People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.
Andrew Carnegie
If you want to excel in life, self motivation is essential. You must know how to motivate yourself. You must be able to keep your spirit high no matter how discouraging a situation is. That’s the only way to get the power you need to overcome difficulties. Those who are discouraged in difficult times are certain to lose even before the battle is over.
The question is: how do you motivate yourself? Here are several tips I’ve found to be effective to build self motivation:
1. Have a cause
I can’t think of a more powerful source of motivation than a cause you care about. Such cause can inspire you to give your best even in the face of difficulties. It can make you do the seemingly impossible things.
While other causes could inspire you temporarily, a cause that matters to you can inspire you indefinitely. It’s a spring of motivation that will never dry. Whenever you think that you run out of motivation, you can always come to your cause to get a fresh dose of motivation.
2. Have a dream. A big dream.
Only as high as I reach can I grow, only as far as I seek can I go, only as deep as I look can I see, only as much as I dream can I be.
Karen Ravn
Your cause is a powerful source of motivation but it’s still abstract in nature. You need to make it concrete in the form of a dream. Imagine how the world will be in the future. Imagine how people will live and work.
Having a dream is important because it’s difficult to be motivated if you don’t have anything to shoot for. Just think about people who play basketball. Will they be motivated to play if there is no basket to aim at? I don’t think so. They need a goal. You need a goal. That’s what your dream is for.
But just having a dream is insufficient. Your dream must be big enough to inspire you. It must be realistic but challenging. It must stretch your ability beyond your comfort zone.
3. Be hungry
Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.
Les Brown
To be truly motivated, you need to have hunger and not just desire. Having mere desire won’t take you through difficult times since you don’t want things badly enough. In many cases, hunger makes the difference between the best performers and the mediocre ones.
How can you have hunger? Your cause and your dream play a big role here. If you have a cause you care about and a big dream related to it, you should have the hunger inside of you. If you think that you are losing hunger, all you need to do is to connect again to your cause and dream. Let them inspire you and bring the hunger back.
4. Run your own race
I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Comparing yourself with others is an effective way to demotivate yourself. Even if you start with enthusiasm, you will soon lose your energy when you compare yourself with others.
Don’t let that happen to you. You have your own race so how other people perform is irrelevant. Comparing yourself with others is like comparing the performance of a swimmer with a runner using the same time standard. They are different so how can you compare one with the other?
The only competitor you have is yourself. The only one you need to beat is you. Have you become the best you can be?
5. Take one more step
Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
When you meet obstacles along the way, there could be the tendency to quit. You may think that it’s too difficult to move on. You may think that your dream is impossible to achieve. But this is where you can see the difference between winners and losers. Though both of them face the same difficulties, there is one thing that makes the winners different: the courage to continue.
In difficult situations, just focus on taking one more step forward. Don’t think about how to complete the race. Don’t think about how many more obstacles are waiting for you. Just focus on taking the next step.
6. Let go of the past
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Believe it or not, one of the best demotivators is your past. Your past can drag you down before you realize it. Your past can give you a heavy burden on your shoulders.
The good news is it’s a burden you don’t have to carry. Take it off your shoulder and leave it. You might make mistakes in the past. You might disappoint others with what you did. But it’s over. It’s already in the past and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Today is a new day and you have the chance to start again. No matter how bad your past might be, you still have a bright future ahead waiting for you. Just don’t let the burden of the past stop you.
***
Apply these tips and motivate yourself. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Let your self motivation take you to excellence.
This article is part of October 2008 theme: Winning Attitude
hi!am Bhavna,am in hsc(higher school certificate),i have worked quite well in my last exams,but now it is eve of exams i dont find any motivation to study!!help me out i have tried all types of motivation;;screensaver,motivational songs,counselling but none of them worked out!
hi bhavna ..see wat u need to do is make out first wats ur goal iss nd how much hard work u need for that …and thn think that u r on the position ..like if u wanna be a doctor thn start assuming ur slf as a doctor ..thn u’ll really reliase ur goal ..nd i m sure it will work ..
gud luck ….
I think you need to know what you want, and the next thing is to seriously find out, what it will take to reach there. If you think you have motivation, the best way to check how good the level of motivation is, when you find out how easily you are ready to leave your study for TV, Phone call or sleep.
You must have that so called dream around your neck, not on your bed.
” fake it untill you make it”, Bhavna. See yourself as the person you wanted to be ( your ambition ).
Eg: Doctor… see yourself as a successfull doctor, helping thousands of people, curing their diseases, easing their pain. See yourself being rewarded with many awards, see yourself being praised in the media, see yourself being called for talks/motivating other students/doctors.
Be a Succesfull doctor NOW! It will take you there, my dear.
All the best to you….
Yes I like, and ultimately I am the driver for my life journey.
(But we can,t refuse the motivation.) We need at least some time, some shadows, in our journey.
I made my blog about motivation. I really like it so much in creating blog. I try hard but I don’t get any idea how to make it interesting. Everyday checking on my blog not even a small tiny progress. Now I try so hard to gain my motivation back, but it seems so hard. Please help me guys!! Thanks
i really liked d above article written by andrew..it hlpd me alot to motivate myslf.m thanful to hv dis article.
