motivate yourself essay

Self-Motivation Explained + 100 Ways To Motivate Yourself

To demonstrate this point, let’s consider two scenarios you’ve likely experienced:

• You have something you have to do . You’re not excited or passionate about it, but you know you need to get it done. This feeling of obligation motivates you to work hard to complete the task;
• You have something you get to do . You’re interested in your task—you might have even assigned this task for yourself rather than receiving it from someone else—and you are happy to put in the time and effort to complete it.

In which scenario are you more effective? In which scenario are you more efficient? And, in which scenario do you feel the most fulfilled?

I’m willing to bet that your answer to each of those questions is Scenario 2.

It likely won’t come as a surprise that doing something 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.

The feeling described in Scenario 2 is that of being self-motivated . Read on to learn more about self-motivation and why it’s the most effective kind of motivation.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients create actionable goals and master techniques to create lasting behavior change.

This Article Contains:

• What Is the Meaning of Self-Motivation?

3 Examples of Self-Motivation

The psychology of self-motivation: how are self-efficacy and motivation related, the importance of self-motivation, is self-motivation a skill and can it be developed through training, how to foster self-motivation in the workplace, research on self-motivation.

• 17 Activities, Exercises, and Worksheets for Self-Motivation (PDF)

5 Meditations to Promote Self-Motivation

Self-motivation quizzes, questionnaires, and tests, apps for increasing self-motivation, popular podcasts on self-motivation, 22 quotes and messages to ignite self-motivation, 6 images to inspire self-motivation, 15 recommended movies to get yourself motivated, ted talks, speeches, and videos on self-motivation, 7 books on self-motivation, a take-home message, what is the meaning of self-motivation.

Above, we explored a basic example of self-motivation, but here’s a succinct definition of the concept:

“Self-motivation is, in its simplest form, the force that drives you to do things”

(Skills You Need, n.d.).

It’s the drive you have to work toward your goals, to put effort into self-development, and to achieve personal fulfillment.

It’s important to note here that self-motivation is generally driven by intrinsic motivation, a kind of motivation that comes from sincerely wanting to achieve and desiring the inherent rewards associated with it.

Self-motivation can also be driven by extrinsic motivation, the drive to achieve that comes from wanting the external rewards (like money, power, status, or recognition), although it’s clear that intrinsic motivation is usually a more effective and fulfilling drive.

Self-Motivation and 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 states that there are four components of motivation:

• Achievement drive, or the personal drive to achieve, improve, and meet certain standards;
• 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 (Skills You Need, n.d.).

• A man who goes to work every only as a means to pay the bills, keep his family off his back, and please his boss is not self-motivated, while a man who needs no external forces to make the trek into work every day and finds fulfillment in what he does is self-motivated;
• The student who only completes her homework because her parents remind her or nag her, or because they ground her when she fails to complete it is not self-motivated, but the student who completes her homework with no prodding because she wants to learn and succeed in school is self-motivated;
• The woman who only goes to the gym when her friends drag her there or because her doctor is adamant that she needs to exercise to get healthy is not self-motivated, but the woman who likes the way exercise makes her feel and schedules time at the gym whether or not anyone encourages her is self-motivated.

As you can see, self-motivation is all about where your drive comes from; if your motivation comes from within and pushes you to achieve for your own personal reasons, it can be considered self-motivation.

If you are only motivated to achieve standards set by someone else and not for your own internal satisfaction, you are probably not self-motivated.

It’s possible to be self-motivated in some areas and not in others. For example, if the man from the first example is not internally motivated to go to work but is sure to make time for his marathon training, he is not self-motivated when it comes to work but might be self-motivated to run.

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Psychologist Scott Geller is at the forefront of research on self-motivation, and he explains that there are three questions you can use to determine whether you (or someone in your life) is self-motivated:

• Can you do it?
• Will it work?
• Is it worth it?

If you answered “yes” to each question, you are likely self-motivated.

If you believe you can do it, you have self-efficacy . If you believe it will work, you have response efficacy—belief that the action you are taking will lead to the outcome you want. And if you believe it is worth it, you have weighed the cost against the consequences and decided the consequences outweigh the cost (Geller, 2016).

