We are drawing close to the new year and you know what that brings—New Year’s resolutions. Many of us have new goals and priorities and things we really hope to achieve during this fresh new year. So what is the problem? Motivation poisons. Beware of these motivation poisons that can bring you down and keep you from being the person you want to be this new year.
1. Naysayers holding you back.
These are people who do not want to see you succeed with your new goals and will tell you so. It is likely that they are just jealous of your ambition, so do not let them get you down.
2. Negative thoughts keeping you down.
The brain is a funny thing in that negative thoughts can actually prevent us from completing a goal. These motivation poisons of the brain are probably not even true. Just keep telling yourself that it is mind over matter and push on forward.
3. Not setting proper goals.
It is great to have lofty goals, but the biggest obstacle is nailing down an exact plan on how to achieve them. This involves coming up with concrete steps to move you towards your aspirations.
See One of the Best Goal Setting Exercises here.
4. Having a lack of preparation.
Along with not setting proper goals, sometimes you truly are not prepared enough. If you have a dream of becoming a lawyer, do some research. What are the best schools? How long does it take? How much money will you spend? Being prepared will ensure you have less hiccups along the way.
5. Expecting perfection from yourself.
Humans are not perfect and that is just the way it is. Expecting yourself to never make mistakes or backtrack on your goals is silly. Once you experience these setbacks, cut yourself some slack and remind yourself that no one is perfect.
6. Falling into the comparison trap.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
What he meant was, if you compare yourself to others, you will never be happy. Try instead comparing yourself to your past self. You might be surprised at how much you have grown and improved over the years. Use this as a reminder that you are capable of changing to push you forward in your dreams.
7. Doing too much at once.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Look at your resolutions in the same way. Map out baby steps so that you do not overwhelm yourself.
8. Feeling that you are not worthy of great things.
We all are worthy of our dreams. Just because they seem big and far off should not prevent you from trying. Do not let your low self-worth hold you back from the things you are capable of!
9. Making excuses.
Listen, we could all probably come up with an excuse not to do anything in this life, whether it be reasons why you should not go to the store today or reasons why you should not pursue that promotion. Excuses really are the easiest motivation poisons we can inflict on ourselves, so resist the temptation, be bold and press forward.
10. Setting too many goals.
How long is that New Year’s resolutions list? Be honest with yourself and decide which goals you have your heart set on and those you can do without. Once the list becomes too long, our brain becomes far too burdened and you might find yourself frozen, unable to decide which goal to work on first. By making our list an achievable one, we can really visualize a positive outcome.
Motivation poisons can come at us from many different angles, so it is best to be prepared. Use this list as a reminder of how to fight back against the naysayers, negative thoughts, excuses and more.
