From time to time, each of us inevitably faces certain difficulties in life. All of them are connected with different areas of our lives: work, business, family, friends, finances, etc. But there are situations when difficulties relate not to something external, but specifically to ourselves and our internal state. The biggest problem of all the problems that affects a person most strongly is internal imbalance. One of the manifestations of this imbalance is the lack of desire to take any action, develop and achieve goals. In other words, it is a lack of motivation. And if you can sometimes influence someone else with enviable ease, then it can be very, very difficult to effectively influence yourself. In this article we will talk about practical ways of self-motivation, putting into practice that any person can rekindle within himself the unbridled desire to move forward with his head held high.
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Without long introductions, let's get straight to the point.
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The first method: leave aside everything unnecessary
You must learn to ignore everything that distracts you from achieving your goals and pushes you off your intended path. Developing this skill is not that difficult, but the results you get from using it can be amazing. Take some free time to think about what your plans for life are. Think about what tasks you have set at the moment and realize whether you need absolutely all of them. Surely, you can find something that does not require your effort and that you can simply throw aside. It happens that some aspirations are imposed on us by society, advertising, even parents. If you really want something, keep only this for yourself and forget about the rest. Anything unnecessary is a psychological burden that prevents you from using your full potential to achieve what you really need. The energy released as a result of ignoring everything unnecessary will constantly fuel you and increase your personal productivity.
The Importance of Skill Development
Self-motivation as the art of motivating oneself has an inextricable connection with beliefs, life aspirations, desires and almost everything that is important to an individual. All this can just push you to take certain actions.
Self-motivation is what sometimes allows you to achieve results that a person could previously only dream of. Having the ability to motivate yourself is one of the many factors that separates those who achieve success from those who simply go with the flow.
Developing self-motivation is necessary because no one is born motivated. A motivated person is able to rise above circumstances, because he shows less self-pity and, accordingly, is able to get up early in the morning and do more things in the most effective way.
Method two: Keep a “Success Journal”
A success journal is a very effective tool for motivating yourself. It is a kind of diary in which you must record all your achievements. Even the smallest ones. This could be a successful acquaintance that occurred on your initiative, praise from your boss for a well-prepared report, an increase in income, getting rid of a bad habit, etc. It is advisable to keep this diary every day, because every day is filled with many events, among which there will certainly be good ones. The more you write down, the more success you will have in your journal. Scroll through and read it in the morning and evening, and whenever you are in a bad mood and feel low energy, loss of motivation, or feel like you are standing still and not making progress. Visually displaying all your successes and achievements will give you a new positive charge and strength to continue to act.
Using Reframing
A special exercise that allows you to see something from a different angle that was previously inaccessible to perception is called reframing. An example is the situation with a glass of water, which for a person with a pessimistic attitude seems half empty, and for an optimist - half full.
Having an idea of a person’s attitude (optimistic or pessimistic), it is more than likely to predict his actions in a given situation. While an optimist strives for something, a pessimist's habitual action is avoidance.
Managers are able to influence their employee to develop a more positive perception of the surrounding reality, as well as contribute to the development of the skill of understanding the other side of what is happening. And all this is achieved with the help of reframing, the construction of which is carried out according to the following principles:
- Constructing more optimistic interpretations of what is happening while only the negative side is visible to the naked eye.
- Finding personal advantages for an individual in a given situation.
- Making favorable comparisons.
- A game of contrasts.
With all these principles, the use of reframing does not allow lying or substitution of facts. All characteristics of the other side of what is happening must actually take place in reality.
Although some managers prefer to conduct training sessions for their employees along the lines of “33 Ways to Self-Motivate,” sometimes it makes sense to simply demonstrate reframing to your subordinates and show how useful it is in relation to self-motivation, because this technique has repeatedly proven its effectiveness.