Speaking of consequences, Geller considers “consequences” to be one of four vital “C” words that underpin self-motivation:

• Consequences: To be self-motivated, you sincerely have to want the consequences associated with the actions you take rather than simply doing something to avoid negative consequences;
• Competence: If you answer all three of the questions above with a “yes,” you will feel competent in your ability to get things done;
• Choice: Having a sense of autonomy over your actions encourages self-motivation;
• Community: Having social support and connections with others is critical for feeling motivated and believing in yourself and your power to achieve (Geller, 2016).

Much of Geller’s work on self-motivation is grounded in the research of psychologist and self-efficacy researcher Albert Bandura . In 1981, Bandura set the stage for Geller’s current conceptualization of self-motivation with this description:

“Self-motivation . . . requires personal standards against which to evaluate ongoing performance. By making self-satisfaction conditional on a certain level of performance, individuals create self-inducements to persist in their efforts until their performances match internal standards. Both the anticipated satisfactions for matching attainments and the dissatisfactions with insufficient ones provide incentives for self-directed actions”

(Bandura & Schunk, 1981).

From this quote, you can see where Geller’s three questions come from. Believing that you can do it, that it will work, and that it is worth it will drive you to match the internal standards you set for yourself.

We explore this further in The Science of Self-Acceptance Masterclass© .

The DARN-C acronym is a commonly used tool in motivational interviewing. Motivational interviewing is a directive, client-centered treatment that enhances intrinsic motivation to make positive life changes (Miller & Rollnick, 2013).

The DARN-C acronym stands for desire , ability , reason , need , and commitment , which builds the basis of change talk.

1. Desire indicates precisely what the client wants and wishes for. This desire is the motivating factor for change. 2. The ability component of motivation is necessary because clients must believe that they can change, so a realistic perspective on how achievable this change can be is needed. 3. The reason for the change can be motivated by current pitfalls, benefits of a changed future, or aspects of both. 4. The need indicates the urgency of the change without specifying the underlying reason. The needs that arise during motivational interviewing questions reflect the importance of the shift to the individual. 5. Lastly, commitment is about specific actions that the client will take to change, an understanding of how to convert intentions into concrete action plans.

As you have likely already guessed, self-motivation is an important concept. While pleasing others and meeting external standards can certainly motivate us to get things done, such efforts aren’t exactly labors of love.

In other words, doing things because we feel we have to do them or to gain some external reward is enough in many cases, but it doesn’t invoke the passion needed to drive innovation and excellence.

It’s fine to use external sources to motivate you in some areas, but external motivation is less likely to leave you feeling personally fulfilled and finding deeper meaning in your life .

Not only do we generally do better work when we are self-motivated, but we are also better able to cope with stress and are simply happier when we are doing what we want to be doing.

The answer is a definite “yes.”

Self-motivation is driven by a set of skills that are within your control. Read on to learn how to use this to your advantage.

12 Tips and Skills to Motivate Yourself Today

The Skills You Need website lists six vital skills that form the foundation of self-motivation, and they are all skills that you can develop through sustained effort:

• Setting high but realistic goals (e.g., SMART goals);
• Taking the right level of risk;
• Constantly seeking feedback to figure out how to improve;
• Being committed to personal and/or organizational goals and going the extra mile to achieve them;
• Actively seeking out opportunities and seizing them when they occur;
• Being able to deal with setbacks and continue to pursue your goals despite obstacles (i.e., resilience).

Further, there are six things you can do to maintain your self-motivation:

• Continue learning and acquiring knowledge (i.e., develop a love of learning);
• Spend time with motivated, enthusiastic, and supportive people;
• Cultivate a positive mindset and build your optimism and resilience;
• Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and work on them;
• Avoid procrastination and work on your time management skills;
• Get help when you need it, and be willing to help others succeed (Skills You Need, n.d.).

14 Strategies for Students to Increase Their Self-Motivation to Study

Students are particularly well-suited to reap the benefits of self-motivation, but it can be hard to be self-motivated in the current educational environment.

Luckily, there are some things you can do as teachers, parents, and adult mentors to help students become self-motivated. In addition, there are plenty of strategies that students can apply themselves.

Here are some ideas for how to encourage self-motivation in students:

• Provide students with as much autonomy and freedom of choice as possible (e.g., give students a choice in their seating arrangements or a range of options for their final project, and implement problem-based learning);
• Provide useful feedback, praise hard work, and deliver critical feedback using words like “and” and “what if” instead of “but” to encourage student competence;
• Cultivate a high-quality relationship with your students by taking a genuine interest in them, acting friendly, staying flexible, keeping your focus on the end goal of learning, and not giving up on them;
• Encourage your students to think about, write about, and discuss how what they are learning is relevant to their own lives (Ferlazzo, 2015).

