How to self-motivateChen Wan Lim
Coming up with plans and goals is the easy part. But seeing it through to fruition is the challenge. We are often only motivated for a certain period of time, only to fall through a trough of demotivation and then to build up the motivation back again – it’s a cycle. Self-motivation is a force that pushes us through. It’s a drive to achieve, to persevere, to better ourselves and to outdo our past achievements. Self-motivation is also the driving force that causes us to start something new, to strive through hardships and to see something to completion. Here are some smart tips to self-motivate and to sustain the self-motivation.
Tip 1: Keeping a positive mind set
The first step is to keep a positive mind set. Try to remove any negative thoughts that could derail your plans for the day. Also, avoid situations that could potentially upset you and spoil your day. For example, if bad road traffic causes you to be upset and demotivated to go to work, then try taking the public transportation which could be easier and quicker. In essence, ensuring a positive mind set will enable you to be more focused and to take on new challenges.
Tip 2: Reframing the negatives to positives
Keeping a positive mind set is often a situation of mind over matter. One of the keys to keeping a positive mind set is to reframe something negative into something positive. For example, if you are stuck in traffic and your journey is delayed for an hour, instead of getting upset, look at it as a one hour opportunity to reflect on the project you are working on and perhaps to think of new ideas to improve it.
Tip 3: Sticks and carrots
Develop a stick and carrot system where you reward yourself for every achievement or milestone reached. Conversely, you will also need to set up a punishment system should you fail to achieve a set target. This way, there is something to look forward to and also something to look out for when you are working your way through achieving a goal.
Tip 4: Keeping a score sheet
Tracking your progress on a project will instantly tell you where you stand and what else needs to be done. Also, it will motivate you to persevere by showing you just how close you are to reaching your target. Seeing how much you have done and how must effort you have put in will make it less likely for you to give up half way.
Tip 5: Surround yourself with motivators
Birds of the same feather flock together. Surround yourself with people that lift you up, challenge you and provide positive feedback. It is often said that positive people radiate positive energy for others to absorb, while negative people does the exact opposite.
Tip 6: Stop comparing yourself to others
Everyone has a different learning curve and everyone’s definition of success is different. Therefore, stop comparing yourself with others and only compare your progress with your own. Track your historical achievements and try to outdo them. The more you compare yourself to others, the more disappointed you will be if you fail to match them.
Tip 7: Setting large but achievable goals
Setting large goals will challenge ourselves to be the best we can. However, be sure that the goals are achievable and realistic. The last thing you want is that the goal is farfetched and you feel disappointed for not being able to achieve them.