The third way: work in a suitable environment
At first glance, this may seem naive, but in fact, the environment around us has a very strong influence on our mood and our motivation. Where you work doesn't matter. But if your workplace is in disarray, dusty, everything is not the way you like it, or the environment generally irritates you, be sure to correct this state of affairs. You should work in an atmosphere that suits you, gives you positive emotions, where you feel comfortable and comfortable. Clean up, arrange everything the way you like, use your creativity: hang a couple of pictures that inspire you, stick on stickers with motivational messages, put a book next to you that you like to read, turn on your favorite music. “Your” environment will have a beneficial effect on you and contribute to productive work, because you will enjoy being in it.
Time factor
Gary Vaynerchuk, a Belarusian immigrant, now a businessman who has achieved incredible success in America, once uttered the most motivating words of his life:
One day I will die.
These seemingly depressing thoughts pushed him to live every day as if it were his last.
The time factor creates three forms of self-motivation, these are:
- Low. When a person simply prefers an activity. Emotions in this form are not enough for an individual to mobilize himself “right here and now.”
- Average. This form appears when an important but not urgent task comes up.
- High. Here the stimulus of emotions is at such a level when the individual has practically no choice but to do it right now.
We can conclude that the time factor has a significant impact on what priority is given to certain tasks.
Method four: set clear goals
Setting goals has an extremely motivating effect on a person. First, when you practice goal setting, you automatically start thinking about exactly the things that motivate you. Secondly, when setting goals, you think about the time frame for achieving each of them, which already brings their achievement closer and serves as an additional motivator. Thirdly, when you think about your goals and their achievement, you unconsciously think through various options for their implementation. It’s not for nothing that they say that thoughts are material. The energy impulses of your thoughts will attract more and more new events into your life, which, quite likely, will open for you, figuratively speaking, those doors that were previously closed. For effective goal setting today, there are a considerable number of effective methods. You can familiarize yourself with some of them here and here.
Give up your routine
Take a thorough look at what activities you perform on a daily basis. There is a high probability that a significant part of them does not bring the result that you planned to get, but instead only takes away precious energy.
You can completely calmly let go of things that are already boring and not needed at all. Reserve your energy for accomplishments that will have a real impact on your life.
It will be useful to create a small environment for yourself with accessories that create an atmosphere of coziness and comfort. They will help in adapting to changes.
Fifth method: use motivating materials
This method is one of the most motivating. It lies in the fact that you systematically (for example, half an hour or an hour a day) get acquainted with the success stories of different people. And you can find a great many such stories. Watch feature films and documentaries that talk about how someone achieved success. Read books and articles, listen to motivating audio recordings. Thanks to the Internet, today you can find an incredible amount of a wide variety of motivating materials on almost any topic. By practicing this method regularly, you will be able to provide yourself with a constant flow of only the information you need, which will charge you with creative energy, change the direction of your thinking towards achieving success and motivate you. In addition, success stories of different people are clear examples of the fact that any person can achieve the most amazing results.
Other engines
Many people tend to complain about the lack of this very motivation, energy, and will to live. Some people sometimes find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Sometimes in such situations, the effective solution may not be motivation at all.
Although it is certainly one of the most important behavioral drivers, it is far from the only one. Sometimes the solution to the question: “Where do I get energy?” - is not a search for 100 ways to self-motivate, but setting a mission or developing habits that a person did not have before.
Sometimes, instead of looking for the cherished motivation, you need to remove certain internal barriers that do not allow you to move on, to eradicate self-pity. And sometimes simple rest is the most effective solution.
Sixth method: perform different tasks
Thanks to various psychological studies, it is already known for certain that constant work on one project tends to tire and become boring. If you do only one thing for a long time, then the state of fatigue sets in much faster than in situations where you do different things. If you feel that you are starting to get tired of what you are doing, stop, switch your attention to something else, do some small but unrelated task, or just rest. Take a break and take a break. After some time, your strength will be restored, and you will be able to do what you were doing with new strength and renewed motivation.
Non-stop forward movement
Methods of self-motivation mainly consist of correctly managing the forms of “preferred”, “important” and “needed right now”. Self-mobilization reaches an optimal level when at least two forms change into “I can.”
