Setting goals is easy. Achieving goals is hard. It requires showing up consistently over time. It means learning, putting in the hours, getting feedback, and being patient.

So, how can you find and keep your motivation on your journey to achieve your goal, such as running a marathon, publishing a book, or building a financially successful business?

A good person to ask is someone who knows how to stay motivated, like a motivational speaker. At BigSpeak, we work with some of the Top Motivational Keynote Speakers in the speaking industry. These keynote speakers have achieved great success and overcome drastic setbacks from accidents, business failures, and personal rejections. 

Here are four tips for staying motivated.

1) “Motivation often increases after you begin. The lesson is not to wish you had more motivation, but to make starting as easy as possible.”

James Clear, the 25 million copy bestselling author of Atomic Habits, explains that getting started is the hard part. In his talks, he tells the story of a man who got started on his journey to lose weight. The man first started by getting into the habit of going to the gym. He would drive there, stay for five minutes, and then leave. Once he built the habit of getting started, he was able to go to the gym every day and get into the habit of exercising. The easier it is to start, the more likely you are to repeat the process so you can achieve your goal.

2) “I believe that refusing to quit and refusing to fail will trump talent and brilliance in the end.”

When it comes to staying motivated, Molly Bloom believes that being stubborn is the key to staying on track. Molly knows from firsthand experience. She refused to listen to the naysayers. Over the course of her life, she not only went on to join the U.S. ski team despite suffering from scoliosis as a child, but also built a multi-million dollar business after losing one and had an Oscar-nominated movie made about her life—when few people believed in her.

3) “Instead of giving up after a ‘no,’ ask for a smaller request to find a ‘yes.’”

Jia Jiang, one of the most-viewed TED speakers of all time, has made becoming resilient the ultimate superpower in his book Rejection Proof. When it comes to staying motivated, especially in business, Jia says, don’t give up when you are first rejected by a client or employer. Instead, make a different or smaller request. 

4) “What actually changed things for me was showing up even when it was boring, even when I didn’t want to. That’s what builds momentum. And momentum is everything.”

James Lawrence believes that to stay motivated, you need to stop quitting and stay consistent. James used to be in that cycle of being inspired, starting strong, quitting, and having to start over again. He did this over and over until he got sick of starting again. For him, once you start showing up when it’s not easy, that changes everything. With this improved motivation, James was able to go from barely finishing a 5K race in his 20s to completing 100 Ironman marathons in 100 days.

If you would like to learn more about increasing motivation and achieving your goals, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today to hire a top motivational keynote speaker.

For more on Motivation, read

10 Tips from Top Motivational Speakers for Getting and Staying Motivated

Inspiring Quotes From Well-Known Famous Motivational Speakers