Why is it that motivating others is easy, but you struggle to motivate yourself? There’s always another distraction to divert you from what you need to be doing; another task that needs to be done; another deadline that needs to be met. Somewhere else to divert your energy.
You need to learn how to do what needs to be done, no matter how you feel about it or how much you would prefer not to be doing it at all. One of the secrets of self-motivation is to get your internal gears turning the right way so that you recognize your own strength, self-worth and value. Let alone hard work. Exercising your self-motivation muscles builds inner strength.
No doubt you have goals you are working towards. Would you believe that the degree of self-motivation you allow yourself determines how hard you’re willing to work to achieve your desired results. True!
So, in a nutshell, with self-motivation, anything is possible for you. But, on the other hand, if it’s lacking in your life, then your life goals become insignificant, and you’ll likely not land up achieving them.
To always encourage yourself to do better and be better, you need to show yourself kindness and motivation. Without them, you’ll achieve very little in life. To help you get inspired, I rounded up the five secrets to self-motivation.
5 Secrets to self-motivation
1. Be confident
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – A. A. Milne
Having the confidence to stand up for your beliefs and dreams is one of the most critical aspects of self-motivation. Yet, it can get difficult mustering up confidence when your brain is wired to shy away from a challenge.
It takes more energy to embark on challenges. To help you rewire your thoughts and build up your confidence you need to acknowledge your achievements. I often ask my career coaching clients to prepare their chronological CV with 3 achievements in each role. Often, they groan at the thought and then they’re so pleased with themselves once they’ve done it. This exercise helps them to see how they are much more than how they feel about their current situation, and it reminds them of how much potential they have.
Once you have a list of your achievements, make a habit of writing one thing you achieved each day. And little by little those achievements will grow. That page will turn into two, then five, then a dozen—all the while creating a momentum that feeds your self-confidence and encourages you to continue.
2. Track your progress
“Talk to yourself about your successes; be sure you’re recognizing your own accomplishments, no matter how small they may be.” – Rhett Power
Now that you’ve started writing down your daily achievements, even if it’s just watering the plants, it’s important to keep track of how far you’ve come.
You can use something as simple as a to-do list where you cross each task as you get each one done. Or, if you want to be more general, just cross off the whole day.
There are also numerous apps and software tools that help you create a personalized digital task board which may make it easier to customize goals on a smaller scale, as well as all the way to the more time-consuming monthly and yearly goals. Personally, I prefer pen and paper because there is something that happens between handwriting a goal and crossing it off a list, that a digital task board can’t do. I keep a notebook for this, and every now and again I review the ticked tasks on my ‘to-do list’ and remind myself how much I have done and how much more I am capable of. I find it invigorating reviewing my list.
By tracking your progress, you hold yourself accountable. Plus, you wake up each day knowing exactly where to focus your time and energy, giving your life purpose and meaning.
3. Maintain a positive outlook
“There’s a direct correlation between positive energy and positive results.” – Joe Rogan
Maintaining a positive mindset can go a long way in boosting your self-motivation. It’s also a great tool to have when things don’t go as planned. Having a positive mindset helps you to stay curious and problem solve. A positive outlook can also help you see things from a different perspective.
When your brain expects positive results, your choices will be geared towards the more positive. You’ll also be less likely to blame others for the unexpected things that pop up in your life.
To do this, you need to be aware of your negative thought patterns. Then, each time you feel some negative thoughts starting to pop up, divert and replace them with positive ones immediately.
Another way to achieve this is by repeating positive affirmations in the morning to boost your motivation and confidence as you start your day.
4. Set realistic goals
“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.” – Benjamin E. Mays
Goals give your life a sense of direction, like a promise you make to yourself, then do your best to keep it.
For example, it could be something as simple as stopping work at a particular time or cutting back on sugar for a whole week. Or it could be something a bit more consuming, like working out each day for a month.
Whether it’s work, family, or something personal, the best way to set goals is to break them up into measurable tasks. This can be monthly, weekly, daily, or even by the hour—whatever works for you.
Another tip is to make the goal just challenging enough to pique your interest. Yet, it shouldn’t be too complex that you give up easily.
5. Surround yourself with supportive people
“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey
Having positive people who help you achieve your potential is a great way to increase your self-esteem. In return, this gives your internal motivation a nice boost.
They’re also great for holding you accountable. They motivate you and keep you pushing forward even when you don’t feel like getting out of bed. Because let’s face it, nobody wants to let someone down who’s always there for them through the good days and the bad. I’m into my 7th year with an accountability buddy and I love it! Knowing there’s someone out there wanting me to be successful and holding me accountable is helpful for when I get distracted by other things. We have become good friends over the years and our weekly calls have strengthened our relationship.
So, when you find yourself preferring to binge on a Netflix series in your work time rather than working towards your goals in even just a small way, remind yourself “It’s better to do it now and feel good afterwards, rather than avoid it with distractions a regret not acting when you first had the chance”
If you are feeling overwhelmed by what you need to get done and need some clarity and an accountability book in a confidential call and we can explore how you could start building your internal motivation, so you become unstoppable.
