated you need to ignite it. Use visualization and other forms of inspiration to release your feelings about your goals. Think of what it would be like or how it would feel to have it completed. Take that excited, happy feeling and run with it.

Always keep it in your mind – The more you positively think about something, the better the chance it will become a reality. Keep your goal at the forefront of your mind. When I want something and I’m mobile, I save a picture of it in my phone and refer to it as needed. Post pictures where you’ll see them daily, if you’re always on your computer put up inspirational wallpaper, use affirmations. Make a plan to take a small step every day to bring you closer to accomplishment. These little reminders and actions speak to your motivation. Don’t get frustrated with the fact that it isn’t a reality yet, continue to focus on how to will feel when it is.

Find Support – If your goal involves change, as many do, it can be hard to go alone. Changing habit or other parts of ourselves for the better can seem impossible. Especially if you’re surrounded by people who do or encourage the very thing that you are working against. Find someone or a community of like-minded individuals, you don’t have to have the exact same goal but maybe the same struggle. You may even connect with someone who has already been down that path and can lend their insight.

Focus on the good, not the bad – Cultural conditioning teaches us to be critical and judgmental, focusing on the negative. Don’t think about the difficulties, acknowledge them so that you can plan accordingly but don’t focus on it. That would be the simplest way to destroy your motivation. Focus on the outcome and how it would benefit you. If you’re looking for a job, instead of focusing on the repetitive application and interview process think about what the job will bring you when you get it, financial stability and career growth perhaps. Directing your energy on why you want it and how it will help you will motivate you to obtain it.