Motivation requires a target. It's hard to get motivated when your goals are vague, undefined, and as a result, impossible to achieve.  You will be more motivated if you define your goals and break them down into smaller goals that you can take bites out of accomplishing on a regular basis. Make sure your smaller goals are still meaningful to you and be sure to break them down into things you can actually accomplish – otherwise your motivation will tank.  For example, if you are struggling with motivation to get into law school, remember that this goal is the overall goal. However, to keep motivated, you will benefit by further breaking this large goal down into objectives (actions you can take) and tasks (specific, small things to do) to accomplish it. So, if your goal is to apply and get into law school, objectives could be taking the LSAT and selecting a list of schools to apply to. Breaking down “taking the LSAT” further could include tasks such as researching LSAT prep-books, looking up the costs of taking the LSAT, and locations to take the LSAT. An example of a task you might set to select a list of schools to apply to would be figuring out the best criteria to use to select schools (e.g., is location an important factor for you? Prestige of the school?). Hang a paper consisting of all the goals of your life. Before going to bed and in early morning read that paper and be motivated by your goals. Figure out which goals are most important to you. Which goals would you be the most motivated to accomplish first? Think realistically about whether each goal is attainable based on your current time, financial, and other resources. Sometimes one goal needs to be accomplished before it makes sense to begin another goal (i.e., goals sometimes build on each other). Focusing on improving one or two areas will help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed – being overwhelmed can kill your motivation. When you feel overwhelmed, you may be tempted to abandon pursuing your goals because you think they can’t be achieved.  In some cases, some goals are necessary to learn before you can tackle the others. Since the LSAT is required to attend law school, you need to study for and take it before you can apply. Begin with a goal that is easily attainable so you can have an early success that will keep you motivated as you go forward. Once you have organized your goals by importance, choose the first two or three most important goals and create a to-do list of daily tasks or objectives that will help you to accomplish, over time, these broader goals. An example of an objective would be to study 1 chapter of an LSAT prep book.  Make sure that you don’t pursue too many objectives at once, or your goals will come into conflict as they compete for your time, and you may end up being less motivated and less productive.   Break your objectives down into smaller tasks. A task is a small, specific thing that you can do to achieve your objective. For example, a task could be to study your LSAT book for 1 hour a day, or to study 10 pages a day of 1 chapter of your LSAT prep book. To stay motivated, keep a written list of your daily tasks and cross them off each day that you finish. This will remind you that you are being productive; it feels good, too. Repeat this process until you feel that you have mastered the objective, and replace it with another. For example, each time you study your LSAT book for the day, cross it off your list of daily tasks. When you've finished the chapter, move on to the next one.

Summary: Create a list of goals. Organize your goals. Make a list of actionable objectives. Accomplish your objectives.


They say your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your latitude. In other words, how high or far you go in life is strongly connected to how you choose to look at life, situations, and people. Adopting a positive attitude can actually improve your physical and mental health as well as your longevity. Optimism can be yours if you only change what you are telling yourself. In an effort to  think more positive thoughts, you must become aware of your negative self-talk.  Grab a sheet of paper and fold it in half sideways. On the left side, write down every self-limiting and negative belief that comes to your mind. These might include “My life is horrible” or “I will never find someone to love”. Over the course of several days, “listen” to your thoughts. Notice those that make you feel badly or particularly negative and add them to the list. Negative beliefs may have the power to drain you of hope. But, when you put a magnifying glass up to these beliefs, you may realize they aren’t very rational. For each self-defeating belief on your paper, ask yourself aloud these questions to dispute them:  Can I rationally support this belief? Since you cannot predict the future, you cannot rationally say you will never find someone to love. What evidence exists that this belief is false? Have you ever loved someone in the past? Does any evidence exist that this belief is true? Again, you cannot predict the future. What are the worst things that could actually happen if this “bad” situation occurred? If this happened, you would be alone. What good things could happen if this “bad” situation occurred? You could potentially learn to love yourself more and live out your passions. Affirmations are positive and helpful statements describing a desired goal that are repeated to leave an impression on the subconscious mind. Grab your folded paper, and, on the right side, write down an affirmation that transforms those negative, self-limiting beliefs into positive, transformative beliefs. Repeat these statements regularly.  “My life is horrible” is transformed into “My life seems bad right now, but the tough times are making me stronger” ”I will never find someone to love” is transformed into “Right now I'm feeling lonely, but it won't always be this way.” A mindset of thankfulness can help you to develop a more positive outlook. Rather than dwelling on your burdens, focus on your blessings. Grateful people are have better physical health, enhanced psychological health, increased levels of empathy and decreased aggression, sleep better, have higher self-esteem, and more likely to build new friendships. Show more gratitude by:  Writing it down.  Start a gratitude journal. Tell others when you appreciate them. Meditate and focus on a spirit of thankfulness. Sometimes, we get completely caught up in the crises of our lives. Getting "caught up" can prevent us from looking at a situation objectively, and, thereby, finding a workable solution. Instead, we just get lost in the drama of it. Take a step back and observe your life from the lens of an outsider. Imagine that something happening to you is actually happening to a coworker or a close friend. How would you advise that person to handle the situation? Do you notice any negative thinking or unrealistic expectations?
Summary: Recognize the power of optimism, and choose it. Identify negative thinking. Challenge unhelpful thoughts. Create positive affirmations. Practice gratitude. Shift your perspective.