Secret #5: Know WHY You Want It

Understanding why you want something is the key to staying motivated. Understanding the “Why” is a very crucial step many often overlook. The “Why” is what will drive you when you want to quit.

Have you ever started something, been really excited about it for a little while, and then just suddenly stopped doing it? Like anything in life, the honeymoon phase of most activities makes you feel like you are on cloud nine. For example, when you first start dating someone, he or she may seem perfect, or when you first start a class, the subject matter might seem so interesting. Then when that first phase wears off, most students just throw in the towel on relationships, on learning, on getting in shape, or whatever it is they really want.

The reason this happens is because they are not holding onto why it is important to them.

The quest to get a 4.0 is always an exciting one during the first week of classes. Staring into the mirror after the first few classes, student members of the Gunna family across the country say, “You know what, this semester is gunna be the semester I’m gunna get straight As!” And then after a few weeks when the real work starts, the determination it takes to get that 4.0 drops to the point they’d much rather stick a pencil in their eyes then open their textbooks.

To overcome this, you must know why you want that 4.0. What is it about getting a 4.0 that will make you really excited? Not just normal excited, but vibrating off the walls excited! Is it being able to make your parents proud? Is it because you need to maintain a certain GPA to keep a scholarship or to get into the grad school of your dreams, which will let you get that dream job you’ve so badly wanted?

Your “why” has to be bigger than any adversity you will face. If the only reason you want a 4.0 is because it would be cool, that’s not going to cut it as a motivational tool. However, if getting a 4.0 would mean you would receive $1,000,000, I bet you would be busting your hump all semester, am I right? Nothing would stand in your way of that 4.0 if you knew that kind of cash were on the line.

Trust me, you can get a 4.0 if you are dedicated. You just need to make sure why you want it is more important than any excuse you can rationalize to yourself. Got it?

Arel Moodie is widely known as America's Top Young Speaker. He has spoken to over 65,000 students in 39 states and 2 countries on the topics of student success, student leadership and student entrepreneurship. He is a leading authority on helping students of this generation succeed in school and in life. He is also the best selling author of the book Your Starting Point For Student Success. To find out more about Arel's book, go to www.startingpointbook.com. To find out more about Arel's speaking please go to www.arelmoodie.com.