Arnold Schwarzenegger, telling a reporter in 1976 about his goal to become Hollywood's #1 movie star, said, "It's the same process I used in bodybuilding. What you do is create a vision of who you want to be, and then live into that picture, as if it were already true." (quoted in 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself; Change Your Life Forever by Steve Chandler. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press, 1996, p.20)
In the movie Rudy, based on a true story, the main character did the same thing. When he started working on his dream to become a football player at Notre Dame, it was as real to him as if it had already happened. It didn't work out exactly the way he had envisioned it, but he lived out enough of his dream to make the whole process extremely worthwhile. In fact, he greatly enriched the lives of the people around him, especially his younger siblings.
I also find that I live by this rule. Unfortunately, I have so many goals and dreams that I find myself dropping one to work on another. When I resist that urge, I accomplish quite a bit.
Here are some ways to use both sides of the brain to apply Schwarzenegger's approach. If you are a daydreamer, I recommend focusing on left-hemisphere techniques. On the other hand, if you have written down goals but don't feel driven to carry them through, I suggest spending more time on the right-hemisphere techniques. Use your whole brain to motivate you.
Left
1) Write your obituary. Or, you can do the less morbid thing I did yesterday: I simply wrote a checklist of the things I wanted to accomplish in my lifetime--selfish things and selfless things, checking off the ones I felt I had already accomplished.
2) Write what you realistically want your resume to say 6 months from now or after you finish school. I often write what my resume will look like a month or two from now, after I complete my current temp job and the books I'm now studying.
3) Lately, I wrote a list of ways I will provide my clients (e-mail users) with quality customer service when I become an e-mail administrator 6-8 months from now.
4) Then, I started designing a database to help me get organized when I start that position. I imagined myself already doing that job.
5) Many bodybuilders write what their stats (weight, body fat, etc.) will be when they reach their deadline.
6) Tell others what you will do. Rudy Rudiger (see the movie Rudy) did this a lot.
7) Think about the issues you will deal with after you land that job, and start reading or thinking about how to solve them.
Right
1) See yourself after you meet your goal. Have confidence that you will be there.
2) Feel the emotions you will have. Feel them today as you do the tasks to earn that future.
3) Draw a picture of yourself holding the trophy or award or degree you will earn (if applicable). If you dare, hang it up on your wall where it is likely to motivate you.