And, here are some ways that students can bolster their own self-motivation:

• Attach meaning to your studies and take personal ownership over your knowledge and learning;
• Create a plan: Map out your semester, your month, your week, and even your day;
• Build a routine and apply time management skills to become more organized and productive;
• Identify several comfortable study environments (they should be quiet and have few distractions);
• Get enough sleep, eat nutritious food, and exercise regularly to stay healthy;
• Tame “time monsters” like the internet, video games, or unproductive time spent with friends;
• Avoid multitasking by choosing one subject or task to work on at a time and focusing all of your attention on it;
• Take planned—and well-earned—breaks to stay refreshed and motivated;
• Connect with a support system of friends and family who will encourage you to do your best;
• Talk positively to yourself (Buckle, 2013).

You may find it much easier to encourage self-motivation in the workplace than in school.

After all, everyone in the workplace is there because they chose to be there, not because they’re required to be there by the law or by their parents. Employees might have vastly disparate reasons for being at work, but it’s unlikely they were compelled to work for their specific organization against their will.

As a manager, there are many ways to foster self-motivation in the workplace, including:

• Giving your employees one-on-one attention, feedback, and recognition;
• Ensure your employees have opportunities for meaningful advancement as well as training and education opportunities;
• Set the example in terms of tone, work ethic, and values . Be a role model for positivity, optimism, and hard work;
• Cultivate an uplifting and motivating culture that encourages employees to want to do their best;
• Foster socialization through teamwork and team-based activities, projects, and events;
• Stay as transparent as possible and open yourself up to questions, concerns, and ideas from your employees. Implement an open-door policy to ensure your employees feel heard (DeMers, 2015).

Writers Nick Nanton and J. W. Dicks at Fast Company offer some further strategies to ensure that both you and your employees stay motivated:

• Sell your mission statement to your team as you would to an investor. Ensure the people working to meet that mission understand it and buy into it;
• Foster a culture in which each employee has a specific job and a specific role with the organization, and give them room to grow and opportunities to implement ambitious new ideas;
• Focus on inspiring your staff instead of just motivating them. Inspired employees will inherently be motivated;
• Show your team recognition and appreciation for the hard work they do;
• Share your passion with your team and lead from the front by developing a positive mindset and displaying a positive attitude (2015).

Techniques to Motivate Yourself at Work

You can also take control of your own self-motivation at work. Some good techniques for becoming more self-motivated at work include:

• Finding work that interests you (This is a vital tip—it’s much easier to be self-motivated when you are passionate about what you do and fully engaged in it.);
• Request feedback from your boss or colleagues to learn about where you can improve and to enhance role clarity;
• Learn a new skill that is relevant to your role (or your desired role);
• Ask for a raise. Financial incentives are generally considered extrinsic motivation, but if you’re happy with your position, being paid what you think you are worth can be very self-motivating;
• Remind yourself of your “why,” the reason you do the work you do. When you are doing meaningful work, you are more likely to find fulfillment and stay self-motivated;
• Volunteer your services to others (This is especially helpful if you have trouble defining your “why.”);
• Take a vacation to allow yourself to rest, recharge, and come back refreshed and ready to work (Stahl, 2016).

The research on self-motivation clarifies its vital role in helping us achieve our goals. Check out the findings on two important and related topics below.

Self-Discipline and Self-Motivation

While self-discipline and self-motivation are two distinct concepts, self-discipline is vital to maintaining self-motivation. It’s not enough simply to be self-motivated—to achieve your goals, you need to couple self-motivation with self-discipline.

A study of online learners showed that even though they might all be considered self-motivated (since they are all taking a voluntary course with the goal of learning), those with self-discipline were the most likely to succeed.

Those who were highly self-disciplined displayed higher competence at the end of the course, fulfilled more external tasks, and were more effective in achieving their goals (Gorbunovs, Kapenieks, & Cakula, 2016).

Self-Motivation and Weight Loss

Very often, self-motivation is a key component of weight loss. Research on the connection between the two is quite clear.

In multiple studies, researchers found that participants who reported greater autonomy support and self-determined motivation were more effective in losing weight, more likely to keep the weight off for longer periods of time, and more positive about their weight loss journey (Teixeira, Silva, Mata, Palmeira, & Markland, 2012).

