How to Find Drive & Determination

Drive and determination are powerful allies in helping people to work hard and achieve cherished ambitions. You can rev up your inner drive by thinking positively, setting goals and reading inspiring biographies. Taking action, even if it is only completing one small daily task in pursuit of your dreams, is effective, because it increases energy and motivation.

Instructions

• 1

  Read biographies of successful people. Many gifted people have overcome difficult circumstance with sheer drive and determination. The musician Ludwig van Beethoven, for example, composed some of his greatest works even as his deafness became increasingly debilitating. Such biographies are inspiring and motivational because they demonstrate that you don't have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth to fulfill your dreams.

• 2

  Create goals. Research has shown that goal-setting has a positive effect on performance. Short-term goals that are enjoyable and not too difficult enhance life satisfaction. Setting small, achievable goals gets results, which boost your drive and determination, inspiring you to even greater achievements. Focus on one goal at a time and always have the next one on the horizon. Break more difficult tasks down into small components. If you plan to write a novel, for example, start with a chapter plan and set yourself achievable daily or weekly deadlines.

• 3

  Banish negative thinking. People who believe in themselves are more likely to be determined and focused. Professor Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania, who conducted ground-breaking research in the field of positive psychology in the 1990s, found that people who believed in their goals achieved them 80 percent of the time. Practice positive daily affirmations and don't give up if you encounter a setback.