I want to feel me again. i feel i am here for more than i am doing. i want to make a difference in other peoples lifes and help others . i want to be at the weight i am suppose to and feel good about me so i wont concentrate so hard on me.I want to make a difference in others and never quit caring about other people
I enjoyed the article Posted by Donald Latumahina. its quite motivational. thank you.
Confidence is important, but more important to maintain confidence!
I like the ideas presented here for Motivation, especially the one about ‘letting go of the past’. Personally, this is the biggie of moving forward toward my big dream.
Thanks so much. I think what did it for me was identifying the dream. All the other points are important as well. I just have to focus and narrow in.
Thanks again.
Initially,i thought that i’m just an idiotic fool but gradually i realized that i have a dream which is quite enormous and i wanted to make it realistic.I really wanted to pass my examination in flying colours in spite that i’m sitting for SPM in 2012 and wanted to motivate myself.
this is an awesome article .. great motivator !!
Hmmm… I was formerly having problem with convincing myself if actually am good or better than ” ?? next person and this is greatly making me feel they are better! But with this ‘Don’t learn ??? dance better than ” ?? next person but better than Urself’ makes me stronger and believe ??? take on ” ?? whole world in all I do now. .*”¢.¸( *”¢.¸?¸.”¢*´)¸.”¢*.
«´¨`°”¢.? ” ?ª??’s ?.”¢°´¨`»
¸.”¢* (¸.”¢*´?`*”¢.,)`*”¢. So Much
Thanks.It was a very helpful and encouraging article.
This article was a bunch of help thanks
Very good points, but from my experience as a life coach, helping people realize their life dreams, one can not overlook the powerful impact of ones’ “FAITH” and the impact that faith can have in one’s life, and self motivation pursuits.
If you look at the the really successful people in the world, apart from a strong driving will to succeed, people also have to have the faith that they will rise above and overcome. As a Christian believer in the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal savior and Lord of my life; Philippians 4:13 can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Develop the faith that only God can provide in your self motivation pursuits of accomplishing your God given talents and abilities in life.
Remember: Your Ability is only limited by your inability to take action…
motivation is key. at 76 years old i started writing a blog. at first it was hard to get started. now i’m blogging everyday. my motivation is that i don’t want to brain die. im afraid if i stop using it i’ll lose it. now i look forward to finding topics to write about. stop by my page and tell me what you think. buddyscott.wordpress.com
hi. im sepide . 30 years old. single. studying psychology at MA degree. i have passed a hard period of depression and now, after all those hard days, i have no hope to continue my studies, work, life, … . i wake up everyday and do the chores but i expect nothing special to happen, sure i mean sth positive. my counseler adviced me to read the articles about self motivation, so im here now.what u have said is nice but not practical for me. u know even if u tell me tomorrow im going to start my new life in heaven with whatever i wish, i have no feeling about it.nothing makes me happy. can u help me please?
you rockk gurrrll !
follow your dreams. I wanted to be tinker bell, now i am a flying fairy and i like to go to neverland with my husband peter pan. We love you. – The believers. I believe i can fly !!!!
Hi, most of us have gone through a hand to mouth and boring stage of life. The good thing is you are young and studying. Development is a long term effort that results in sustained results over the long term. during challenging times just keep one going one step at a time, challenging times dont last long, you are on the right track. Check out what’s affecting you and work on it systematically, and you will overcome the current hurdle.
let go of the past-
i don’t why, but the concept had never crossed my mind. Thanks, i feel much better now ^^
Hi. I am ready for IELTS in progess, but I realize that I don’t do my best and alway to find some excuses to esacpe it. the above article really make me know what I want and what I should do. thanks a lot.
What an article!awesome! am 23yr old very poor guy from bangalore, i stopped my education(+2) in 2007 due to powerty,now am doing BA(corres), in the mean time am working in cafe as a team member,now i am feeling like life is so bored i have a big dream(ias) i am trying to motivate my self but i could not, can any one suggest me?
good content…. enjoyed reading through your site……..keep up the work…….
please leave the past and live in today.don’t see your past look for future,believe me a good life is waiting for you.
Very good article, it can be such a challenge to illustrate that self motivation when you think about it is like a switch we all have internally, flip it one way and we feel like we can fly. Flip it the other and we can dive into a dangerous negative nose dive into the abyss. Excellent work
Richard
I feel awesome to read such a great essay on self motivation which motivated me a lot.
I’m in the military awaiting a medical discharge, and it’s starting to become difficult to motivate myself to work for an organization that doesn’t want me. I don’t have much to do at work, and making it to PT sessions have no longer become a priority, despite negative paperwork I have received. In reading this article, and writing down the 6 steps, I hope to regrasp my motivation and focus. It is not my intention to become one of those who “doesn’t give a shit” and become so unmotivated that I spend the last few months in trouble by my command. Any more advice?? I need help….
I want to be a confidence person, I want to be a talkative person, since i’m a silent man. I myself know that i’m the one who like hard working, but i’m not success with my current career yet. Please give me some tips to motivate myself which i can stand and do the presentation confidently to my customer side as well as other task.
