2. “An easy to follow guide, with down-to-earth practical advice on how to achieve and realise your
goals.”
“There are parts in this book I would never have considered. Some of it seems so obvious once you
read it, followed by the usual head slap, and why didn’t I think of that routine!”
“Kick Ass Motivation is an incredibly inspiring book, that has made me realise that even my
smallest goals are worth following and has left me fired up and raring to go; my only wish is that
this book had been available years ago.”
“Adams gives sound advice, delivered in a friendly and sympathetic manner. He takes you step-by-
step, from deciding what you want, the various stages of planning, strategies for overcoming
obstacles, rewarding your achievements as you go and sharing your success with others.”
“There is some fantastic advice in Kick Ass Motivation, that has already helped to re-organise
some of my plans and motivate myself to get going again on an old project.”
“Great advice, really helped me to get out of a rut”
“this book has some amazing advice, which I have been able to apply to several areas of my hectic
life, and it has helped me to start tackling my bigger plans.”
“This grounded book will arm you with enough information to get your goals into gear.”
“A practical and helpful guide to setting and planning your goals. Tactics for dealing with things
before they go wrong, how to keep focussed on the tasks in hand and enjoying your success.”
“I lent my kindle to my teenage son, and told him to read this book. I have noticed a positive
improvement in his behavior, and things seem to be turning around.”
3. Highly Recommended
The Ultimate Power
Elusive Assets: Goals & Motivation
Smart Goal Setting Software
Weight Loss Motivation Bible
6. Table of Contents
1. Motivation
2. Getting Excited
3. Dreaming Big
4. Visualisation
5. Pen Power!
6. Spread the Word
7. An Optimistic Outlook
8. Leaving Your Comfort Zone
9. Groups
10. Find a Mentor
11. Live in the Moment
12. Goal Strategies
13. Rewarding Yourself
14. Liven Things Up
15. Relax!
16. Improve Your Environment
17. The Power of Exercise
18. Mini Motivators
19. That's a Wrap!
7. 1. Motivation
Deciding what you want, how you are going to get it and then maintaining motivation, so that you
actually achieve it, can be a frustrating process. This book examines how to get excited about your
goals and how to stay motivated over time when you encounter obstacles.
We begin, by working out what it is that you actually want, before moving on to look at various
motivation techniques, as well as how to plan your journey and how to actually enjoy the journey,
as well as the success at the end of it.
With practical advice on planning, journaling, and keeping track of your goals, as well as looking at
how lifestyle choices can have a big effect on your motivation. Each article takes you through the
theory of motivation and success, giving you advice you can follow easily, no matter what it is that
you are aiming for.
8. 2. Getting Excited
If you have plans, are you excited about them? If you don’t have plans for the future, do you feel
the lack of excitement in your life? Being excited about the future, your goals, ambitions and
dreams is one of the great pleasures of being human, and there are times in our lives when this
excitement is overwhelmingly intense. These are the times when things happen.
In order to make events happen in our lives, we have to get excited and get motivated. Excitement,
motivation, determination… all these feelings make the obstacles in our way seem smaller and
make sure that our goals are always in sight. Maintaining this excitement, can make it so much
easier to stay positive and thereby get what we want.
So, if your plans are in difficulty, at a standstill (or even non-existent), how can you get excited?
Well, the first stage is working out exactly what you want and why you want it; redefining your
ambitions and allowing yourself to dream, to get excited and put aside negative thoughts.
Knowing What You Want
There are those of us who know exactly what we want out of life and those of us who aren’t quite
sure. Not knowing what you want, doesn’t mean you are apathetic, or unable to achieve, it simply
means you have a little groundwork to do before you begin to get excited and motivated about
getting there.
Even when we think we know what we want, all too often we don’t feel fulfilled when we get it.
Fortunately, there are things we can all do to get our true desires clear in our minds so we can
progress and finally get what we really want.
Get Specific!
