Get Off Your Butt: 12 Ways to Get Motivated when you are down

Even the most motivated of us -- you, me, Tony Robbins -- can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.

But it's not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.

1.One Goal.
This is probably the most common mistake that people make: try to take on too much, try to accomplish too many goals at once. It's hard to maintain energy and focus if you are trying to do two or more goals at once. You can always do your other goals when you've accomplished your One Goal.

2.Find inspiration.
Inspiration comes from others who have achieved what you want to achieve, or who are currently doing it. Read blogs, books, magazines, google your goal, and read success stories.

3.Get excited.
If you want to break out of a slump, get yourself excited about a goal. It starts with inspiration from others, but you have to take that excitement and build on it. Talking to others, and reading as much about it as possible, and visualizing what it would be like to be successful (seeing the benefits of the goal in my head).

4.Build anticipation.
If you find inspiration and want to do a goal, don't start right away. Set a date in the future -- a week or two, or even a month -- and make that your Start Date. Start writing out a plan. By delaying your start, you are building anticipation, and increasing your focus and energy for your goal.

5.Post your goal.
Print out your goal in big words. Post it up on your wall or refrigerator. Post it at home and work. Put it on your computer desktop. Have reminders about your goal, to keep your focus and keep your excitement going.

6.Commit publicly.
None of us likes to look bad in front of others. We will go the extra mile to do something we've said publicly. Do it with friends and family and co-workers, and you can do it on your blog if you have one. And hold yourself accountable -- don't just commit once, but commit to giving progress updates to everyone every week or so.

7.Think about it daily.
If you think about your goal every day, it is much more likely to become true. If you can commit to doing one small thing to further your goal (even just 5 minutes) every single day, your goal will almost certainly come true.

8.Get support.
It's hard to accomplish something alone. Find your support network, either in the real world or online, or both.

9.Stick with it.
Whatever you do, don't give up. Even if you aren't feeling any motivation today, or this week, don't give up. You can't give up with every little bump. Stay with it for the long term, ride out the ebbs and surf on the flows, and you'll get there.

10.Start really small.
If you are having a hard time getting started, it may be because you're thinking too big. Make it's so easy, you can't fail. Do it at the same time, every day. After a couple of months, your tiny steps will add up to a lot of progress and a lot of success.

11.Think about the benefits, not the difficulties.
One common problem is that we think about how hard something is. Just thinking about it makes you tired. But instead of thinking about how hard something is, think about what you will get out of it. The benefits of something will help energize you.

12.Squash negative thoughts; replace them with positive ones.
It's important to start monitoring your thoughts. Recognize negative self-talk, which is really what's causing your slump. Just spend a few days becoming aware of every negative thought. Try squashing those negative thoughts and then replacing them with a corresponding positive thought. Squash, "This is too hard!" and replace it with, "I can do this! If that wimp John can do it, so can I!"