When we have our own closely held reasons for wanting to lose weight—and these reasons are based on personal fulfillment rather than meeting external standards—we are much more likely to find success.

16 Activities, Exercises, and Worksheets for Self-Motivation (PDFs)

Check out the activities, exercises, and worksheets below to find ways to enhance your self-motivation. Or, share these resources with your clients to help them get self-motivated.

Quick and Easy Motivation Techniques

Some techniques and exercises are more difficult than others. If you’re looking for a quick and easy exercise or activity to boost your self-motivation, try these:

• Listen to motivational music, like: a. Bill Conti’s Gonna Fly Now ; b. Paul Engemann’s Push it to the Limit ; c. Queen’s We Will Rock You ; d. Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone ; e. ACDC’s Thunderstruck .
• Watch a motivational movie, like: a. Forrest Gump ; b. The Pursuit of Happyness ; c. Life is Beautiful ; d. Rain Man ; e . The Family Man .
• Read books that boost motivation from authors like: a. Napoleon Hill; b. Brian Tracy; c. Tony Robbins; d. Jim Rohn (Mueller, 2012).

Stronger Motivational Techniques

If you need techniques with a bit more power, you can try these:

• Set wisely chosen and deeply personal goals that you are excited about working toward;
• Schedule rewards for yourself when you accomplish your goals (or when you make steps toward your goals, for the larger ones);
• Visualize yourself achieving and fulfilling these goals;
• Create a vision board with your goals, aims, and dreams in mind, and post it somewhere you will see it often;
• Pay attention to your “hierarchy of needs” (à la Abraham Maslow) and ensure you are meeting your lower-level needs (including physiological needs like food and sleep, safety needs, social needs, and esteem needs);
• Consider using Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), the study linking neurology, language, and programming to understand human experience and motivation;
• Envision what could happen when you reach your goals, as well as what could happen when you fail to reach your goals;
• Incorporate things you are interested in and engage your curiosity when setting and working toward your goals;
• Make a commitment to someone or something to ensure your future self will find it difficult to change plans or put things off (Mueller, 2012).

Self-Motivation Workbook (PDF)

This workbook is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to develop self-motivation.

It contains 23 pages of self-motivation information, activities, and exercises to help you find the drive within yourself that’s needed to achieve your goals.

You’ll find sections like:

• What Makes People Self-Motivated?;
• Lack of Energy or Self-Motivation?;
• Making Decisions;
• Don’t Make Excuses;
• Be Clear About Your Decisions;
• The Three Decisions That Will Shape Your Life;
• The NAC Concept of Pain and Pleasure;
• Transforming Yourself.

Please note that you will need to register with www.plr.me to download this workbook. You can find more free motivation tools and worksheets here .

Exercise: Build Self-Efficacy

Building self-efficacy is one of the best ways to develop your self-motivation. It might sound difficult or complex, but there are three simple activities you can do that help get you there:

• Ensure early success by choosing activities or steps that you know you can do;
• Watch others succeed in the activity you want to try—this is particularly effective if the person you are observing is similar to you and/or close to you;
• Find a supportive voice, like a coach, counselor, friendly manager, or mentor to encourage you and give you feedback (Mantell, 2012).

Set SMART Goals

As noted earlier, setting SMART goals is a great way to enhance your self-motivation.

When you set these goals, make sure they are:

• Measurable;
• Attainable;

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.

Getting Motivated to Change

This PDF from Texas Christian University’s Institute of Behavior Research offers many useful handouts and worksheets on motivation, along with some instructions for how to use them and suggestions for implementing change-focused counseling and coaching (Bartholomew, Dansereau, & Simpson, 2006).

It breaks things down into four parts:

• Motivation 101;
• The Art of Self-Motivation;
• Staying Motivated;
• Making It Second Nature.

All four parts contain great resources, but the Art of Self-Motivation section includes some really useful handouts and worksheets, including:

• Motivation and Change handout (page 28);
• Taking a Hard Look – Pros and Cons (page 29);
• Target Log (page 30).

Some of the resources in this PDF are targeted to people who are recovering from addiction, but it’s easy enough to alter and adapt them for more general use.

Click here to access this 63-page resource.

Meditation can be a great way to help maintain your self-motivation.

