In every decision, whether it be finding a new job or a career change, there is one important aspect that you need in order to be successful: motivation. It will keep you focused on doing what you need to do until you achieve your goal.

People have goals in life that they want to achieve, but only a handful actually achieve those goals. The problem is not the goals, but a lack of motivation. Most people working on their goals find themselves unmotivated halfway through and end up quitting.

If you don’t want to end up disappointed because you didn’t reach your goal, here are some ways to keep yourself motivated.

• Write down the reason – What causes a lot of people to become unmotivated is the fact that they lose track of the reason for the goal. In other words, they forget about why they’re doing what they’re doing. You need to surround yourself with thoughts about why you are looking for a new job or changing careers, so that you will always remember what pushed you over the hump to make the decision.
• Pump yourself up – One way to get to yourself motivated is to think about the rewards that await you once you achieve your goal. No matter what your goal might be, imagining what you’ll get out of the work and effort you’re doing today will help to keep you on track.
• Break it down – No one wants to look at a big stack of papers they have to work through. A better approach is to break it down into segments. It’s easier to stay motivated to work on something that looks like it takes a short time to finish than something that looks like it will take all day.
• Reward yourself – If you don’t want to end up unmotivated, you need to reward yourself for your hard work. So, treat yourself when you’ve worked hard or made progress.