Motivate Yourself - 7 Great Tips
to Help You!

To be able to motivate yourself, or self-motivation, occurs when a person has the desire and willingness to do something and is internally motivated to do it.

Unfortunately, sometimes it's very difficult to get ourselves moving and achieve what we want to achieve.

The natural inclination is to procrastinate. Life just seems to get in the way. There is a job to go to, a house to clean, groceries to do, television to watch - oops!

I guess we get pretty good at finding excuses for not starting an exercise routine, reading that new book, or cleaning out the closet.

The fact is that we are creatures of routine and habit. However, once we allow ourselves to get into the habit of doing something (especially something we normally resist doing), it's no longer a struggle and we may even end up enjoying it.

For example, when we were young most of us probably didn't like bathing or brushing our teeth but as it became habit, we no longer thought about it, we just did it.

So what can we do to motivate ourselves to accomplish, or even start working on, our goals?

For starters we can do some critical thinking and ask ourselves what will happen if we don't develop a particular habit or routine. What would some of the consequences be of neglecting to do so? An important question - right? Typically, many of us don't think far enough ahead when we need get in gear and get moving, so to help you:

Here are 7 great tips for motivating yourself:

1. Decide what you want. It's hard to motivate yourself when you don't have a goal or objective. Set a goal and decide how you are going to go about it. Do you want to run a marathon, lose 10 pounds, or make enough money for college tuition? Knowing what you want to accomplish is the first step in motivating yourself to get started. 


2. Break your goal down into smaller sections and/or more manageable steps. If you’re not in the habit of setting goals or assessing want you want, the act of doing so can seem daunting and overwhelming at first. By breaking your goal down into smaller sections and/or more manageable steps you can lessen the immediate impact. You don't want to panic and quit before you give yourself a chance!


3. Use self-talk and visualize the steps needed to reach your target or goal. In a vast new study (June 2016) which was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, Professor Andrew Lane in conjunction with BBC Lab UK discovered that the most effective motivational method was a combination of self-talk and visualization.

   Researchers discovered that the greatest improvements in performance occurred when self talk such as "I can do better, I can beat my best score" and visualizing (seeing yourself performing better at a task) significantly improved outcome and led to optimal performance at a task.

   However, there is a caveat. Other recent research has shown that idealized fantasizing about the future rather than visualizing the actual important steps needed to reach a goal is counterproductive. 'Indulging' in visualization instead of visualizing the challenges and obstacles you will likely face actually depletes your energy. The idea is to visualize the potential setbacks and then engage in advance problem solving.
   

4. Post motivating pictures or slogans on your fridge or elsewhere. For continued reminder and renewed commitment, it is always inspiring to see pictures of people who have accomplished what you're striving for. Doing so makes the goal attainable and realistic. Likewise, little slogans like "go for it" or "just do it" can give you the little boost you need. Be sure to also read inspiring and motivational quotes.


5. Remind yourself why you want this and focus on the end result. If you remind yourself that you want to be healthier, go for that promotion, or just better yourself, it will re-establish what you are doing and why. It's not unusual to hit a slump. Sometimes we forget what we set out to do and a little reminder is all we need to get revitalized. Visualize (not fantasize) the end result and 'feel' how gratified and triumphant you will be when you've achieved your goal. There is nothing like the promise of success and accomplishment to help mobilize and motivate!


6. Keep track of your progress. Keep a log or journal where you chart your progress. By gauging how far you have come and how much you have accomplished you can easily renew your motivation. Reviewing your progress alone can inspire you to keep pushing ahead, not to mention remind you which actions you need to take to get there. Review, remember and recommit!


7. Make it a habit. Once you have accomplished your goal, or objective, make it a habit! If it was to exercise or eat properly, keep it up. If the goal was to work for a promotion, or any other one-time event, maintain the habit of self-improvement. Once it becomes a habit, it will be second nature to you and you won't have to think about it anymore. That means you won't be procrastinating, avoiding, or trying to build up motivation to do it yet again.

Interesting Tip: Studies have also shown that if you are too intense, or if you work on a task in the same way for too long, you can actually jeopardize your motivation. Who would have thought!

Therefore, make it a point to walk away and take breaks every now and then. Change up the conditions and timetable you're working under by choosing a different location, or trying a different method. If possible, find a way to make the process more enjoyable. Doing so will not only  give you renewed energy for your important project, it will offer a fresh perspective.

Not surprisingly, we all have trouble motivating ourselves from time to time. However, if we remember why we want to accomplish something, and how great it will feel when we do, quite often it can serve as the primary and initial motivation needed to get us moving.

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