Here are 5 simple motivation hacks. These aren’t the common ones you’ll find on Oprah. They’re real ones that actually work – if you’re brave enough to test them for yourself. I’m not even going to do a boring intro on why they work. They just do. Here we go:

Hulk Up

Get pissed.

Get seriously pissed at your goal. Throw stuff. Break things. Yell. Scream. Call your goal names and punch it in the nose.

Then go dominate it.

It works for the hulk. It can work for you.

Blackmail Yourself

Tell your friend you intend to do XYZ goal.

Set a date and bet your rent. Or twice your rent. Whatever you do, make it HURT.

Put your money in their hands on the start date.

If you don’t do what you say you want to do by the date you set, your friend either keeps the cash or gives it to the person you hate most. I’ve talked about blackmailing yourself extensively here.

Create A Painful Alternative Outcome

Similar to the above but, instead of money, make a personally painful outcome.

If you wuss out on finishing a race, make yourself do two.

If you miss your morning workout, you have to do 200 burpees before you go to bed.

If you quit, make yourself tell everybody you know.

My old basketball coach was a pro at this. Miss a play on defense on you’ll be on the line running sprints! (Needless to say, we focused a lot on defense).

Create a painful alternative outcome so, even if you don’t feel like running towards your goal, you’ll want to run away from whatever painful alternative outcome you’ve set for yourself.

Create NO Alternative Outcome

Put yourself in a corner. Make it so that your only choice is to succeed. Make it so you that have no other choice than to fight it out and win.

Decide that there is no acceptable alternative other than success.

Make no Plan B. Bet it all on Plan A.

Then figure out how the hell to make it happen.

Become The Goal

Own your goal.

Stop trying to accomplish the goal and make it a part of who you are – your identity.

You’re not trying to work out 3 days a week – you ARE the guy who works out 3 days a week. That’s what you do, not what you try to do.

You’re not trying to learn Spanish. You SPEAK Spanish. No matter how terribly, you speak it.

You’re not a “freelancer” trying to start a business. You run ____ business and you’re making $____/year.

You need to have some gall. In order to achieve what you want to achieve, you have to become the person who’s capable of achieving that. Stop trying to become it and start acting like it’s a part of your identity from the start. You’ll get there faster.

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Notice what most of these “motivation” hacks aren’t. They’re not “go watch this video” or “go buy X.” You don’t need that crap. You need to tap in to the animal part of your mind in order to accomplish stuff. PAIN is an incredible motivator. Use it. Create painful alternatives with TEETH that make you change OR ELSE.

Nothing happens until the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change.” – Arthur Burt

Stop trying to be “normal”, and accomplish something impossible. If you want to do something uncommon, you’re going to have to do things uncommonly. Stop running from it – embrace it.

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photo credit: JD Hancock via photopin cc