Have you ever set a goal like – to lose weight – in a burst of energy and excitement, only to find that after a few weeks the excitement fades? Your progress slows and then stops. You are back to where you started. Unfortunately, for many of us, this has become a habit. Regardless if the goal involves diet, exercise, money, relationships or career, the pattern is the same, a peak of euphoria, optimism and creativity, followed by a trough of fatigue, boredom and the final loss of interest.

Quitting is a habit. The habit is reinforced by our emotional state which is always experiencing peaks and valleys. The good news is, habits can be changed with persistence and effort.

We will have trouble staying motivated when quitting becomes a habit. To break that habit, we need to take baby steps at first. Failing at a large overwhelming goal will only deepen our bad habits. Instead, start by setting a simple achievable goal. If you’ve set a goal to run 2 km every day and failed. Try lowering the bar a little until you build up strength and persistence. Instead, try running 1 km, twice a week. Find what works for you and build from there. It’s important to create the habit of persistence. Success breeds success. Setting little mini goals are a great way to reprogramme our subconscious mind.

As you work towards your goal you will experience emotional dips. There will be times when you want to quit. There will be times when you feel like you’ve hit a plateau and progress has stopped. This is when you need to find a quiet spot, close your eyes and visualise your ideal outcome. Imagine how life would change when you reach your goal. Imagine in as much detail as you can. Imagine how you will feel. Imagine how you will look. Imagine your impact on other people. Do it to remind yourself why you’re working so hard. The stronger the images you can etch into your mind, the quicker you will restore your motivation.

Fear, anger, sadness and even depression are felt universally. Don’t think for a second that people who achieve their goals don’t experience those feelings. They do. It’s natural to feel down. Deal with it and push forward.

Sometimes, those around us tell us to stay motivated, to keep going, don’t quit. Then, you ask yourself, ‘Why? Why try my hardest when it’s going to end in disappointment? Why go through something when it’s going to hurt? Why?’ And the reason is simply because you can’t accomplish anything that you have given up on. Disappointments and failures happen to everyone. The difference between those who reach their goals and those who don’t is, staying motivated. If you’re motivated, you’ll keep going. If you keep going, eventually you’ll reach your goal.

How did it feel after that first jog around the block? Or when you finally climbed the stairs without losing your breath? The more you accomplish, the more you’ll believe in yourself. The more you believe in yourself, the more you will try. Persistence begets confidence.

Some people have the ability to stay motivated longer than others while some of us need it on a regular basis. The bad news is that motivation doesn't grow on trees. The good news, though, is that it is a renewable resource. There's no limit to the amount of motivation we can access, we just have to learn the ways to dig through exhaustion and boredom to get to it.

How to stay motivated is not a question that deals with how long you can hang in there. Staying motivated is not a race to be won. You are not competing with anyone else other than yourself. Regard yourself highly and keeping motivation beside you won’t be so hard to do.

The sooner you quit the habit of quitting, the sooner you enjoy a more fulfilling and enriching life.