Research shows changing your perspective from first to third person is an effective strategy for increasing motivation. Try it; maybe you'll achieve your life goals!

Increasing motivation doesn't have to be expensive, difficult or scary. Achieving your life goals can be as easy as changing your perspective from first to third person.

Can changing your perspective from "I" to "she" or "he" actually improve psychological disorders? Perhaps that's asking too much – but psychologists have found that changing your perspective helps people achieve life goals such as weight loss or saving money.

An objective third person perspective not only increases motivation, it can also influence your "interpretation of past events" says Cornell psychology professor Thomas Gilovich. "Looking at yourself from an outside observer's perspective can help accentuate the changes you've made more than using a first person perspective." This works in increasing motivation to change, which will propel you towards achieving your life goals!

What Research Shows About Increasing Motivation

In research about increasing motivation, study participants recalled past experiences with or memories of psychotherapy from either their own perspective (first person, using "I") or an objective point of view (third person, using "he" or "she"). Volunteers then considered how much change or growth they experienced since the event. Those who remembered the event from the third person perspective reported more progress – and they also acted out more positive behavioral changes – than those who recalled memories from the first person. Increasing your motivation can be strongly affected by a change in viewpoint.

Remembering events from the third person makes you perceive more changes than if you remembered in the first person, especially if you're specifically looking for changes or the achievements you've made. So, increasing motivation and achieving life goals may be as simple as changing your perspective.

How to Increase Motivation in Real Life

What life goals are you striving towards (or wish you were working on)? Think of your first step or hurdle towards your goal. Take writing a book, for instance. When you're increasing your motivation, don't say "I wrote three sample chapters and drafted a rough book proposal." Instead, say "She wrote three sample chapters and drafted a rough book proposal." Increasing your motivation helps if you pretend you're your own mother, and marvel a little at how much you've achieved!

It's worthwhile to note that in his study, Gilovich used situations in which making personal change is likely. What about those people who aren't likely to change or who think their goals are impossible? What if they thought of themselves and their goals in the third person – would they actually see changes or steps towards their goals? The research isn't clear, but it seems that increasing your motivation works when you want to change.

Changing Your Perspective to Achieve Your Life Goals

Life – your past achievements, future goals, current struggles or successes – hugely depends on your perspective. Increasing motivation depends on your focus, because your focus changes your attitude and mood.

Try changing your perspective from third to first person, and see if it makes a difference in helping you achieve your life goals.

If you enjoyed Increasing Your Motivation, try:

• How Visualization Works
• Achieving Your Weight Loss Goals
• Inspirational Quotations for Women