When you ask someone what it is they want out of life, they often give you a perfectly reasonable,
but very vague answer. The usual response is: “I want to be happy." Isn’t that what we all want?
The problem arises, when you ask them how they are going to get that elusive happiness.
If you are going to stock up on groceries, you write a shopping list. A shopping list with the word
“food” on it simply isn’t specific enough to be of any use; you would end up wandering around the
supermarket, unsure of whether you are buying what you need.
A proper shopping list, with everything you need written down, enables you to get what you need,
faster and more easily. It is the same when you are living your life and working out what you want-
your ‘shopping list’ for life. Simply saying that you want to be happy, healthy or wealthy isn’t
enough. You have to get specific, and that means figuring out what you really want and how you
want to achieve it. Remember also that there is no point in chasing an ambition if you don’t enjoy
the journey.
Tragically, many people pursue a goal such as wealth, by doing something they don’t enjoy. The
result is an unhappy person, doing things they don’t want to do, in the hope that one day, they will
have what they want. We all need to balance realistic expectations, hopes and dreams and a
practical approach in order to get what we want.
9. Working Out What You Want
This part of the process might be easier than you think. If you don’t already know what you want,
then you need to ask yourself. This might sound overly simple, but often we have the answers
already locked away in our subconscious minds and all we have to do is access this information.
There are different ways of doing this, and they all involve giving yourself the time and freedom
you need to discover your true goals. Allow yourself quiet time in which you can focus on your
feelings and your ambitions. Try not to judge any ideas that come forward.
If you have been repressing a desire for a long time and suddenly that desire comes back to you,
then don’t send it away again! Don’t tell yourself that the idea won’t work, or that it is foolish…
take everything on board and write it all down, so that you can look at everything with fresh eyes
later and come to some decisions about what you want to achieve and how you are going to get it.
Allow yourself to think ‘silly’ thoughts, don’t curb your creativity, let it all out and know that you
can sort through it all later. Sometimes the thoughts that you initially push away, are the seeds of
great achievements, so have confidence in your dreams.
Asking Why
In much the same way that young children love to ask why repeatedly, you need to ask yourself
why you want the things you want. Making sure that your reasons are strong enough to carry you to
your goal, is really important. So, for every desire, every idea and every goal, make a list of the
reasons why you want it and ask yourself:
Are these healthy, positive reasons?
Are they strong enough to keep you motivated?
Are any of them petty, or likely to change before you reach the goal?
The most important part of this essential process, is being honest with yourself. It is okay to admit
that, for example, you want something for your own vanity; everything you feel is perfectly
acceptable and normal.
Next, you must ask yourself, if your vanity is important enough, that you will still feel as passionate
about achieving that goal in the future. For some people, the answer will be no, and suddenly that
goal begins to look unimportant. For others, the answer is yes and the desire is reinforced. This part
of deciding what you want, comes down to your individual feelings and beliefs about yourself. No-
one else can decide which goals and the reasons behind them, are worth the effort. No-one can
make these choices for you, but as long as you are honest with yourself and ask yourself ‘why', you
can be confident that you now know what you want.
Now you know what you desire, allow yourself to feel excited. So often, we are afraid to imagine
success, frightened to dream, or get excited about the future, in case we fail. Getting excited about
future plans, makes them less likely to fail, not more likely! Excitement, positivity and motivation
are some of the most important factors in success, so give yourself permission to enjoy these
feelings and know that they will carry you through the tough times, towards success.
10. Spend some time each day thinking about your goals and how achieving them would make your life
better, for an instant boost to your motivation.
11. 3. Dreaming Big
So many times as children and young people we are encouraged to dream big. Fairy tales, movies
and the people around us, give us the idea that we are capable of great things. They may also give
us the idea, that these things are easy to come by, but then, when we grow up a little and get a taste
of the reality of setting out to achieve our goals, we can feel somewhat betrayed. Others grow up
discouraged from dreaming, convinced that they should be content with their lot. Few of us are
lucky enough to enter adulthood with the right balance, of being able to dream and staying
grounded, yet this is exactly what we need in order to cultivate our ambition and then take a realistic
approach to reaching that ambition.
