We have all had them as we set and go after our goals, no matter where we are or what our goals may be: naysayers, detractors, people who poke fun or get angry, or who simply tell us we can’t do it.
The authors of this study looked closely at the ways beginners versus experts respond to negative or positive feedback.
You might think that a loving partner helps keep you on track -- say, when you want to stick to your jogging or concentrate on your studies.
When people consider a particular goal, they often worry about the time commitment: 'If I start a business now, it could take years to make it profitable.' Such thoughts reveal a total misunderstanding of the nature of time.
Many of us are good at starting things — it’s the finishing that we need help with.
Psychological scientists have found that the size of different parts of people's brains correspond to their personalities; for example, conscientious people tend to have a bigger lateral prefrontal cortex, a region of the brain involved in planning and controlling behavior.
The problem isn't capturing our creativity, as individual inspiration is a steady pulse that beats within us all. The problem is keeping those embers hot once we have them in our grasp.
So many acts in our daily lives -- refusing that second slice of cake, walking past the store with the latest gadgets, working on your tax forms when you'd rather watch TV -- seem to boil down to one essential ingredient: self-control.
If you don’t know how, learn how. Use that fancy brain that learned how to walk, talk, and read. It’s still capable of further learning, is it not? Of course it is!
The prolific life has been characterized by abundant inventiveness and limitless creativity, and has been enshrouded in a veil of mystery - the sources of artistic inventiveness are too often viewed as out-of-reach for the average person.
People are better able to exercise self-control when they choose goal-pursuit strategies that fit with their promotion or prevention focus.
Even the most motivated of us can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
Impulse and determination: Those two are probably the most important keywords of my life.
For some people, neither the carrot nor the stick will serve as a motivational tool
It turns out passion is not as elusive as we think.
Whether it's sports, poker or the high-stakes world of business, there are those who always find a way to win when there's money on the table.
Just being in the same room as greatness can inspire you to new levels of the possible.
The color red can affect how people function: Red means danger and commands us to stop in traffic.
Contributors get noticed and attract new friends and opportunities easily, and contributing is much easier than you might assume
Worried you won't meet your goal? According to research, you'll be more likely to succeed if you make specific plans to implement it.
We all procrastinate. I put off writing this article by doing a bunch of smaller tasks, for example. They were less important and I knew it, but they were quick tasks and so easier than writing an article on a tough topic.
Keep refreshing your goals in your mind, so you think about them often. Here are some ways to do just that.
Research suggests that it is pro athlete's ability to manage his goals, as well as his skill, determination and motivation that makes him successful.
Members of a group or team will work harder when they're competing against a group with lower status than when pitted against a more highly ranked group.
If you accept a job, a relationship, or a lifestyle that you merely tolerate -- but don't appreciate -- you’re putting other concerns ahead of your own happiness.
One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it.
A big part of self-discipline comes from social pressure. This is how people in the military can become very disciplined, particularly in special forces. They don’t want to hold their team back, so they have to do their best.
It's hard to keep yourself going when you don’t feel the same excitement as you did in the beginning.
How does someone else’s success mean anything bad for you?
We all know that if you’re truly passionate about something, productivity becomes largely irrelevant.