Firstly, we need to understand what self-motivation means. ‘‘Self-motivation is the ability to drive oneself to take initiative and action to pursue goals and complete tasks. It’s an inner drive to take action to create a thing or achieve a purpose’’. The best kind of motivation is self-motivation. Giving instances where you might have something to do or assigning yourself a particular task and you are not excited or passionate about it, but you know you need to achieve it. This feeling of responsibility motivates you to work hard to complete the task.
Doing a particular task for its own sake and for your own purposes is likely to be more fulfilling, enjoyable, and successful than doing something to meet external standards or to please others.
Furthermore, we can’t discuss self- motivation without mentioning emotional intelligence. According to emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman, self-motivation is a key component of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the measure of one’s ability to recognize and manage his or her own emotions and the emotions of other people.
Self-motivation’s relevance to emotional intelligence highlights its role within our ability to understand ourselves, relate to others, and succeed in reaching our goals.
Goleman also stated that there are four components of motivation:
· Achievement or Personal drive.
· Commitment to your own personal goals.
· Initiative, or the “readiness to act on opportunities”.
· Optimism, or the tendency to look ahead and persevere with the belief that you can reach your goals.
What basically drives motivation?
There are two main drivers to motivation. The ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’ drive.
Intrinsic drive is related to what we want to do while Extrinsic drive is related to what we must do.
Intrinsic drive: To perform an action or task based on the expected satisfaction of performing the action or task. Intrinsic motivators include having fun, being interested and personal challenge.
Extrinsic drive: To perform an action or task to attain some sort of external reward, including money, power and good marks or grades.
Different people are motivated by different things.
The best ways to stay motivated, no matter how much you feel like not doing it or giving up are.
1. Set SMART goals to simplify and focus your energy
Setting SMART goals is a great way to enhance your self-motivation. This technique simplifies things for you and makes you focus and channel your energy to a particular thing.
When you set these goals, make sure they are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
Creating goals for yourself is one of the best things you can do to build a foundation for self-motivation. And if your goals are SMART, you are much more likely to find it easy to motivate yourself.
Instead of trying to pursue many goals at once, choose your area of focus. This will not only help simplify your life but will enable you to direct all your talents towards your most important goal.
2. Surround yourself with supportive people
Having supportive people around is a must. People who have a supportive person in their corner, do better than those going alone. The company you keep becomes very important. We must have people who can relate to us, see us, and support us to stay positive.
3. Always ask for assistance or mentorship and show gratitude
When you’re trying to stay motivated in your pursuit for success, getting the right assistance can be the difference. In business whenever you are trapped or don’t know the next step to take, one of the best steps is to get assistance from a professional business coach or expert in other for you to achieve your business goals. A gratitude practice spirit can help you feel proud of how far you’ve come while also teaching you the best ways to move forward.
4. Build Self-Efficacy
Building self-efficacy is one of the best ways to develop your self-motivation. It might sound difficult but activities you can achieve it by
· Watching others succeed in the activity you want to go into. This is particularly effective if the person you are observing is close to you.
· Choosing an activity you know you can do.
5. Celebrate achievements
Look back and use the perspective of miles completed to give a bigger picture of what your next plan will look like or be. When hard work pays off, you absolutely deserve to celebrate and give yourself some credit. When you have a small win, or reach a milestone on your journey, do whatever makes you happy.
Having the self-motivation to set goals and work toward them takes a lot of hard work, and you deserve to reward yourself!
To remain motivated, you must believe in yourself, and in your capabilities. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s worth it!
When you feel less motivated, remember all the concrete actions you can take to avoid giving up. Turn to your friends, get guidance from wise people in your circle, practice self-care, and stay positive.
