Can I push your HOT button?

For you to achieve any goal your motivation needs to be high – you have to really, really want it. One way to make you really, really want it is to find someone to push your HOT button. Maybe I can do that for you today. (Relax – this is about goals, not sex!)

Think of an Olympic athlete training for an event, say a single scull rower. Athletes training for this event will develop a training plan that requires them to get out of bed when it is dark and cold, launch onto the lake or river no matter what the water temperature is, and row in a disciplined manner for two hours or more. If it’s raining, they still go training. If they have to improve their times they will make sacrifices to train harder. Why is this?

They have a clear picture in their mind of what it will look like to achieve the goal of a gold medal – for why else do they train? They are competing to win the prize, and they will do as much as they possibly can to win the prize they seek.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I am not an Olympic athlete. But to achieve my goals I must learn the discipline of a successful athlete so that I can work hard towards my goals. And you must be the same.

I make this point before we get into the really interesting stuff because I know that most people fail not because of their physical abilities, but because of their ability to manage their mind. In essence, many people give up because of the mental strain, the toll it takes on them, and the pressure that they have not yet learned how to handle. I can think of many instances where someone has given up just short of the finish line.

Why? Because their mind gave up.

Now I’ve had my share of failures and I know what it feels like to miss out on a goal after working as hard as I could. So I know that it’s not always easy. But I can tell you that only definition of failure in my view is “not to try”. Because if you try and are not successful the first time, you can always try again.

So the first crucial step in achieving any goal is gaining clarity on why the goal is important. To help you with this I’m going to ask five powerful questions for you to ponder. Think hard and long about your responses, for I have found that the deeper my thinking goes in answering questions the more truth and power I find in the answers.

Question No. 1:
What does this goal mean to you in terms of PERSONAL FULFILLMENT?

Question No. 2:
Why is this important to you? Think of three reasons and identify the strongest.

Question No. 3:
What does this goal mean to you in terms of LIFESTYLE?

Question No. 4:
Why is this important to you? Think of three reasons and identify the strongest.

Question No. 5:
What is the key motivator for you to achieve your goal? Consider the answers you gave to questions 2 and 4 and identify the one that pushes your buttons the most – this is the key for you.

Now, hopefully, I have helped you to find your HOT button. It’s actually up to you to do something with it now.

All the best for achieving your goals.

Phil Strong
CEO Wisemoney