As an author and motivational speaker and coach, I often get into discussions about what it takes for someone to get and stay motivated. What is their secret?

After talking to many people across the country I realize there is one discernible difference between someone who is motivated and someone who is not. It is in the way that they think. I call these people the super motivated. They realize the impact their own daily thinking has on their life.

Here are 6 tools the super motivated people use in order to get and stay motivated:

1. Exposure

The super motivated realize that the old concept of “garbage in garbage out” is very true. So rather than exposing themselves to negative news (like the evening blues cast) or negative television or even negative stories on the Internet, they avoid negativity and instead choose to focus on positive upbeat and inspiring information. They focus on good news, not the bad. They are not ostriches with their head in the sand- they know there is bad news in the world, they just choose not to spend time and energy on it. It’s a “waste of mind”.

2. Their goals are in writing

There is absolutely no question that one of the ways to improve your thought process is to write down your goals; short-term, midterm, and long-term. Writing them down and the action of actually looking at them on a regular and consistent basis will reinforce the direction which you are heading. This is sending a short reminder note to your brain consciously and subconsciously- telling it “hey this is what we’re doing.”

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C.S. Lewis

3. Networking with positive people

Super motivated people realize that the quality of their life is in equal correlation to the quality of the people that they associate with. If you associate with negative people or toxic people, the people who are discouraging and negative, then you will be negative as well. I refer to these people as ESV’s, which stands for energy sucking vampires. So be very careful about who you associate with. If you have friends or family members who are negative or toxic you must limit your contact.

4. Keep a journal

Keeping a journal is another way to reinforce positive thinking and positive thoughts on a daily basis. Carve out a little time in the morning to write down positive affirmations and goals and dreams in your journal in order to get your day off on the right track. Hal Elrod referred to this practice in his book The Morning Miracle. If you start your day off by writing down positive thoughts goals and aspirations, you start your morning off on the sunny side of the street. I have tried this technique and I learned it can be a very powerful way to start your day. Try it, you will like it.

5. Modify what you say

What is interesting about people who are super motivated is they realize that what they say and how they say it affects their thinking. It’s almost like the chicken and the egg;  what you say it affects how you think what you think affects how you say it. The key is to catch yourself when you say something negative. If you’re giving a presentation at work don’t say “boy I sure hope it goes okay”. Instead say, “I am going to knock it out of the park and it’s going to be great.” Positive self- expectation and positive statements can change the way you think and believe it or not, your brain believes exactly what you tell it. If you verbally or mentally tell it something is bad, it believes it.

6. Think about how you think

As far as we know, we are the only species that have the ability to think about how we think. I don’t think turtles sitting on a log in the sun think about their life and how their thinking is affecting their life. You however, have the ability to think about how you think. I have found that once my thinking changed, my life changed dramatically both personally and professionally. Don’t underestimate the impact of your thinking both on a positive or negative level. It is the ultimate power tool.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

So do you really want to have a great life and be extraordinary and not just average? Do you want to be fired up and achieve your dreams? Then you can decide to be that person- it’s all just a choice. I am now going to throw down the gauntlet. I am going to ask you to take some time today to pick 1-2 of the items from this article and commit to doing them this week. I guarantee it can change your life personally and professionally.

Which items are you choosing from the list to do this week and why?