It is easy for psychologists to predict how successful you will be by observing who you spend your time with. Why is this true? Because your peer group exerts a massive influence over your behavior and your aspirations.

This is a key to lasting motivation and beating procrastination.

If you have friends who are highly driven business people, spend time with them whenever you want a motivational boost. You will feel charged up and more ambitious after meeting them. And it’s fun.

Of course if all you did was talk business every evening your life would become one-dimensional pretty quickly.

At other end of spectrum you can also socialize with people who drift through life with no dreams for future with no goals that really excite them.

And somehow you knew how to stay motivated...

Goals are mysterious things - they spring into our minds motivating us to succeed, fuel fires of fantasy about success and new found happiness, initiate an almost manic effort to move our lives forward, and then - suddenly fire goes out.

What once motivated you to succeed, drove you to get up early and work late, now weighs in your mind as a failure in wings.

Don't despair.

The aftermath of best intentions often feels like failure, but a few simple questions to yourself every day will provide motivation to carry you through until your goal's completion.

Step 1: Repeat goal aloud.

Repeat it again. And again. Simple statements repeated aloud and often can trigger subconscious into action.

Choose your goal, and pick strong words that inspire you. As you say them aloud, pay attention to what words mean. If your goal is to practice bassoon, say aloud "I will practice bassoon and make beautiful music!" or "I will make my bassoon sing!"

Each statement rephrases initial goal, but does so in a way that refreshes and revitalizes initial excitement of your goal.

Step 2: Tell a good friend about your goal.

Talk openly about why you wanted to pursue your goal in first place, and what you hoped to achieve.