Try these meditations to help you stay self-motivated:

• Mountain Refuge’s Meditation for Self-Motivation ( 20-minute guided meditation from Meditainment);
• Meditation to Help Stop Procrastination (guided meditation from Jason Stephenson that’s about one half-hour);

• Guided Meditation—Motivation (11-minute guided meditation from Minds with Integrity);

• 10 Minute Meditation for Motivation and Building a Positive Mindset (10-minute guided meditation from The Mindful Movement);

• Guided Meditation—Increase Motivation and Confidence (nine-minute guided meditation from Michael Mackenzie at Project Meditation).

There are several fun quizzes and questionnaires you can use to explore your level of self-motivation. They aren’t all rigorous and validated instruments, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be helpful.

Self-Motivation Quiz From Richard Step

You can find this quick five-minute quiz from Richard Step at this link . It includes 45 questions rated on a three-point scale (with Rarely, Maybe, and A Lot as the three options).

You can take it with a focus on your life in general, or you can narrow your focus to one of several areas, including:

• Academics and schoolwork;
• Business ownership;
• Career growth and change;
• Creativity;
• Entrepreneurship and self-employment;
• Faith and spirituality;
• Family life;
• Fitness and health;
• Friendships;
• Future vision;
• Goal setting and completion;
• Helping other people;
• Hobbies and casual interests;
• “I was asked to take the test”;
• Just for fun or curiosity;
• Leadership and management;
• Life purpose and passions;
• Marriage and relationships
• Money and wealth;
• Psychological research;
• Retirement and legacy living
• Self-discovery and development;
• Shopping and spending;
• Teaching and training others;
• Teamwork and team-building;
• Trauma recovery.

Your results from this quiz will help you determine what makes you tick and what your main motivators are.

Motivation Style Quiz

If you want to learn what type of incentives you are most responsive to, this quiz from Martha Beck at Oprah.com can help. It includes only 10 questions with five response options each, so it’s a quick and easy way to discover your motivation style.

Your results will be presented via a score on the five different motivator types:

• Connection;
• Accomplishment;
• Enlightenment;

Scores can range from 1 to 10, with higher scores indicating that something is a greater motivator for you. Anything with a score of 6 or higher can be considered one of your major motivators, while anything below 3 is only minimally important. Your main motivational style is the component with the highest score.

Along with your scores, you will see descriptions of each motivation style to get an idea of what your “type” is like.

The Self-Motivation Inventory

For a slightly more research-backed scale of self-motivation, you might want to consider the Self-Motivation Inventory. This inventory will help you determine your level of self-motivation and whether you’re driven more by internal or external motivators.

It includes 30 items rated on a scale from 1 (less true) to 5 (more true), dependent on how well you feel each item describes you.

A few sample items include:

• I frequently think about how good I will feel when I accomplish what I have set out to do;
• If asked about what motivates me to succeed, I would say that the number one factor is a sense of personal fulfillment, that I gave my all and did my best;
• When I think about the reward for doing something, the first thing I think about is the sense of accomplishment or achievement;
• On several occasions, I have given myself a consequence for making a poor or less optimal decision. For instance, if I chose to eat an extra helping of dessert, I tell myself to work out an extra 10 minutes at the gym;
• Even if something makes me feel slightly nervous or uncomfortable, I typically do not have much trouble getting myself to do it.

When you have answered all 30 questions, total your responses for your overall score. Your score will place you within one of the following categories:

• Total Score 113-150: highly self-motivated;
• Total Score 75-112: somewhat self-motivated;
• Total Score 38-74: slightly self-motivated (perhaps in one or two areas, but not overall);
• Total Score 0-37: not at all self-motivated (more externally motivated).

This inventory was developed by Milana Leshinsky and Larina Kase, and you can find it at this link .

If you’ve committed to becoming more self-motivated and working toward your goals, these seven smartphone apps can help you get started and maintain your drive:

• DayOneApp : This journaling app allows you to add pictures, local weather data, and geo-location to each journal entry (iOS and Android);
• MyFitnessPal : This food- and exercise-focused app helps determine the calories and overall nutrition of the food you eat and records your exercise activity (iOS and Android);
• Headout : This app shares exciting, last-minute deals on fun experiences, including nearby activities, events, and tours. Make sure you make time to rest and relax in addition to all the work (iOS and Android);
• Coach.me : This app acts as a sort of digital coach by posing powerful questions that will help you narrow down your desires, set goals, and stay open-minded and on track (iOS and Android) (Boss, 2016).

