What is the simplest way to get yourself motivated to accomplish something? As a matter of fact, just answering that single question can be a great way to get your daily dose of motivation. Below I have laid out seven simple means for motivation that have been proven to work for myself and countless others as well. Certainly, they will work for you too.

1. Entertain your senses.

Take a moment and imagine the feeling of satisfaction at the end result to your effort in clear detail. The imagination drives many people to spend countless dollars on things such as miracle weight loss pills and get rich quick scams. You know the drill. You see an ad in a magazine or a commercial on late night television and your imagination does the rest of the work.

A gifted salesperson can have you out enjoying your brand new sport scar in your imagination in a matter of minutes, and you'll feel inspired to take action on that imagined thought to make it real. Now just take this same formula and sell yourself on any of your desired goals.

2. Get the word out.

Don’t we all love to talk on and on about things that we love? You bet! Those who know me well know that when I start talking about anything related to personal development I get pumped up. I mean really pumped up!

Find yourself a friend who is a good listener that you can trust and tell them all about your goals and aspirations. By talking about your goals you have just started the process of bringing your vision into fruition. You will feel that tiny spark start to turn into a flame which will then explode into a full blown fire.

Another benefit of talking to someone you can trust about your goal is that you will also be held accountable by the person who you are talking to. If you “talk the talk” then you have to “walk the walk” so this will guarantee to add spark to your motivation.

3. Utilize pain and pleasure for motivation.

Anyone who has been around the self help community for a while has probably heard of Anthony Robbins. He is a big advocate of utilizing the pain/pleasure principle in the art of motivation. Robbins teaches a technique called Neuro Associative Conditioning (NAC) which is similar to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). He advocates linking pain with not acting and pleasure with taking action.

Stop for a minute and think of what the scene may be like if you didn’t take action on your goal. What would life be like 6 months from now if you didn’t act? Just thinking about that vision alone will motivate you to take the necessary steps that you've been avoiding by linking pain to it.

Associating pain to not acting is only half of the equation though. Make sure you also link pleasure to the desired outcome and you will be well on your way to achieving your goal.

4. Be passionate.

If you are finding it a little difficult to get motivated to perform a particular task at hand that needs to get done, it might be a sign for you to find another hobby. But if it's just something that you don’t feel like doing, envision the end result it clearly in your mind and get pumped up about it.

Maybe you don't feel like working out today, but when you think about how good it will feel when you have the body of your dreams, you’ll get motivated.

5. Cultivate a positive mental attitude.

Stop and think about how much you get accomplished when you are depressed or just in a bad mood in general. I bet it’s not very much. It's almost impossible to be both depressed and motivated at the same time. It’s just not going to happen. Drive out these negative thoughts and feelings and you'll be sure to unleash your motivation.

You can raise your vibrations and put yourself in a better mood by doing something such as listening to your favorite music or watching a movie that inspires you. Music has always been a big motivator for me and it works like magic to raise my vibrations and put me in a positive mood. As a result, I am much more motivated and productive while performing tasks such as working out or even writing for that matter. I just find that I get a lot more accomplished while listening to my favorite tunes and I’m sure you will to.

6. Fuel your body with “real” energy.

Coffee or Red Bull can give you a good swift surge of power, but at some point you need some “real” energy to keep yourself motivated. Be sure to exercise on a regular basis, get enough quality sleep, and go easy on the sugar – the sugar crash that you experience will leave you sluggish which in turn will definitely destroy your motivation.

7. Just do something!

Last but not least, just DO SOMETHING! It doesn't matter if it is just a small step; it's the simple fact that you take it that will make the difference.

Commit to writing one sentence and before you know it you’ll have a complete article. Keep that going and you will eventually have written a novel. Clean one room in your house and the next thing you know you’re on a roll and can’t stop; before you know it the whole home is spotless.

The key is to create momentum. Any small step in the right direction creates perpetual motion. It can be compared to lighting some kindling to start a fire. What starts as a single spark in no time at all turns into a raging blaze. It's always the first step that is the hardest but once you take it the rest seems to just flow right along.

Now you have seven ways to get yourself motivated that will cost you absolutely nothing but a little effort. As with anything worthwhile in life, the key is to take action. So the next question is how do you get motivated to do that? Well, that’s entirely up to you. Another great motivator, by the way, can be just to laugh a little at the task at hand. Laughing often lightens up the feeling of totally being overwhelmed and can make even the toughest challenge seem like a small matter. There you have it, an extra bonus to add to your list.