Self-Motivation

Self-Motivation

Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things. 

Self-motivation is far from being a simple topic; there are many books, webpages and articles that attempt to explain self-motivation and some top academics have dedicated their life’s work to trying to understand, model and develop motivation theory

Self-motivation is a key life skill and something that everybody interested in personal development should think carefully about.  

Motivation pushes us to achieve our goals, feel more fulfilled and improve overall quality of life.  People who are self-motivated tend to be more organised, with good time management skills and have more self-esteem and confidence.

Understanding and developing your self-motivation can help you to take control of many other aspects of your life.

Setting Personal Goals

We all have an inbuilt desire to achieve, what we want to achieve is personal to us and this may change through life.  At school you may want to achieve good grades, later you may want to pass your driving test or get a job.  People want to know that they have achieved, or have the ability to achieve something of value, meaning or importance.  Generally, the more people achieve, the more self-confident they become.  As self-confidence rises so does the ability to achieve more.  Conversely, when people fail to achieve and meet their goals, self-esteem and confidence can suffer, impacting on their motivation to achieve more.

Life Goals

It is important to remember, when thinking about what you would like to achieve in your life, that change is inevitable.  Your circumstances and priorities will change through your life, you may realise, at the age of 40 that you are never going to be a concert pianist – as you had planned when you were 19.  However if you take the right steps from the age of 19 then there is nothing to stop you achieving this potential goal. 

Making Your Goals SMART:

It can be useful to make your goals and sub-goals fit the SMART criteria. 

That is goals should be:

• S Specific – make each goal specific, so you know exactly what it is.
• M Measurable – make each goal measurable so you know how you are progressing.
• A Attainable – don’t set impossible goals, make sure each goal and sub-goal is attainable.
• R Relevant – make your goals relevant.  Ensure your sub-goals are relevant to your life goals.
• T Timed – set time-limits or deadlines for when to achieve each goal.

Keep Motivated

Finally it is important to keep track of what you want to achieve and stay motivated to do so.  To keep your motivation levels up try to:

1. Learn and Acquire Knowledge
2. Keep the Company of Enthusiastic People
3. Keep Positive
4. Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
5. Do it
6. Get Help and Help Other