Word of the Week: Strive (How To Stay Motivated This Year)

strive

/strīv/
verb
make great efforts to achieve or obtain something.

Motivation to Strive

To kick-off a new year of motivation and striving to accomplish goals, here are some of the most influential voices speaking on striving. No matter what your goals are this year, there is always time to improve and learn new things.

“Life always begins with one step outside of your comfort zone.”
- Shannon L. Alder

“I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.”
- Madeleine Albright

"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow...even if that someone is yourself!"
-Plato

“If I cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost. That is how I look at it - keep going, keep going come what may.”
- Vincent van Gogh

“There is no gain without any pain. You can never reach the beautiful without striving for it.”
- Dr. Prem Jagyasi

How To Strive Well This Year

    Write down your dreams, small and big.

    According to Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, writing down your goals on a regular basis can increase the chances of achieving your goals by 42%. The key to writing down your goals is to write specific details and review them consistently.

    Take consistent steps forward.

    While this is a common suggestion for achieving goals, why does taking small steps actually help us strive for what we are trying to do? Slow progress doesn't necessarily mean no progress. For many people, reaching their goals might actually be a process that requires them to accomplish many smaller goals along the way. If your goal seems too big to reach, try breaking it into pieces that you can realistically work towards.

    Track your progress.

    Whether you're making slow progress or fast progress, it's important to keep track of your steps to see how far you've come. Try keeping a journal to record your daily or weekly progress. Or find an app that allows you to track the specific type of goal you're aiming for. Even if tracking shows some steps backward, you'll still be able to see how far you've come when you reach your goals.

    Keep a community of supporters.

    In the same study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, it was found that when your goals are shared with a trusted community of people, or even a single person who believes you can succeed, your chances can further increase in reaching your goals. Of course, this makes sense. It's easier to slack off on your progress when you're the only one who knows about your goals. So find a community of people with like-minded goals or a buddy to confide in. There's power in numbers.

    Celebrate victories and keep moving forward.

    It's been suggested that what keeps most people striving towards their goals is actually seeing that first "win". When you celebrate your stepping stones, you're associating positive behaviors with the results you're seeing. By keeping track of your progress, you can more easily see the victories that are often overlooked. But don't stop yet! Let these celebrations motivate you to continue to work hard to achieve your dreams.

    At Majority Denim, we are always trying to learn how to take better care of our community. What are your goals for this year? What are you striving for? Comment below!

     

    Follow our Instagram and Twitter @majoritydenim.

    Majority Denim is a gender-neutral denim fashion brand made in Los Angeles, CA. Find out more about our brand by visiting our About Page.

    Leave a comment

    Please note, comments must be approved before they are published