9 Fast-Acting Motivation Tools You Can Create in 2 Minutes:

1. Reproduce inspiring passages or excerpts.

Have you ever read a particular book passage that left you
feeling driven or inspired? This is a tool you should never
leave behind. Copy these moving paragraphs down by hand or
print them out with your computer and always keep them close
at hand.

2. Create a personal goal card.

Write - or use your computer to print - one of your most
important goals on a sheet of paper or card stock. Cut out
in the size of a business card and keep it in your wallet
or purse. For a longer-lasting card, use self-laminating
sheets from your local office supply store.

3. Put your voice mail to use.

Have your wife or husband, children, or close friends call
your home or cell phone and leave a message of hope, love,
and support for the things you are trying to change about
your life or goals you wish to accomplish. When times are
tough, the perfect solution will be just a call away.

4. Connect your goal with your children.

Here's one that you can really get creative with. Begin by
writing your goal on a large sheet of paper with a big,
bold marker. Then take a picture of your children or spouse
holding the sign and hang the picture in the places where
motivation is needed most.

Tools in Action: A father wishing to quit smoking wrote his
goal on a 3 x 5 foot sheet of paper and had his two kids
hold it between them as he snapped a few pictures with his
digital camera. He then taped the picture to the front of
his pack of cigarettes.

Connecting his goal with the love of his children gave him
what he needed to stick to his goal day after day and become
a proud ex-smoker.

5. Print out your favorite motivational quotes.

The right quotation at the right time can sometimes be all
you need to trigger your motivation and take action. Instead
of hoping this happens to you by chance, the tool below
will make sure it happens whenever you want it to.

Open your personal computer's word processing program. Set
the page orientation to landscape and add a classic border.
Type in your favorite motivational quote in the center of
the page and print onto a heavier stock of paper. Display
wherever motivation is needed!

6. Schedule reminders with your computer or phone.

Think of one thing you can do, just a single action, that
will bring you closer to reaching your goals. When you have
it in mind, record it into your computer's or cell phone's
calendar and set the alarm to go off at the time the action
needs to be completed.

7. Bring a DVD to the office.

Can you think of a scene from a movie that you found moving
or motivational? If so, don't leave it at home! Using your
computer's DVD program or a portable DVD player, watch the
scene at work - on your break - when you need that extra
push in the right direction.

8. Bookmark your favorite inspirational Web sites.

It often happens that people stumble upon invaluable sources
of information online and then never return after their
initial visit, missing out on all of the new and inspiring
resources to come. To make sure this doesn't happen to you,
bookmark the sites you find most motivating or inspiring.

9. Make use of your admiration.

Connecting with those whom you admire or respect is a quick
and easy way to tap into your internal motivation at a
moment's notice. Find a picture - from an old photo album
if a family member, online if a historical figure - and
tape it up in the location where it will best serve its
motivational purpose.

Tools in Action: An author who found great inspiration
in the writings of Longfellow found an image of him online,
printed it out, and taped it to her laptop. When it was
time to write, the inspiration she needed was never more
than a glance away.