Motivation is what drives us to reach a goal. The motivation force can be either positive or negative. But once it becomes personal, it is more likely to result in a favorable outcome.

Instead of long to-do lists, I offer one key guideline to help you get and stay motivated - ensure that the goal means something to you. If you want to lose weight, and your body will be the beneficiary, you can motivate yourself to do it. If you really want to complete writing your life's memoirs, and the outcome is important to you, you will do it. And, if you really want to run a marathon (it's something that is on your bucket list), then you can train for it and complete the race. But, you really have to want it!

Many of us say we want to do something, but when faced with doing it, we manage more excuses than positive actions. That's why diets come and go. If the average dieter summed up all of his life's weight losses, it would probably be double his current weight. The reason being, he was motivated to lose, but not to maintain the loss.

So, when you need motivation, figure out how you can make the goal more personal. If your boss really wants that dreadful report by Friday, think about how you could challenge yourself to write the report in record time (personal best) or write it sans passive sentences. Spin the task so you own it, not your boss or someone else.

And now I would like to invite you to claim your free access to my special report "Motivation Keys" by going to http://www.motivationkeys.com

From Anthony D. Carter - a leading expert on motivation.