I have gone through your tips above but i just need some more idea for this.
thank you in advance!
I can’t let go of de past & its realy dragging mi dwn
please leave the past and live in today.don’t see your past look for future,believe me a good life is waiting for you.and sucess in ur hands.its very true…………………………
As I am thirty five years old. I used to do trading business, it was quite good……. after three years i Got married that time itself it was in loss. I took loans for covering it up but i could not… Fifteen lakhs rupees of loan as already arranged n paid the loan amount to the Bank. Now I am un employed person. still searching a job not getting ………. but i got even their also i worked for eighteen days then they told me to leave…….. Already six months over still i am in search of a job…… I need some motivational techniques to achieve something in my life…….. Please guide us…
im a 23yr old lady with adaughter who is a year old.Im studing a diploma in technical financial accounting my problem is its simple for me to advise people how to handle life and give advise but i find it hard to practice what i say to them and put it in my use.im strugling to push my self to the top and do well in all my task that i do on a daily base.if any person can help plz i will b waiting to hear from u.
I have read so many article online but my problem is how to create a goal. I don’t have a goal all I do is to get my salary at the end of the month nothing to focus upon guys pls I desire tb great , Help me. Thanks to the Author.
These words are so true, i would like to keep in touch with these word
this is really a great reading for me because i understood that some of the reasons are correct.
Love the last point about letting go of your past… I’m 30, used to have a decent management job and had lots of friends from work, till I got greedy and misappropriated some funds from the company.. Long story short, I got fired and have been jobless for almost a year now.. The part which got me was the fact that not one of my friends from work contacted me since then.. There was a girl whom i’ve just started dating and would consider marrying – even she didnt call me, even though we were very close then.. During that period I thought of getting a job but with my qualification it is impossible to get a job 20% as decent as what I had.. I got over 10 years experience in d field I was in, that’s y i got my old jjob, but it’s a small field and people would know my past if I tried going in this line again… I didn’t want to start over because I felt shame, even the thought of working as a waiter for the time being to make ends meet and accidentally bumping into a former staff of mine terrifies me… Id rather go hungry than let that happen.. I’ve had enough of this… Life is too short to be worried all the time.. I’m just going to think of myself as an 18 year old fresh out of high school and start over.. Screw the past and focus on the present and future.. Tnx for d post..
Thank you for the article above motivational ourself.
Well guy, i was con about more than 800k, loss 4 houses and 4 cars, blacklisted and so on. Do i have any place in this world anymore? i asked my self earlier. You got to have ability to ‘persuade’ youself to move forward. I have 5 shop now, and going to open more. don’t give up. “I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.”
success is never guaranteed
[…] some tips to help with my self-motivation problem. Turns out Google is a great tool, and I found a blog post that answered my question perfectly. Some of the points that I related to the most include (i) Let […]
wow.. thanks for this beautiful article about motivate ourself.. great information..
take good care of ourselves.,
see opportunities,
execution opportunities.,
failure to make valuable lesson,.
thanks for this great article.
i hope those who have read this article, be more passion in life.
The messages are soo motivational and inspiring…. Great and thanks for such kind gift.
This article is so true. Thank you for share with the people up there and i like it alot
I wish I could do this tips. Thank you.
I will definitly be trying these steps! Thanks.
That was wonderful. Just wonderful. I think I should have another read tomorrow. (: that k you for taking your time to write this. And thank you readers for supporting such a wonderful thing. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!
Nicely written and some excellent tips. I especially like the tip to think hunger instead of desire. It seems more personal, more dire, as if it needs to happen or else. That is the motivation I need to press through and leave my legacy for the world. Thank you.
very encouraging, this is an encouraging bits for people who have lost their value in life.
Boosted me…..
thankyou u soooo much
I have a big dream big goal like getting Rich…bt i dont do anything for it…
I watch motivated movies videos bt still nothing do…
Motivate me plz
Dear Harshit,
Just a story if that can tell you what i want to say, once a potter wanted to be rich, very rich as he saw a woodcutter who was getting rich each day, he saw all that guy was doing is working just two hrs a day then sit back and sell his wood throughout the day.
The potter decided to do the same, make a pots for just two hrs and then sit. days passed by he was not getting customers now. He went to ask the woodcutter how he is earning it. The woodcutter said ” my work is only to cut wood, on my way to cut wood, i make sure i have customers already waiting, this way i know the demand and supply”, I am not merely sitting after working for 2 hrs a day.
similarly,motivation videos can keep you motivated when you are working and you need an extra outer motivation, they will not work for you to make you rich.
I just stumbled on your page while finding a topic for my next motivational speech for my students. It’s a nice post with quotes from all big famous personalities. Just a suggestion, if you add some real life examples which we face day to day when motivation is needed. For example : the motivation story of eat the frog first, or the deaf frog.
I like making a deal with myself. When I was trying to write my graduate thesis, I would tell myself that if I just wrote one sentence, I could go to the beach but usually after I wrote one sentence, another one just came along and I ended up writing quite a bit. Every once in a while, I did go to the beach but mostly, it worked out.