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<p>Have you ever set out to complete a task or a goal, staying on course for a span of time, and then finding yourself spending less and less time on it till you come to the realization you havent worked on it for weeks- even months?</p>
<p>One reason this happens is because you realize the task or goal is not as important or is critical enough to put the time and effort into. Another reason could be that the ROI (Return On Investment) is not what you thought or had hoped it would be.</p>
<p>Another reason- and one which is probably most likely the culprit is you either don’t have enough or the wrong kind of leverage.</p>
<p>What Is Leverage?</p>
<p>Leverage is something (a person, a thing, or an action, for example) which you can use to motivate yourself to follow through on an action. The key is the leverage has to apply pressure or provide motivation in order to be successful.</p>
<p>Leverage Examples</p>
<p>A good example of leverage for someone who wants to quit smoking is to have a friend or significant other who wants to help you quit smoking or perhaps wants to stop smoking themselves. This person can hold you accountable if you slip or want to slip and vice-versa.</p>
<p> <img src="https://pp.userapi.com/c624425/v624425418/2685b/A2wF6qePGJ0.jpg" width="604" height="410"/></p>
<p>Another leverage example is exercising. Again, the leverage could be someone who you either exercise with or someone who will hold you accountable if you don’t exercise. Perhaps they could charge you $10.00 whenever you fail to exercise.</p>
<p>How To Find Leverage</p>
<p>Finding leverage can be hard but not impossible. First and foremost, you have to accept responsibility for following through with whatever goal or task it is. The leverage aspect is just a tool to help you reach your goal or accomplish some task.</p>
<p>Finding leverage depends on what you need it for. If it is a personal task or goal, then the first place you should look is your immediate circle of friends and/or family. See if there is someone who you think might share the similar goal or task. If there is, approach them to see if they would be interested in doing what you are planning to do. If they are, then they could be your leverage and you could be yours.</p>
<p>But if you can’t find someone to act as leverage, then you should consider using “prizes” as leverage. Prizes can be a gift to yourself for accomplishing a goal or task.</p>
<p>Something to keep in mind is the length of time it will take for you to accomplish your goal or task. If the estimated completion time is over two months, then you should consider “mini-prizes” over the time it is estimated to take. Using our weight loss goal again, in addition to the Hawaii trip, we also have three milestone dates over the course of the year. If we reach a certain weight by each milestone, then we get a pre-determined prize as a reward for losing so much weight.</p>
<p><img src="https://pp.userapi.com/c617931/v617931418/f751/qFhI4GKkCbc.jpg" width="1280" height="960"/></p>
<p>Again, you have to figure out when the milestone will be and what the prize will be. You have to make sure though that the milestone is at the halfway point (or if you have more than one milestone, spaced apart enough to keep you motivated and on track) along with picking a prize which is not only motivational but is also warranted. If you have more than one milestone to reach, I suggest making each prize better than the previous one. This will help with your motivation and will also strengthen your desire to reach the next milestone where the prize is even better!</p>
<p>The Key To Picking The Right Leverage</p>
<p>Okay, so you have a goal or task you truly want to accomplish. Accomplishing this task will- without a doubt- take you to another level either personally, financially, or professionally.</p>
<p>You can’t wait to get started so you figure out what you are going to use for leverage. Check. Now, you are ready to begin! You start working towards your goal but then you find yourself losing motivation or puttering out completely.</p>
<p>So what went wrong?</p>
<p>My first guess would be you didn’t have the right leverage. The leverage you pick has to either fill you with the motivational drive to follow through or applies enough pressure so that you almost have no choice but to follow through- no matter what!</p>
<p>If you pick a form of leverage which doesn’t do either one, then you need another form of leverage. But when do you know if you have the wrong kind of leverage? You know you picked the wrong one if you find yourself not caring if you get the prize you promised yourself or if the person you have as leverage isn’t being as helpful as you had hoped or they are not inspiring you to keep on track.</p>
<p>It’s Up To You</p>
<p>Reaching any goal or accomplishing some task ultimately comes to you. Only you can do it but having a form of leverage is a powerful tool which will help you.</p>
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<p>Have you used leverage to accomplish something in your life? What was it and what did it help you do? Let me know in the comment section below. Thanks!</p>
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