Today I’m linking up with my friend Andrea at DreAm heART sMart ArT for her blog challenge. The prompt is “deepen.”

Every so often, a certain question pops into my mind.

It could be while I’m sitting at my desk, while I run on the treadmill, while I review my bank accounts, while I fold laundry, or almost any other time during my day.

The question is, “Why am I doing this again?”

I often find that I lose my motivation for whatever it is I’m doing, and maybe you do too. It seems like if I don’t consciously keep my motivation top of mind, it will float away like a leaf on a breeze.

And losing our motivation is awful! Our motivation is what keeps us chugging along toward our goals.

When I feel my motivation slipping away, I looker deeper at the underlying reason behind my effort. I must find the deeper meaning to answer the question, “Why am I doing this again?”

Here are some tips for going deep to re-motivate yourself.

Remember the “Why”

The “why” in any situation is the concrete end result that made you start on your journey in the first place. What’s the real reason?

For example, if you’re losing your motivation to eat healthy meals, your why might be to get to your goal weight or stop taking the prescription medication you’re on.

If you’re losing your motivation to save money, your why might be the dream house you want to buy for your family.

What’s your why? What’s the end goal that is making all your hard work worth it?

Take Baby Steps

I lose my motivation when I get hung up on the big picture. Sometimes the end goal is just too big to wrap my head around. It’s huge—how am I ever supposed to do that?

When this happens, I take some time to break down all the steps that get me to my goal. And then I go further and break those steps into even smaller action items. My Ultimate To-Do List helps me make steady progress every day without getting overwhelmed.

Get Support

Maybe what you need is a deeper connection. Involving other people in your plan is a perfect way to re-motivate yourself.

Tell your manager about your goal of spending more time with your family. She might remind you to leave when it’s quitting time instead of dumping extra work on you. Tell your friends about your goal to be debt-free. They can help plan free or budget-friendly get-togethers instead of expensive dinners.

Make a Deal

There’s nothing compared to the motivation you’ll get when you put your reputation on the line. Make a deal that you must reach your goal or else you’ll have to face an awful penalty.

There are websites such as Stickk.com that help you set up a goal and a negative consequence that will occur if you fail to reach your goal. What if you would be forced to pay $100 to a political party that you hate if you fail? That would certainly motivate me!

Make It Easier

Maybe you’re losing your motivation because your goal is completely unrealistic. I support my clients when they choose goals that stretch themselves, but there’s a point when you have to consider whether your goal is even possible.

Losing 100 pounds in 2 months isn’t going to happen. Being promoted to CEO next month when you’re the administrative assistant today isn’t very likely.

Make your goal easier so you can actually reach it. For a savings goal, try saving just $20 this month. That’s easier and you’ll most likely be able to do it. Then next month you’ll be motivated to save even more because you’ve already experienced a success.

How you do keep yourself motivated?