I’m not sure if anyone else feels like this, but there are a lot of people out there whose motivation amazes me. The people who actually practiced their piano as kids, your neighbor who was always a grade ahead of everyone else in math, the athlete that practiced for six hours a day before and after school. How did they find that motivation within themselves? There seems to be something inherently different in their mind than in mine. Is it just part of having a type-A personality? I probably will never know because I have never been someone who naturally wants to take steps towards my goals.

It is common for students, especially those around college-age, to talk about the things we want. We all have several “wants”. I really want to get an A in intermediate accounting. I want to study abroad. I want to save more money. I also want to lose five pounds before formal. All of these things would make me happy. Why, though, if I want something, do I not work for it each and every day? Why do I rush through my accounting homework to go hang out with friends? Why do I binge on ice cream and chocolate the night before a tropical vacation, when I know I will be in a swimsuit the entire time? I’ll give you a hint; it has to do with motivation. Well, the second part might be more of a self-control issue… but it’s all related.

Motivation isn’t something that’s going to be constant for most people. If you’re like me, most days you are not extraordinarily motivated. But what does it mean to be extraordinarily motivated? It means taking action every time you have a chance to reach your goals. It means sacrificing sleep once in a while to study, so you can raise your GPA, and eventually, land that dream job. It means applying to more than 100 companies just to get an internship after your freshman year of college. There are very few times in my life where I have been that motivated. So how in the world do you get there? How do we keep that motivation constant so we are always working to better ourselves? It is easier and more realistic than you may think. Here are my top five steps to becoming motivated.

1. Make the things you want seem real.

Those things you used to lust over are now goals that you need to reach. A phrase that struck me as I was writing this was, “the grass is greener where you water it.” So for all of those goals, think about how much you want them. Think about it until it becomes real to you. Look at pictures of Italy on the internet until you can’t stand it and apply to study abroad. Read stories of incredible athletes until you are itching to get off the couch and lace up your running shoes. Visualize managing the company of your dreams and being in love with your life’s work until you decide to start studying. Do not be mistaken, watering the grass does not mean missing out on time with friends or losing too much sleep while you are busy pursuing your goals. It means making time for the things you want while continuing to succeed in your normal life. This is the key to self-actualization and happiness. Get out and water the grass.

2. Push away the negative voices and use self-control.

Once we start to water our grass, once you start to study and once you start to practice, you will see results. Not right away, which is frustrating for some people, but you will see them. This is where self-control comes in. Combine your motivation with enough self-control until you gradually start to see small results. I guarantee that once you see those results they will motivate you to keep going. Activate your small habits and steps to begin, be persistent until you start achieving what you want and give your efforts the same level of intensity as the results you desire. If you keep watering your grass you will achieve great things. Stop yourself from saying things like, “well I’m too young” or, “I started too late”. These are just excuses and your mind is playing tricks on you about what you really want. Remember that motivation is a state of mind that you control. Great people will make great things happen regardless of the situation.

3. Take personal responsibility for accomplishing what you want.

If this still isn’t enough to get you started, think about the happiest you’ve ever been. Realize that achieving these dreams is in your control. No one will be able to do this for you and it will not be handed to you, yet it is more within reach than you give yourself credit for. Think of a time that you felt you were at your peak and realize that you were in control at that moment. You did the work to get to that place. For me, one of my happiest memories was receiving an email from a United States Congressman inviting me to move to the city of my dreams. I was dancing around my room with excitement. This level of happiness was not a one-time thing for me. Since that moment my freshman year, I have had several experiences equal or even better. When you think about your happiest memory, know that it is possible to be that happy again. It is possible to love the work it takes to get to your goal.

4. Get through the adjustment phase.

It's important to remember that starting new habits is hard. It can be mentally tough and it’s easy to want to quit. The first few weeks of every semester, I, without fail, fall into a mild depression. I hate the change in routine, the new things making me busy and adjusting my sleep schedule. Even when I went on summer break last year, I decided to make a few changes in my life that were difficult at first. I started to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning in order to go to the gym and church before starting my internship at 9:00. I was balancing my internship, nine hours of online classes, volunteer work, sorority responsibilities and personal life. It was difficult, but as always with any new routine, I was completely happy with giving myself two weeks to stick to it and adjust.

5. Realize that you are powerful of more than you think.

Be the crazy person who believes in yourself. Trust me, the human mind is capable of adjusting and being happy with more than you think. When you start working toward your goal, push yourself through the initial adjustment phase with positive thoughts. When my alarm would go off at 5 a.m., causing me to debate going back to sleep, I would think about how great it feels to run fast and expend energy before work (I also would think about how good I was going to look in pictures I posted of my cruise). I know it isn’t always that simple, but it all starts with the confidence and belief that you can. Love yourself as you are and love yourself as you go through the process. When you push yourself with positive thoughts to take little steps, and then see results, you will believe in your own capabilities. There is nothing like getting back a test with an A at the top, looking in the mirror and liking what you see or journaling and realizing you are more at peace with your life all because you took the steps to be happier.

Honestly, what is the point of life if you don’t make it into something beautiful that you are proud to show? Hard work will never be easy but I promise it will always be worth it.