Two Tricks to Motivate Yourself Right Now

Motivation is a wonderful thing—when it works! But on low energy days, getting started is a large part of battle.

If you're looking at this and are in need of motivation, here is you're no-wasting-your-time, do-it-this-moment guide.

Trick #1: Create your own sense of urgency.

Let's face it: If you hit snooze, nobody really cares unless you show up so late at school or work that someone notices. But what if you promised yourself you do something extreme the next time you hit snooze? Your consequences could be positive or negative. Positive examples could include:

• Donate $50 to charity every day you oversleep.
• Donate a pair of your favorite shoes when you don't meet your deadline. (Helps someone else, but you will hate parting with your favs.)

Negative examples could include:

• No television or screen time until the next day when you do wake up without hitting snooze.
• Adding 20 extra minutes to your workout (or doing a 20 minute workout) for each time you hit snooze.

Whatever it takes, the goal is to set up a combination of rewards or punishments for yourself. You are basically "grounding" yourself as an adult for not completing the goals you set.

Two cautions to consider in this area:

1. Don't be too hard on yourself. (In other words, don't starve yourself for three days because you ate a cookie after promising yourself you would not.)
2. Don't be too easy on yourself. ("Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow.")

Try it and see what happens.

Here are a few motivational quotes to help:

Sometimes someday becomes never. Do it now.Success comes to those who go and get it.If there's a will, there's a way. And if there's not a way, break down a wall and create one.Your greatest limit is not your limit; it's what you think your limit is.In 100 years, what will you want people to remember about you? Do that today.

Trick #2: Go public with your goal.

Social pressure can be used for evil or for good. In this scenario, you basically share you will do something and tell the whole world about it. That way, you feel extremely obligated to complete the task. Why? If you don't, everyone will see and know you didn't reach your goal.

I once had the crazy idea of joining a run across the entire state of Tennessee. It was 314 miles (500 km) in the heat of July. As the race day neared, I really wanted to drop, but I had also set it up as a way to raise funds for the homeless.

I had told everyone about it. I couldn't quit without trying.

So I tried. And failed. I actually ran 116 miles before an injury left me without the ability to walk for three days. But the point is that I tried something I would have never otherwise attempted because I had told the world about it.

By the way, if you go for a major goal, give it your best shot, and don't make it, that's okay. You don't have to reach every goal. Failure is not final. It's giving it your best shot in life that counts. I'd rather fail in my attempt than sit at home and wonder, "What if?"

So now it's your turn. Don't let today go by without going all out. You don't have someone telling you what to do, so set your own deadline.

Create your own sense of urgency. Tell yourself it must be done, no matter what.

For some goals, just tell the world—your friends, family, the internet—and find some extra spark to try when you otherwise wouldn't. Motivation matters. Get up and go!