If you’re a fan of podcasts, you might be happy to know that there are plenty of motivation-related podcasts available.

Here’s just a sample of the podcasts out there focused on this topic:

• The Daily Boost: Best Daily Motivation ( website );
• The Accidental Creative ( website );
• Inspire Nation—Daily Inspiration, Motivation, Meditation ( website );
• The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes ( website );
• Cortex ( website );
• The Tony Robbins Podcast ( website );
• Happier with Gretchen Rubin ( website );
• Beyond the To Do List—Personal Productivity Perspectives ( website );
• The Charlene Show ( website );
• The Ziglar Show—Inspiring Your True Performance ( website );
• Courageous Self-Confidence ( website ).

Check out other great podcasts that are focused on improving your motivation at https://player.fm/ .

Sometimes you just need a quick boost to get self-motivated, and quotes are a great way to get the spike in motivation that you need. Among this list are 17 quotes collected by Lydia Sweatt (2016). Give these quotes and messages a read next time you’re lacking in motivation.

“The only time you fail is when you fall down and stay down.”

“Most people can motivate themselves to do things simply by knowing that those things need to be done. But not me. For me, motivation is this horrible, scary game where I try to make myself do something while I actively avoid doing it. If I win, I have to do something I don’t want to do. And if I lose, I’m one step closer to ruining my entire life. And I never know whether I’m going to win or lose until the last second.”

Allie Brosh

“Always choose the future over the past. What do we do now?”

Brian Tracy

“You are your master. Only you have the master keys to open the inner locks.”

“Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”

Norman Vincent Peale

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”

Walt Disney

“Where there is a will, there is a way. If there is a chance in a million that you can do something, anything to keep what you want from ending, do it. Pry the door open or, if need be, wedge your foot in that door and keep it open.”

Pauline Kael

“Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”

George Herbert

“Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you.”

George Whitefield

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”

W. Clement Stone

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.”

Sam Levenson

“There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.”

Michael Phelps

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”

Theodore Roosevelt

“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

“One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals.”

Michael Korda

“Change your life today. Don’t gamble on the future, act now, without delay.”

Simone de Beauvoir

“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.”

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

Arthur Ashe

“Why should you continue going after your dreams? Because seeing the look on the faces of the people who said you couldn’t . . . will be priceless.”

“Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.”

Harriet Beecher Stow

Similarly, sometimes a motivational poster, meme, or image can work wonders for your self-motivation. Below are six of my favorite motivation-related images. (Images that are not Creative Commons can be accessed via the links.)

The Classic Road Sign

I don’t know about you, but there’s something that calls to me in this image: the blue sky and clouds, the angle encouraging us to look up, and “Motivation” in big letters. For some reason, it just works!

Looking at this image makes me think about life as a journey and motivation as an important piece of that journey. If we want to reach our next destination, we need to put forth some effort to make it happen. And when we do, seeing that big road sign welcoming us can often be reward enough.

The Yes I Can image also points out that the best motivation is self-motivation; as we’ve learned in this piece, that is truly the case. When we are motivated for our own internal reasons and committed to reach our goals for personal fulfillment rather than meeting the standards of others, we are more likely to succeed.

Sometimes, all we need is a quick reminder that “Yes I can!” Keep this image handy, especially when you’re working towards a particularly challenging goal, and it might give you the boost of motivation you need to stay on track.

I Cannot Change Yesterday, But I Can Change Today

The message of this image  is such an important point to remember, especially for those of us who struggle with leaving the past where it belongs: in the past.

It can be all too easy to dwell on past experiences, mistakes you’ve made, and roads that you should have taken. However, that does nothing to improve your current state. It’s good to reflect on what has brought you to where you are today, but letting worry, shame, embarrassment, and self-doubt based on your past creep into your present is a sure recipe for failure.

Remember that yesterday is done and gone—you can’t change it, so there’s no point dwelling on it. Take your lessons learned and apply them to something you can change: today.

What Matters Most Is How You See Yourself

This is another classic image in self-motivation and self-esteem, probably because it has a kitten in it. Kittens make for popular images.

Besides being cute, it also gets an important point across: The most important thing is the view you have of yourself. What other people think simply doesn’t matter most of the time. It’s what you think and feel about yourself that drives your behavior.

