We have dreams and goals, but it is always easier said than done. We procrastinate, we put things off, and we get lazy. All we need is that certain amount of motivation, but where do we get this? The most effective kind of motivation comes from you.

Here are a few tips to motivate yourself to make this year better for you.

Review last year and take a look ahead

A great way to start a new year is to look back. Past performance can be a good indication of future performance, and this means learning from your mistakes so you can make each year better for you.

Did you do well last year? If so, this should be enough to motivate you to keep the momentum for this year and the years ahead. Try to compute and make a forecast of your performance based on your growth.

See what happens if you continue to make this momentum five years onwards. Every time you find yourself in a tough situation, take a look at this forecast to motivate you to keep the momentum.

If 2016 didn’t do so well for you, then see this as an opportunity improve. Open your 2016 calendar, so you can take note of major events that happened in your life. Ask yourself what worked, and what didn’t. Correct and avoid missteps in the future.

You can also take a look at your financial records and review the things you spent this year. Were they necessary? Have you been using them? Did it add value to your year? Did you regret spending for something? Taking a moment to do this can help you make better decisions for 2017.

Achieve your full potential by decluttering your life

After reviewing the year that was, it is time to take a look at your home, your daily routine and how you handled your job or business. Excessive clutter is one sure way put stress in your life.

Unnecessary chaos can distract you from focusing on more important things that can help improve your year. Filter out the noise in your life from things that you no longer use in your house or workplace, to tasks that take up so much of your time but provide less value to you.

Set a day to do this. Once you have a clutter-free environment at home or at work, motivation will come easy. You will have more time to make your ideas come to life.

Keep reading, keep learning

You would have to be careful with this one. There is too much clutter on the Internet that the time you use to read could have been used in other more important things.

To avoid wasting your time reading junk articles, subscribe and follow people who provide insightful posts – those that can help motivate you to pursue your goals. Twitter is a great venue for this because posts are limited to 140 characters.

If there are specific areas of your life that you want to improve, you can always learn from the experts. Learn a new skill, or review an old one.

There are so many online courses that you can take ranging from free courses to full certificates. This can help build your resume that will give you confidence in applying for a job or negotiating with partners for your business.

Be with good company

The people you surround yourself with influence your emotions, decisions and your outlook on life. Develop better habits by surrounding yourself with people who already have those habits. Motivation will come rather easy and effortless.

Make new friends by attending events that inspire. Observe the traits and the habits of successful people. Learn by watching. Find people who elevate you and embrace the new you.

Life is a constant trial and error game. We take risks. The important part is we keep learning from our past experiences to fulfill our full potential in the coming years ahead.

This is written by midnight. Order an article from this writer HERE.