The Power of Dreaming Big
Why dream big? Well, to put it simply, no-one reaches a big goal, without first dreaming big. Let’s
look at an example:
If it is your goal to lose weight, then you set yourself an ideal weight to reach as a target. This way,
each pound you lose, is a step towards that ultimate goal, then as you get closer to that goal, your
motivation increases, thus counteracting your doubts and propelling you faster towards the goal. If
your goal had simply been to eat a little better, in the hope of losing weight, you are wandering
without a specific goal and the motivation can soon dwindle (especially when going past that
bakery window!).
Dreaming big, means focusing your sights on the horizon and with all your attention on where you
want to go, you are less likely to notice the obstacles. The more driven and motivated you are, the
more likely you are to succeed. If having a big goal to work towards, boosts your motivation, then
that large goal, that may seem unreachable now, will become a reality so much more easily. The real
power of dreaming big is reaching a bigger goal, quicker.
How to Dream Big
It all sounds so simple, but when it comes down to it, ‘dreaming big’ is one of those phrases, that
we use in an offhand kind of way, without really thinking about how we actually do it successfully.
To tap into your big dreams, use the following technique:
Write them down!
Every little goal and every big dream, should be written down. It is amazing how different a goal
appears when you write it down. Once written, you can divide these dreams, goals and ambitions,
into those that will be relatively easy to achieve and those that will require more work. Whether the
goal is organising your finances and can be achieved in an (albeit stressful) afternoon, or learning a
new language, which will take much longer, writing it down, can help you define what you want
and then move on to working out how you are going to achieve it.
You can use this technique to push your dreams a bit further… remember it is all about dreaming
big, so ask yourself: 'Why do I want to organise my finances? Wouldn’t it be even better if I could
12. reshuffle things, so that I save money as well?' Update your goal, push it further, so the new goal is
something you can get really excited about. Take it even further: work out what you want to do with
the money you save for example, and soon your motivation will be soaring.
Staying Grounded
Staying grounded is essential, so you don’t go chasing after dreams that are literally impossible, or
which are so difficult to achieve, that they require the exclusion of all else, so other aspects of your
life suffer.
Before you try to ground yourself in reality however, allow yourself to be silly. Include your most
'out-there ideas'; you can always make them more achievable later.
Writing down your craziest notions, means you can look at them objectively, and you might be
surprised to find that some of these ideas, aren’t as crazy as they first seemed.
Take this example: a childhood dream to go to the moon, to explore outer space. You can choose to
literally aim for the stars, save up and become an astronaut, if that is what you truly want (and ‘if’ is
the important word here), and you are prepared to sacrifice other things to achieve it. On the other
hand, you can ask yourself why you ever had that dream. What sparked it off? By identifying what
you wanted, when you conceived that dream, you can come up with new ways of achieving it. So,
instead of embarking on space training, you might realise that your passion for space could be
indulged, by sharing it with your children, or studying physics.
Dreaming big isn’t always about setting unreachable goals; it is often about making unreachable
goals, reachable, instead of dismissing them as impossible.
Staying grounded means you can keep your goals in perspective. Life is all about balance; being
obsessed with reaching a particular goal, to the exclusion of all else, can be very unhealthy and
damaging to other important aspects of your life. Make sure you keep your priorities in order so that
when you do achieve success, you can enjoy it.
Dreaming big is the key to success, but staying grounded is the key to happiness.
This is the end of the sample version of Kick Ass Motivation by Martin Adams. If you wish to
continue reading you can get the entire book from the Amazon Kindle Store, by clicking the link
below:
Kick Ass Motivation: Powerful Motivation Secrets For Success
Don't have a Kindle? That's not a problem. You can download a free version of Kindle for PC, Mac,
smartphones or tablets from Amazon, by following this link:
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