If you want to stay motivated and achieve your long-term goals, make sure to work on your sense of self-esteem and self-efficacy. See the best in yourself when you look in the mirror, and you’ll ensure that the best in yourself is what you manifest through your actions.

(Im)possible

This exhilarating (and potentially anxiety-inducing) image reminds us that what seems impossible is sometimes very possible. Of course, some things are truly impossible, based on things like gravity and the laws of nature, but this image isn’t about those things. It’s about things that seem impossible until you actually try them.

Challenge yourself to try something that seems impossible, giving it at least one solid attempt. You may be surprised at the outcome.

Don’t Worry, You Got This

This meme is both adorable and motivational. Featuring a tiny hedgehog in a victorious pose, this is a great image to go to when you’re in need of self-motivation combined with light-heartedness and humor. It can sometimes give a boost that simply can’t be found in more solemn inspirational quotes.

Looking at the cute little hedgehog and telling yourself, “ You got this! ” might be enough to get yourself in the frame of mind to take on a new challenge with enthusiasm and a smile.

If you’re a cinephile, you might find movies a good source of motivation.

If so, this list of 15 motivational movies (along with the movies listed above) might be enough to give you a boost:

• To Kill a Mockingbird (1962);
• The Shawshank Redemption (1994);
• Queen of Katwe (2016);
• Apollo 13 (1995);
• The Queen (2006);
• Lion (2016);
• Southpaw (2015);
• The African Queen (1951);
• Dangal (2016);
• Field of Dreams (1989);
• My Life as a Zucchini (2016);
• The Finest Hours (2016);
• Begin Again (2013);
• Sing Street (2016).

To see descriptions of the motivational power of these movies, read Samuel R. Murrian’s (2017) article  here .

Don’t have time for a full-length feature film? That’s okay! There are also tons of great TED Talks and YouTube videos on self-motivation. Check out any of the videos listed below to learn more about self-motivation:

The Psychology of Self-Motivation – Scott Geller

Psychology Professor Scott Gellar (mentioned earlier in this article) explains how to become more self-motivated in this inspiring TEDx Talk.

How Can We Become More Self-Motivated – Kyra G.

Thirteen-year-old Kyra shares in this TEDxYOUTH talk how to be motivated by setting goals and looking up to positive role models.

Self Motivation – Brendan Clark

Another young TEDxYOUTH speaker, Brendan Clark shares his own philosophies on motivation and success in this video.

Of course, there’s always the old-fashioned option to learn more about self-motivation: reading.

Check out these excellent books on self-motivation if you want an in-depth look at the topic:

• Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation by Edward L. Deci and Richard Flaste ( Amazon );
• The Self-Motivation Handbook by Jim Cathcart ( Amazon );
• Self-Theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development by Carol Dweck ( Amazon );
• The Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard ( Amazon );
• The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win by Jeff Haden ( Amazon );
• No Excuses! The Power of Self-Discipline by Brian Tracy ( Amazon );
• The Self-Driven Child: The Science and Sense of Giving Your Kids More Control Over Their Lives by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson ( Amazon ).

17 Tools To Increase Motivation and Goal Achievement

These 17 Motivation & Goal Achievement Exercises [PDF] contain all you need to help others set meaningful goals, increase self-drive, and experience greater accomplishment and life satisfaction.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

In this piece, we covered what self-motivation is, how it fits into similar concepts in psychology, how you can boost it in yourself, and how you can encourage it in others.

It’s possible to increase self-motivation, and in turn, to increase your productivity and success. Hopefully, this article gave you some techniques and tools for achieving this.

What’s your take on self-motivation? What works best for you? Do you find yourself motivated more by external rewards or by internal drives? Did you find that your motivation differs in different areas of life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Goal Achievement Exercises for free .

