How to motivate yourself: 5 time-tested approaches

What is self-motivation

The definition of motivation originates from the Latin movere - movement. Self-motivation is motivating oneself to take active action. It is also aimed at regulating a person’s internal state, setting him up in a certain way to achieve a goal or final result.

What is self-motivation - what many people face when they want to achieve what they want. Motivating yourself is not an easy process. This is done gradually, step by step, overcoming difficulties and obstacles.

The simplest possible form of motivation is aimed at satisfying the basic needs of the human body. No one has problems forcing themselves to eat dinner, sleep or quench their thirst. Problems arise with things that require more physical or psychological effort.

It’s difficult to force yourself to quit smoking, not eat sweets before bed, lose weight, or run in the morning when there are so many things to do and distractions around. Self-motivation will help with this.

The motives of each individual person are different. Conventionally, they can be divided into two main groups:

Positive. Those that represent something pleasant that a person can receive at the end of his activity, for example, a bonus payment, a trip to the sea, and so on;
Negative - occur when a person is driven by fear, for example, of being fined, fired or punished.

As practice shows, positive goals motivate much better and more effectively. Nobody likes to work under pressure. Although even this does not always work, and additional efforts must be made. How to find motivation to live is sometimes more difficult, but the task is not unattainable.

Why do people lose motivation?

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Self-confidence and motivation are necessary for everyone, but it happens that a person loses them. A striking example is when you start something and can’t finish it. How to motivate yourself, and why you lose faith in yourself:

A person stops seeing the positive sides. Only the negative ones remain. The longer you fail to cope with a task, the stronger your lack of confidence in your own capabilities becomes;
The ultimate goal and its benefits are forgotten. This happens when a person faces great difficulties;
The assigned tasks are considered impossible. How to do something like this? The answer is no. This can happen if the bar is too high, the psyche simply cannot cope.
Opportunities are not used to their full potential. Many people deliberately underestimate themselves in the eyes of others and their own;
Fear of difficulties. It happens that a person wants more, but does not want to make any effort to achieve the result. This is how human psychology works;
Finding someone to blame is a reluctance to take responsibility for one’s own actions and mistakes. It's always easier to blame someone else for failure;
Wasteful use of time. Unmotivated people tend to waste time. At the same time, they often create the appearance of action. Time management is the science of using your time correctly.

Finding someone to blame

Important! Regardless of the circumstances, having realized the problem that has arisen, a person is able to cope with it. Setting a specific goal is sometimes not enough. More often than not, much more is required.

Summary

So, we looked at 9 simple recommendations from successful people to motivate themselves:

Use the chameleon effect and get motivated by other people and the environment;
Communicate your goals publicly and make mutual commitments to others;
For each task on your list, add a place and time where and when you will do it;
Periodically return to your main source of inspiration, remind yourself what it’s all for;
Take short walks to help your brain regain its ability to concentrate;
Play sports before making important decisions - it strengthens willpower;
Remind yourself of the importance of the future consequences of your actions;
Finish what you start before starting new ones.

Do you have effective ways to motivate? Share your life hacks in the comments.

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Key words:1Psychoregulation

Where to start

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How to set a goal and motivate yourself to achieve it? According to the report of the famous psychologist Lebedev, “any business should begin with a positive attitude.” This approach is really important, but there are other steps that should be taken first.

Basic techniques for self-motivation:

Honesty to yourself and others. It is worth admitting to yourself whether a given goal is achievable and whether a person is capable of achieving it. Admitting to oneself that one is unable to do something can be very difficult;
Set priorities correctly. Here it is also important to separate what is really important and what is better to abandon;
You need to learn to be happy, and not look like it. There is no need to try to achieve success in the eyes of others, the main thing is to understand that the goal is gradually approaching;
Finding something you love. It is very difficult to find a job that will be completely satisfying both psychologically and financially, but it is better to try. If it doesn’t work out, then you can find a hobby that brings pleasure and really works;
Rest is also needed. You can’t devote all your time to work and achieving your long-term results. The body definitely needs to rest and switch. You should try to spend more time with your family, relax in front of the TV or even the computer;
How to motivate yourself - you should take life easier. It is worth abandoning the imposed stereotypes that only make you upset, for example, the opinion that a man at 30 should already have a wife, child, car and mortgage. Whoever needs it, let him start it;
Proper nutrition makes the body work more productively.

