If you’ve studied any philosophy in high school or college, you’ve no doubt heard of The Socratic Method. It is a form of inquiry (named after the classical Greek philosopher, Socrates) that is based upon asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. 

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been one to ask a lot of questions. I’m sure that this sometimes annoyed my parents and exasperated my teachers, but asking questions is how I learned to satisfy my curiosity about the many interesting things in the world around me. Once I was in college however; my academic advisor taught me the value of asking questions in order to gain understanding not just of the world around me, but also of the things that were going on inside of me. Not only did this help me to finally decide upon a major–it also helped me to become more connected to my inner being and more sure of the direction that I wanted my life to take.

Now, as the years have passed and my life has evolved, I understand the value of asking good questions when it comes to creating a FabYOUlous life. I know from experience, that when things are hard and life seems bleak, it is often because we are not asking ourselves the right questions and therefore not allowing ourselves to see all of the options available to us. I mean think about it–when times are hard and you seek counseling, what is it that counselors do? They ask questions, and in so doing, help you to discover for yourself, the correct path out of your difficult situation. 

Remember that resolution that you made back on January 1st? That goal that you were so committed to and so on-fire about back when the year seemed so new and full of promise? Well, it is now late February as I am typing this. How is that resolution coming along for you now that the long winter nights have set in and the bubbles from the New Year’s champagne have long since burst? Are you gutting it out and sticking to your guns? If so, good for you! Most resolutions made on January 1st have been unceremoniously abandoned by the second week in February, so if you are one of the stalwart few who are still hanging on to your goal–you deserve to stand up and take a bow (seriously–I think that you should absolutely stand up and take a bow…right now! Who cares if you are reading this on your iPhone at your local Panera?)

If however, you are like most people, your new year’s resolutions are now probably nothing more than a memory. A memory that you are embarrassed to recall because you can’t believe that it is only February and you’ve already called it quits. Don’t worry, you are not alone in your shame–there are LOTS of us who feel your pain.

Why does this happen to so many of us? How can we go from being so committed and excited about a goal to being so totally over it in less than two months time? Well, for most people the answer to that question boils down to one simple thing…motivation. We simply lose our motivation and once it is lost, motivation is something that is so, so difficult to resurrect. 

At the beginning of the month (which also happened to be the beginning of the year), I posted an article that outlined 10 Secrets of Highly Motivated People. Hopefully, the suggestions in that article helped to give you a jump-start to a FabYOUlous year. If however, your motivation has started to fizzle a bit, I also posted (ten days later) an article on how to combat five common motivation myths (click here to read that post).

I’m going to continue posting weekly motivation related articles for the next several weeks because I feel that this is a subject that can never get enough reinforcement. Even the most, committed and highly motivated individuals will tell you that motivation is something that must be constantly cultivated and renewed.

Personally, I find it most difficult to stay motivated when I am working towards a big and daunting, long-term goal. It goes without saying that the bigger the goal, the more difficult it will be to achieve; and even when the goal is something that I am passionate about and fully committed to accomplishing, these difficulties are often what sideline me and keep me from making forward progress.

How then do we continue to work on our big goals when our motivation begins to wane in the face of the obstacles in our path?

For me, the only real way that I’ve found to maintain my motivation for the long haul is to “keep my eye on the prize” and to focus my attention upon the FabYOUlous benefits that I will enjoy once I obtain my goal, as well as upon the more immediate, short-term benefits that I experience along the way.

In my own experience with setting and achieving goals. I’ve discovered four main reasons to focus upon both the immediate and long-term benefits as a way of combating the stagnation that often occurs in the face of difficulties. These reasons are…