Typically, we don’t worry about self-motivation because so much of life involves our doing those things that we have to do. For instance, in order to survive, you have to work at a job in order to pay for things like food, clothing and shelter. You don’t need to be self-motivated to get up in the morning and go to work because your survival depends on it!
Self-motivation only becomes an issue when we want the non-essential things in life. When we want luxuries or extras, we need to be motivated because we don’t have to have those things in order to live.
For example, you don’t have to have a ton of money in order to survive in life. You only need to make enough money to pay for your basic necessities. If you want more than that out of life, you need to motivate yourself to earn more money. As a result, you need to be motivated to either work more hours, or work at a higher paying, more demanding job.
Alternatively, you may dream of taking a trip around the world or living in a beautiful home. Or, you may want to lose a certain amount of weight, or complete a marathon. None of those things are necessities in life. You can live just fine without any of those things. They are extras. And getting the extras in life takes self-motivation.
So, if you want more out of life than just the bare minimum, you have to motivate yourself to do more than what is absolutely required. In short, you have to be willing to go that extra mile.
Consider implementing some of the below self-motivation strategies below. If you do, you will find yourself going from bare minimum living to living the life of your dreams.
To Motivate Yourself Today, Decide What You Want Your Future to Look Like
Your future, in part, will be decided by what you do today. If that isn’t a motivating reason to go the extra mile right now, I don’t know what is.
For example, your future health will be decided by how you treat your body today. Realize that outside of genetic diseases, your physical health 10 years from now will be determined by how you treat your body today. So, if these days, you are exercising and eating healthy foods, then your body will be in pretty good shape in the future. However, if you currently smoke, eat junk food and don’t exercise, your body a decade from now will reflect those bad behaviors.
The same holds true for our careers and our relationships. The positive efforts we make today (or fail to make today) will impact us professionally and personally for years to come. For instance, if you treat your spouse poorly today, don’t be surprised if a year or two from now, your spouse leaves you. By contrast, if you are good to your spouse today, you are laying the foundation for a great relationship with your spouse in the future.
So, if self-motivation is a problem for you, consider what you want your future to look like. And then realize that it is only by working hard today that you will create the future of your dreams.
To Stay Motivated, Set Daily Tasks, Not Future Deadlines for Your Big Goal
To increase your self-motivation, don’t set a deadline for any big goal. That is recipe for frustration. Big goals are complicated ones. And typically, big goals have a lot of variables at play that are outside your control.
For instance, let’s say that your big goal is to establish a successful florist shop. There are many aspects to creating a successful business that will be outside your control. You will need a loan from a bank and a location that has a reasonable rent. Those are items that are outside your control. You can neither control whether the bank gives you a loan, nor whether there are affordable retail spaces available for rent. So, setting a deadline for accomplishing that goal is pointless.
Instead, focus on doing small daily tasks that incrementally get you closer to accomplishing your goal. For instance, one day you may focus on filling out a loan application. Another day, you may do some research on flower providers in the area. Another day, you may work with a realtor to look at commercial properties for rent. And each day, you will make progress toward your goal.
If you set a deadline for your big goal, e.g. I will be operating a successful florist shop by July 1st, you will get discouraged with every delay. And if you don’t meet your July 1st deadline, you’ll feel like you’ve failed, when that isn’t true. Rather, you have just taken a bit longer to accomplish a very challenging goal.
By accomplishing something small each day toward your goal, it’s much easier to stay motivated. When you do so, each day when you do one small thing to accomplish your goal, you’ll feel like a success. Moreover, by taking an incremental step toward your goal each day, you’ll eventually get there!
Self-Motivation Requires You to Believe in Yourself
In order to be motivated to accomplish any big goal, you have to believe that you have what it takes to accomplish that goal. Otherwise, at the first bump in the road, you’ll give up. You’ll figure, “I’d better stop wasting my time. I just don’t have what it takes.”
Let me let you in on a little secret: You have what it takes to accomplish your dreams. Successful people aren’t successful because they have brains, beauty or some special gift. Rather, successful people are folks who 1. Are willing to work harder than anyone else, and 2. Don’t get discouraged by failures on the path to success. That’s it.
So, to stay self-motivated when working toward a goal, don’t worry about whether you have what it takes. Instead, worry about whether you have the ambition and work ethic to get you to that goal. Because those are the two things that stand between you and success.
If you are struggling with self-motivation, consider using the techniques above. Realize that the only thing standing between you and your goals is your motivation. Get motivated, and see dreams become a reality! (To read more about motivation tips to accomplish your goals, click here.)
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