Did you make some resolutions for the new year that seem to have fallen by the wayside? Or, do you have some big plans for this year, but need some help staying motivated? No matter what goals you have, motivation can undoubtedly help you achieve success.

But motivation can seem to ebb and flow like the tides. Some days you feel completely motivated and ready to tackle the tasks. Other days, you may be prepared to scrap the whole thing. Don’t get discouraged! Use these tips to help keep you motivated and heading down the path to success – no matter what your goal.

• Know Why You’re Doing It: One of the biggest mistakes that people make is setting a goal without knowing why they’re doing it. Is the goal related to your health? Is it to improve your financial situation? Is it to improve a relationship with someone? Make sure you know “why” you want to achieve your goal.
• Set a Clear Goal: Then make sure your goal is clear. While the goal of “improve my finances” is great, you want to make sure it’s specific enough to be able to show marked signs of success along the way. Do you want to make a certain dollar amount? Is there a specific debt you want to pay off?  
• Create a Plan and Write It Down: Now it’s time to put a plan into play. Define the steps you think you will need to follow to achieve your goal. And write them down! Seeing them in writing can help keep you motivated. 
• Stay Positive: It can be easy to get discouraged along the path to success, but don’t let it happen. Stay positive. A positive mental attitude can go a long way to keep your motivation high.
• Break Tasks Down into Manageable Parts: Does your goal seem overwhelming? Do the steps to your plan seem like way too much? Then you need to break it down some more. When you have manageable tasks that can help you obtain your goal, completing these tasks can set you up for mini-boosts of motivation as you see yourself working the plan.
• Don’t Procrastinate: Procrastination can be a problem for many people. That tendency to put things off until tomorrow, next week, or next month means you are delaying making progress on your goal. That old saying, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today,” by Benjamin Franklin holds true for maintaining your motivation.
• Get Rid of Distractions: Are you surrounded by distractions that keep you from reaching your goal? Then get rid of them. This could be as simple as cleaning clutter or as difficult as distancing yourself from people who don’t support you.
• Modify and Adjust: The path to reaching your goal may not go as planned, and that can be demotivating. But if you find that things are not going according to plan, don’t give up. This is the time to modify and adjust your goal. Take a look at your goal and see if it can be obtained, or does it (your goal) or the plan to reach it need to be adjusted.
• Visualize Success: Visualizing success is a powerful tool. Think about what successfully achieving your goal would mean for you and do for you – and use that as motivation.
• Reward Yourself: There’s nothing wrong with rewarding yourself along the way. Small rewards as you reach certain steps along the way can help spur you on to the finish line. 

Don’t let your motivation slip away this year when it comes to reaching your goals. Use these tips to stay on track – and success will soon be yours!