Science Proves These Are the Most Effective Motivators

Discover how to get motivated and create a consistent drive for high performance.

You know that even if you set the right goal, create a great strategy, make a step-by-step plan, and are ready to work on this in the long term until you see results; ONE other factor seems to be the biggest obstacle at some point.

That’s motivation.

Without this burning desire to persevere, without having a strong mindset that keeps you going even when everything seems to be falling apart, that momentum and ambition that often make you look obsessed with your goals in the eyes of others – if you can’t get motivated, you can’t succeed.

Motivation is one of the most important steps to reaching any goal.

So when you’re preparing your plan and yourself for the journey, consider that too.

Let’s see what the top motivators are according to science, so you can skyrocket your success the next time you chase something big:

1) Being around high achievers and hard workers.

Environment affects you in more than one way.

The people you spend time with daily are a big part of it.

So instead of choosing average ones who aren’t ambitious or goal setters, it’s much better to surround yourself with anyone who’s making things happen, thinking big and aiming higher than the rest.

That will help you get motivated to do the same.

This is backed by science.

Although used to see how a virtual partner will increase people’s motivation to exercise, it applies to real life and people, too.

It’s worth making friends with people who can inspire you.

Find the most successful individuals in your surroundings, and be around them as much as possible.

2) Get motivated by using incentives.

In the workplace, incentive programs (i.e. managers encourage employees to do their best by offering them something in return, and thus motivate them to be more efficient and help reach the company goals sooner) work wonders.

In other words, every time you succeed, you are rewarded for your hard work.

A new study shows that incentives at work boost employee performance.

Some companies have become pretty creative with this and the results are amazing.

Here are some good examples:

• arriving at work whenever you want to,
• the option to work from home one day of the workweek,
• having a party if a monthly revenue goal is reached,
• more days off for those who get things done faster,
• earning recognition when landing a new client,
• receiving a bonus when being available during holidays, etc.

You can get motivated from this approach with your personal goals, too.

Use a point-based system to track your progress, for example, and plan a nice date or something you enjoy when a milestone is reached.

Or you may limit your expenses now, and only allow yourself to go shopping or order something in particular that you’ve been thinking about for a long time when you’ve been consistent with a goal or a new habit for at least two weeks.

3) Have competition.

In a world where the word ‘hustle’ is so popular, where everyone is comparing their life to the life of others, where social media is all about showing who’s enjoying life more, competition is still a good thing.

In fact, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that it’s even stronger than being supported by friends.

In their study, the group of people that was competition-motivated outperformed the rest.

Looking for additional motivation outside of family and friends?

Get motivated to work hard and long enough by finding competition and thus, challenging yourself.

4) Write it down and decide to succeed.

According to the British Journal of Health Psychology, more than 90 percent of the people involved in a research stuck to their intention after writing it down in details.

This group of people was the ‘intention group’.

What they were specifically asked to do in the beginning (we’re talking about fitness goals here again), was to write down ONE powerful sentence.

In it, they needed to state that they will work out regularly, but to also say when, how often, and where.

Turns out that specific details, especially when written down, are better internalized by the brain and turn into a decision we take that will keep us focused and motivated until we actually do what we need to.

Yes, tracking is powerful and it’s encouraged during the process of setting and going after your goals.

But to take this to the next level, have an intention to take specific actions and give it an estimated time frame.

Then, write it down.

Are you ready to get motivated today?

If you haven’t achieved any of your big goals in life up to this point, maybe one of these four findings will help you this time.

Innovation is important for personal development.

You simply cannot do the same old things you’ve always been doing and expect different results.

So now that you’ve got science-backed approaches you haven’t tried yet, things can finally take another direction.

Motivation is powerful.

It always comes from the inside and, in the end, you’re the one who’s responsible for how far you’ll get.

But there are also outer factors, like other people, environment, material stuff, that you can use to your advantage.

Knowing this, what’s the next thing you’ll try to get motivated at?