4 Ways to Find Self-Motivation to Drive Yourself Forward

At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a motivational slump. It could be that you experienced some disappointments or you may be in a rut that you can’t get out of. Or, it could even be that you are unsure of your own skills and ability to make changes.

Self-motivation can mean the difference between making positive changes in your life or just keeping ‘plodding’ along.

When it comes to driving yourself forward and being self-motivated, the most important factor is the right attitude. After all, you can’t always control or choose your circumstances. However, you can control your attitude towards your circumstances.

In this article, you will learn about 4 keys that are essential in getting yourself motivated and achieving your goals.

What is Self-Motivation?

How can you define self-motivation? The best way to describe this quality is “the driving force that gets you to do things”. Self-motivation is connected with putting in the effort to reach your goals and working on self-development to make improvements.

Although there are many external factors that can motivate a person, self-motivation is more connected with intrinsic factors. It is your deep desire to achieve what you want.

The Power of Motivation

Many scientific studies point to the importance of motivation in giving yourself direction and focus in life.

For example, a 2015 study found that self-motivation is associated with invigoration and can help a person successfully perform demanding tasks.

The American Psychological Association reported on a study showing that a person’s goals can greatly affect the outcome of tasks. For example, one group of people who had performance-related goals showed greater short-term memory. However, the group who had mastery goals (those involved with self-improvement) had far superior long-term learning abilities. 

Ways to Find Self-Motivation

Now that it’s clear just how important motivation is for a successful career, let’s look at some effective ways to motivate yourself.

1. Set goals

The importance of setting goals is that they help keep you focused and can boost your levels of motivation. The key to using goals to motivate yourself is to have ones that are manageable and reachable. Otherwise, inappropriate goals or unachievable ones may actually sap your enthusiasm.

You need to divide your goals into at least 2 categories: short-term goals and long-term goals.

• Short-term motivational goals are ones that you can achieve in a few weeks to a month or two.
• Long-term goals are the ones that may take a year or more to reach.

Just make sure that your short-term goals are designed to help you reach your long-term ones. You should also ensure that your goals are SMART goals. They should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

Learn more about practical advice on how to easily reach your goals.

2. Keep learning

Another great way to stay motivated and focused is to learn new skills related to your role or industry.

Learning creates confidence and motivation on a number of levels. First, you become more confident in what you are doing. This will motivate you to take on new and challenging projects. As your proficiency increases, you will find that you have a greater desire to push yourself forward even more.

You may even realise that new job opportunities open up to you thanks to the new skills you have mastered.

3. Stay around motivators

Of course, self-motivation isn’t dependant on others or outside circumstance. However, to stay motivated at work you need to have a good network of motivated colleagues and friends.

For example, when you begin to lose your focus or when ideas seem to dry up, connecting with motivated friends can fire you up again. They may help you discover new opportunities or different ways of solving a problem that you never thought of.

4. Get enough rest

When analysing ways of driving yourself forward, don’t forget that you need to take a break. None of us are machines and it’s good to remember that rest periods are for self-motivated people, not lazy people.

Having regular breaks throughout the day can ensure that you don’t wear yourself down. After all, this is one of the many reasons why, for many people, their motivation is stronger in the morning than in the late afternoon.

You also need longer breaks, like a holiday, every so often. This can give you important time to reflect on your goals and where you are in your career path. This may be just what you need to refocus and build up your motivation again.