Self Motivation
What does self-motivation mean, the dictionary says, “able and willing to work without being told what to do”. Therefore, self-motivation is an important skill to have. It drives you to keep going even when you are faced with setbacks in achieving your goals.
Here are some ways to help keep you motivated.
Start your day with gratitude and appreciation.
Be thankful for how you feel, and when you are asked, “how are you today?” give a positive answer, “I am fantastic, excellent or great” G.R.E.A.T. stands for Getting Really Excited About Today. You may be thinking about what I have to be excited about. Start living each day as the greatest day of your life, be excited for another day to help your friends and family, be a positive influence. Self-motivation should start the minute you wake up. Do something special for you; this could be your regular skincare routine, a shower with a special shower gel, be creative; if you struggle to do nice things for yourself, you are unlikely to be helpful or productive for others.
Reward yourself.
After being good to yourself, reward yourself; this can be any small treat or your breakfast. Preferably something that is repeated. It is easier to keep yourself motivated when you provide recognition to yourself.
Self-motivation has to come from you.
No one can give you self-motivation, you can be motivated by getting money or other outside influences, but that is not lasting; it can be taken away at any time. Live your life from the inside out, not the outside in and embrace enduring self-motivation.
Taking control of your life
There are things you cannot control, for example, the weather, traffic, what other people say or do. If you cannot control something, just let it be. There are things in life that are possible to control, like your thoughts, your ego, your reactions, and your attitude. These are all part of self-motivation. Changing your perspective on life will boost your self-motivation.
Know yourself.
Answer these questions, be honest for the most beneficial results to improve your self-motivation. You may wish to work with a trusted friend or therapist to dig deeper into your thoughts.
- What are your values?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- What motivates you?
- What demotivates you?
- What are your fears and perceived limitations?
- How can you overcome them?
- What are your negative habits?
- What positive habits can replace them?
What you want from life.
Self-motivation is a necessary to achieve your goals and dreams, write your dreams and goals down.
Set out an action plan, break it down into small steps. Take action on your plan. Self-motivation is the actual doing. Thinking about it leads to procrastination. Give yourself permission to learn; this may mean failing once or twice before you get it right. This is normal; think about how a toddler learns to walk.