The body needs rest

GIVE UP ALL GOALS THAT ARE NOT “YOUR”

Think about what and for what you live. Is your life worth the effort you make? Analyze what motivated you until today? Why do you want to self-motivate?

Perhaps you will identify several goals imposed on you - by parents, society, relatives or close people.

Give up goals that no longer resonate with yours. After getting rid of such a psychological burden, your wings will grow, and you will want to do what you really “like”

How to learn to motivate yourself

How to find motivation to live, create, work? Don't forget about the individual approach. Each individual has his own perception of the world, values and life guidelines. You should focus only on your own capabilities, and not on the achievements of your colleagues.

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Inspiration helps you achieve maximum results. It is necessary to exclude violence against oneself. It’s quite difficult to do this within working hours, but it’s still worth a try. If something doesn't go well today, it might be better to put it off until tomorrow or at least for a few hours. Effective work also implies the following rules:

The body must get enough rest;
You should set your own rhythm, without focusing on others;
When working on something, you should focus on only one task.

Another method of self-motivation is creating the right rhythm. Most problems arise quite naturally. If you put the work on stream, then there will be no problems, and things will work out on their own.

Important! Don't get hung up on your own expectations.
Then a person stops trying to subordinate everything around him to his will, thereby taking on extra responsibility and burden. If you don't do this, you can break down psychologically and physically.

Reasons for avoiding things:

Why do we even have to motivate ourselves?

Fear that the activity we take on will turn out to be useless.
Laziness and procrastination because “there’s no hurry, everything can wait.”
We deceive ourselves by finding eternal excuses for our idleness (“There is still a lot of time ahead,” “Nothing will happen,” “It’s too difficult to do, I can’t handle it”).
We mentally do the necessary work, bring it to condition, but in reality nothing has been done.

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The influence of a positive attitude on success

There are many different ways to self-motivate. The main and most important thing is a positive attitude. This is sometimes very difficult to achieve. Not everyone is able to approach things lightly and cheerfully, but it's worth trying.

Having tuned in to the right mood, a person will achieve his goals faster and easier. In addition, those who stay positive react correctly to difficulties and minor troubles. They come to the understanding that there is no way to do without this.

How to properly motivate yourself to be positive:

Every morning you should try to put yourself in the right mood. To do this, you can get up early, do something that brings joy (drink a cup of coffee, walk through a blooming park);
You can make a list of what you would like to achieve. If a goal seems unattainable, it is better to cross it out;
Sometimes it’s worth letting negative emotions come out. There is no way without this, since it is part of the human soul;
Just think positively, without worrying about small problems and troubles.

Positive thinking

Ways to stay motivated for the long term

Having figured out how to motivate yourself to do something, you should think about maintaining the result. There are several effective ways:

A small victory always increases self-confidence. Even if it is something insignificant;
It is worth taking breaks so that the body can rest a little. Productivity only increases from this;
Taking on too much is a bad decision. Many people overload themselves at work and at home; rest is also required;
Time management again – promoting the wise use of time for work, creativity and relaxation.

How to start motivating yourself to achieve a goal and get a satisfactory result? The pedagogy of self-motivation has been developing for several years now and has helped many people. The correct method and approach will contribute to the normalization of the psyche and work activity.

Use motivational materials

Motivational materials are the most effective way to encourage action. Its essence is to read stories of success achieved by different people every day for a certain time (0.5 – 1 hour). Read articles, books, listen to audio recordings, regularly watch documentaries and fiction films that tell similar stories or are motivating materials.

Practice these types of exercises regularly. This will not only provide useful information, but also charge you with creative energy and change the direction of thinking in the right direction. Success stories and trainings are a good motivator and proof that with perseverance a person can achieve amazing results.

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