A person is able to show the best of all possible results when all three forms change. This happens, as a rule, when a person’s occupation is the work of his whole life.
In such a situation, a person maintains his level of motivation even at the end of his strength and when significant obstacles arise.
The seventh method: rejoice in defeat
It sounds a little strange, but this is how you need to act. Defeats and failures should be rejoiced, not grieved over them. The fact is that absolutely all successes, achievements, failures and defeats are the result of our actions. As they say, you need to learn from mistakes. Therefore, treat defeats as teachers. This is precisely the litmus test that will show how competently and effectively we act. If something is wrong, we need to reconsider our plan of action and think over a new strategy. Thomas Edison, inventing the light bulb, constantly failed. When they asked him why he didn’t stop after he failed a thousand times, he answered that, having suffered a thousand defeats, he learned a thousand ways to make a light bulb. Adhere to this position in your activities.
How motivation works in practice
In order for motivation to work in real conditions, it must be managed. That is, first you need to create it, and then support it in every possible way and try to ensure that it does not fall below the required level.
You can create motivation in the following way:
- encouraging;
- forcing;
- creating a situation.
In addition to all this, when managing motivation, it is necessary to take into account the distinctive features of a person and his qualities. Thus, for a person who is unable to enjoy the process of work, the result will be a much more motivating factor.
When managing motivation, it is also important to consider whether a person is prone to frequent emotional reactions or whether he is mainly accustomed to being guided by his mind.
Eighth way: communicate with the best
Believe me, this method can dramatically change your whole life for the better. In order to become better, you need to communicate with people who are better than you in some ways. In order to achieve high results, you need to communicate with people whose results are better than yours. This will inevitably lead you to personal growth and conquering new heights. But, besides this, you need to strive to communicate not only with the best, but also with positively minded people. The fact is that there is such a category of people as negative people. They are always complaining about something, constantly whining about problems, judging other people and being skeptical about any success. Communication with them is an anchor that pulls you to the bottom. It sounds tough, but it’s worth “filtering” your social circle and trying to interact with negative people to a minimum. Meet those who are positive, who are motivated, enjoy life, smile and joke, no matter what. After some time, you will be very surprised that the quality of your life has improved, and you yourself have become a more cheerful and happy person.
— Techniques and rules of self-motivation.
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1) Image of the goal. I know exactly what I'm going to get when I reach my goal, and that's something I really enjoy. I want it so much that I'm willing to work really hard to get it!
2) Positive reinforcement. I’m taking my first steps, and I like my job. I know that I am good at it, doing this business gives me pleasure!
3) Setting tasks. I formulate the task in such a way that I have no resistance to completing it. I break the task down into simple, understandable steps so that progress is natural and effortless.
4) Praise. I care about my own motivation, so I praise myself for every success, and rarely criticize - solely for the purpose of motivating me.
5) Books, videos. I know there are books, movies and videos that motivate me. When I need motivation, I just turn them on and get the boost I need.
6) Excitement. I love to compete! Any business turns into a game for me, a competition either with myself or with other people. Agree, playing is much more interesting and easier than straining!
7) Ambition. Why am I worse than others? I'm better than others! I will take it and do it to spite everyone. Let others be afraid and lazy, I’m great, I’m bolder, faster, smarter and more creative! I will be the best!
Like-minded people. When I discuss my business with my friends, like-minded people, I feel that I am doing such interesting and important things that I already want to start working as soon as possible!
9) My past successes. I know that on my way there were more difficult tasks, but I completed them with an A plus! I was not afraid and came out victorious. It was so before, so it will be now!
10) Environment. I am surrounded by such purposeful people, for whom the question of self-motivation is not even an issue - they are full of energy. I see them every day, I communicate with them - I am one of them!
Find out how to increase motivation!
