Motivation Motor

There's a saying often attributed to writer Samual Johnson about hell being paved with good intentions the origins which can be traced back to a saint who lived in the 11th century. Whoever said it, the big question is why do good intentions end badly? Maybe not in hell but certainly in the dumpster. 'Giving up smoking' - in the dumpster. 'Losing weight' - in the dumpster. 'Getting fit'. You get the idea.

Often we lose sight of our original goals. Getting fit gets modified to 'going swimming once in a while'. Losing weight becomes 'only having chocolate' on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays' and giving up smoking becomes 'cutting down'. Big goals become little goals. So much easier to reach but so much less worthwhile and satisfying.

And February is a great month for downsizing our motivation. It's dark, it's cold (for a lot of us) and after several weeks of salads and no fries (as we battle with a post-Christmas bulge) we're looking for any excuse to cut back on our grand plans. Can I tell you one of the greatest motivation killers I know? It's the phrase: 'I just wanted to prove to myself I could do it.' This translates into: 'This is my way of getting out of this and turning a big goal in to a little one.'

This brings me on to a now-famous bucket story. A time management speaker shows people a bucket and fills it with rocks to represent the things they have to do. He then asks: 'Is it full?'

'No' came the answer - 'you can still fit gravel between the rocks'. So he puts in the gravel and asks 'Is it full now?' 'Not yet' says a watcher, 'you could put sand in', and so he does. 'Surely it's full now?' 'Nope' says Mr. 'I know all the answers', you can fill it with water.' Everyone agrees that the bucket is at last full, and the speaker asks what can be learnt from this. 'There's always room for more?' says our know-it-all. 'No', says the speaker, 'if you want to fit in the big things, you have to put them in first'.

The point of this story is to always tackle the big things first and don't fill up your time with the little things. 'Stick to your big goals' and relish the enormous satisfaction that comes from achieving them.

If you would like a little help kick-starting your motivation again, try our popular Self motivation booster. And if you haven't done so already, take a look at the goal setting guide on our Uncommon Knowledge site. And think about what it was that got you focused on your goal in the first place. Whatever it was I wish you every success and I know that, with a little help, you can achieve it.