Learn the Skill of Self-Motivation

The ability to motivate yourself is necessary if you want to be successful. Everyone struggles to be productive from time to time, but there are several tactics that make it easier to get back on track. A few tips and new habits might be all you need to enhance your results dramatically.

Children have the benefit of parents, coaches, and teachers. As adults, we have to learn to manage ourselves. Unfortunately, few of us are taught this skill. We must learn on our own. Take solace in the fact that your peers are in the same situation. Plus, just think of how much ahead of them you'll be when you learn the art of self-motivation!

Use these techniques to motivate yourself and take control of your life:

1. Use pleasure to your advantage. Make a long list of the benefits of taking action. What will you gain? A better body? Improved social life? More money? Self-respect? When you find your motivation lagging, return to this list and rekindle your enthusiasm.

2. Use pain to your advantage. If you fail to act, what is the likely outcome? You'll be forced to live another day in your current existence. Or maybe your financial situation will become a little bit worse. Perhaps your income taxes will be late. Give yourself a list of painful outcomes to avoid.

3. Reinforce your lists daily. Read over your lists of positives and negatives each day. Keep them fresh in your mind.

4. Take a walk. A change of environment can help to clear your head and increase your level of motivation. It's a great time to think big thoughts and to consider long-term goals.

5. Create habits that support your goals. Ideally, you can structure your life so you don't require motivation. Are you motivated to take a shower or brush your teeth? Not really - you just do them out of habit. Creating habits that make your goals an automatic reality is the best motivation tool of all! 

6. Ask yourself why you're stuck. Are you afraid? Tired? Restless? Figure out what's stopping you from taking aggressive action and getting things accomplished. Then take action to resolve the reasons for your inaction.

7. Make a plan for the day. Before you retire for the evening, make a list of everything you'd like to get done. Most importantly, get started on your list items early in the day. Build momentum and the rest of the day will go more smoothly. Success builds on success.

8. Get started. Have you ever noticed that motivation happens after you get busy? It's interesting how challenging it can be to get started, but how easy it can be to continue. Pull out every trick in the book to make yourself begin. The resistance you feel will decrease markedly.

9. Reward yourself regularly. Rewarded behaviors are more likely to reoccur in the future. Give yourself little rewards on a regular basis. You deserve it.

10. Compete with yourself. Strive to create small improvements in yourself each week. This can be more motivating than competing against others. There might be plenty of people ahead of you, but you can always do better than you did last week.

11. Eliminate distractions. Everyone has a preferred method of distraction. It could be the internet, television, or ice cream. Avoid allowing yourself to indulge in your distraction until you've accomplished something worthwhile. Be strong.

When you're feeling unmotivated, avoid the belief that you're stuck. There's always something you can do to lift your spirits and tackle those big projects. Develop the skill to motivate yourself. You can't be certain which tactics will be successful until you get started.

—Tony Seruga