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Ninth way: understand that fear is normal
Many people have big goals and plans for life, but never achieve anything. Fear hinders them. He fetters all their thoughts and movements, like little rabbits who saw a wolf. Understand that it is normal to feel fear. The only difference is that for some fear is a reason to fold their arms and do nothing, while for others it is an incentive to grow, develop and achieve success. Go forward even if you are afraid of failure. This is the only way you can test your strength and find out what you are capable of. It's better to try something and find out whether it worked out for you or not, than to hesitate and never find out. Make your fear your ally, which will always motivate you to take action. Naturally, you shouldn’t rush into the pool headlong - always maintain sobriety and composure.
Build up endorphins
A hormone called “endorphin” is considered by many to be a kind of drug, since with the release of this hormone in the body comes bliss. Physical activity can lead to such a release. A light walk, a short jog or even the most ordinary exercise will do.
At the same time, at times it is simply necessary to relax to replenish your strength. Comedies, funny stories, jokes and anecdotes will relieve tension and allow you to discard unnecessary seriousness. Humor is one of the best cures for stress.
You don't want to take on an unbearable burden by trying to complete a bunch of different tasks without stopping. Overworking can destroy your self-motivation and lead to severe exhaustion.
Instead of trying to do everything at once, it is wise to take some time between tasks to recuperate. Attempting to accomplish something huge at once threatens with a decrease in quality and unnecessary nerves.
Tenth way: develop your inner world
The desire to develop their inner world is common to most successful people. Try to keep your inner world clean and protect it from the invasion of any negative factors that destroy it and have a destructive effect. The consequence of such “hygiene” will be a free flow of thoughts, a sense of harmony, the development of intuition, inner lightness and even better physical condition and well-being. And as the most effective methods for protecting your inner world from destruction and developing it, we can recommend practices such as meditation, reading mantras, mindfulness practice, etc.
And finally, one more effective recommendation : always remember that time tends to pass and life passes. And it’s up to you how you live it: will you remain among those who failed to grow themselves, letting your whole life take its course, forgetting about your goals and betraying your dreams, or will you pull yourself together and make yourself the way you want and will be able to achieve what you want more than anything in the world! Think about the fact that you will always have the opportunity to throw up your hands and head, cry and become a slave to circumstances. But only today and only now can you decide to become a winner - a winner over your fears, your insecurities, your bad habits and, ultimately, over yourself!
Dear readers, leave your comments and share your opinions. Which of the above methods did you find most effective? What else can you recommend to people who want to increase their motivation and learn to be in a state of psychological readiness to take action more often?
We also recommend reading:
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- How to learn to motivate yourself
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- Stress Diary
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- Personal Effectiveness with the Why Habit
- How to sleep and relax more
- 7 Rules of Motivational Speaker Zig Ziglar
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Key words:1Self-knowledge
Other factors
In addition to the time factor, which gives self-activation various forms, its formation is significantly influenced by:
- Internal barriers. In most cases they arise due to low self-esteem.
- Individual characteristics. For example, there are people who naturally have increased energy reserves, but their organization may suffer.
- General development. Those individuals whose ambitions are able not to come into conflict with laziness often easily find a variety of excuses for their failures.
- Age. Children and the elderly usually have much more difficulty with self-activation and using self-motivation methods.
In the process of working on assigned tasks, this skill plays a key role. In order to develop it, self-motivation exercises were developed.
Practical psychology in this case does not involve the use of any complex techniques. Exercises that will allow you to feel a surge of energy are quite simple.
Our ancestors were not lazy
During the early development of mankind, when we had no roof over our heads except the high vault of caves or in wild forests, where ferocious predators lay in wait everywhere, we were hardly bothered by laziness.
Most likely, every moment of our life we were on guard, not counting the time of sleep . It is now that we no longer have to survive, hide from predators and get food, in the hope that we ourselves will not become prey, that we allow ourselves to lie on the couch. Warm and safe.
Of course, we cannot exclude the factor of being busy in uninteresting work, which drains all our strength and negates all enthusiasm.
