What is motivation?
There is no universal definition of what motivation is, yet all of us intrinsically know what it is.  If you speak to people on the street and ask them what they think motivation is, you'll likely get responses like “it’s what drives you” or “it’s what pushes you” or “it’s what gives us the strength to get things done” or “it’s your fire inside.”  All these are perfect definitions; however, my favorite definition is “a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal.”

Motivation is key
Without motivation, your chances of achieving success are slim.  Without motivation, you won’t be able to conquer the many challenges that will confront you on your wealth creation journey.  Motivation will give you the energy and drive to climb the mountain of financial freedom.It will pick you up when you get knocked down.  It will lift you over the many barriers that you will encounter along the way.  Motivation will give you that “never give up” attitude.

Two of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous quotes are “I’ll be back” and “Hasta la vista, baby.”  It’s easy to forget the man behind the movie persona.  He won the Mr. Universe title four times; he’s the only person to win Mr. Olympia seven times; he’s one of Hollywood’s biggest stars; he’s a very successful property investor; and in 2003, he became the Governor of California.  What makes a person excel like this?  Well, in his own words, “…the last three or four reps is what makes the muscle grow.   This area of pain divides the champion from someone else who is not a champion.  That's what most people lack, having the guts to go on and just say they'll go through the pain no matter what happens.”

If you’re lacking motivation, how do you get it?  If you lose your motivation along the way, how do you get it back?  Well, the good news is that motivation is a two-way street.  Although you can lose motivation; you can also get it back.

Becoming and staying motivated
We are all unique.  What highly motivates one person won’t necessarily have the same impact on another person.  The steps listed below will help you become and stay motivated:

Step 1  Have a vision, mission and plan with clear goals - Your vision is your endpoint.  It’s your key reason for taking this journey.  Knowing where your target is will help you be inspired and stay on the journey.  Your mission statement is short-term, clear and focused.It’s your “mission!”  It’s big enough to inspire and challenge you but small enough to be achievable in the short term.  Your vision and mission form the grand design of your plan.

Your plan will show you the way and give you a timeline.  It gives you direction.  Your plan contains and prioritizes your goals so you don’t get overwhelmed.  Your plan and goals give you step-by-step, day-by-day focus with clear timeframes and deadlines.

Step 2  Small regular successes - small manageable daily goals, at least at the beginning, will ensure success and confidence.  The higher your confidence, the higher your excitement and motivation for more success.  Just like small trickling streams quickly turn into a gushing river, many small, quick successes quickly total up to a large success.