• Bandura, A., & Schunk, D. H. (1981). Cultivating competence, self-efficacy, and intrinsic interest through proximal self-motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41 , 586-598.
• Bartholomew, N. G., Dansereau, D. F., & Simpson, D. D. (2006). Getting motivated to change. TCU Institute of Behavioral Research. Retrieved from http://ibr.tcu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/TMA06Sept-mot.pdf
• Boss, J. (2016). 7 apps to help integrate tech with self-improvement goals. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/254636
• Buckle, K. (2013). 10 tips for self-motivation for students. Gratia Plena. Retrieved from https://gratiaplenacounseling.org/10-tips-for-self-motivation-for-students/
• DeMers, J. (2015). 6 motivation secrets to inspire your employees. Inc. Retrieved from https://www.inc.com/jayson-demers/6-motivation-secrets-to-inspire-your-employees.html
• Ferlazzo, L. (2015). Strategies for helping students motivate themselves. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-helping-students-motivate-themselves-larry-ferlazzo
• Geller, E. S. (2016). The psychology of self-motivation. In E. S. Geller (Ed.) Applied Psychology (pp. 83-118). New York, NY, US: Cambridge University Press.
• Gorbunovs, A., Kapenieks, A., & Cakula, S. (2016). Self-discipline as a key indicator to improve learning outcomes in e-learning environment. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 231 , 245-262. Mantell, M. (2012). Four strategies that build lasting motivation (and how to use them to achieve your goals). LifeHacker. Retrieved from https://lifehacker.com/5958782/four-strategies-that-build-lasting-motivation-and-how-to-use-them-to-achieve-your-goals
• Mueller, S. (2012). Self-motivation techniques: Proven motivation tactics to boost your motivation. Planet of Success. Retrieved from http://www.planetofsuccess.com/motivationtechniques/
• Murrian, S. R. (2017). 15 inspiring, uplifting movies you can watch right now on Netflix for a hopeful new year. Parade. Retrieved from https://parade.com/632586/samuelmurrian/15-inspiring-uplifting-movies-you-can-watch-right-now-on-netflix-for-a-hopeful-new-year/
• Nanton, N., & Dicks, J. W. (2015). 5 steps to keeping your employees—and yourself—motivated daily. Fast Company. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3041620/5-steps-to-keeping-your-employees-and-yourself-motivated-daily
• Skills You Need. (n.d.). Self-motivation. Skills You Need: Personal Skills. Retrieved from https://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-motivation.html
• Stahl, A. (2016). Seven ways to get motivated at work. Forbes: Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2016/11/22/seven-ways-to-get-motivated-at-work/#414d52633cd5
• Sweatt, L. (2016). 17 motivational quotes to help you achieve your dreams. Success. Retrieved from https://www.success.com/article/17-motivational-quotes-to-help-you-achieve-your-dreams
• Texeira, P. J., Silva, M. N., Mata, J., Palmeira, A. L., & Markland, D. (2012). International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 9, 22.

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Thank you for the abundance of information.

This article very helpful for me. For me, intrinsic motivation work for me. Thank you so much to the writer.

Wow.. wonderful article. Covered all corners .. its so inspirational and insightful.

thanks alot of information

Excellent resource and information for all areas of life. I look forward to reading some of the books your listed.

SIMPLY PHENOMENAL ARTICLE.

Thank you so much for this wonderful post. Really great

This is the one of best example “A man who goes to work every only as a means to pay the bills, keep his family off his back, and please his boss is not self-motivated, while a man who needs no external forces to make the trek into work every day and finds fulfillment in what he does is self-motivated;” Thanks for sharing this helpful post in fast-changing life!

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How to Motivate Yourself: 11 Tips for Self Improvement

Achieve your goals with these science-backed motivation enhancers.

Setting a goal—anything from getting a degree or landing a new job to achieving a new level of physical fitness—is a big step toward improving your life. But following through to achieve what we’ve set out to accomplish can be challenging, especially on those days when motivation wanes. So how do you follow through on your commitments during those times when you just don’t feel like putting in the work?

We all lose motivation from time to time. When you’re feeling unmotivated, try one of these science-backed strategies to get yourself back on track toward your goal.

Put your goal on the calendar.

Make working toward your goal a habit.

Plan for imperfection.

Set small goals to build momentum.

Track your progress.

Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones.

Embrace positive peer pressure.

Practice gratitude (including for yourself).

Do some mood lifting. 

Change your environment. 

Remember your “why.”

Self-motivation tips

Let's take a closer look at each of the above tips. Here, we'll break down these self-motivation techniques, detailing what they are and the science behind them.

1. Put your goal on the calendar.

One way to give a boost to your internal motivation is to create some external motivation: a target date. Whatever it is you’re aiming to accomplish, put it on the calendar. You may be working toward a goal with a set finish date built in. Examples include preparing for a test or taking a course with a fixed end date. 

If your goal lacks this structure, you can add it by deciding on a date by which you could realistically achieve your goal. 

Want to run a 5k or marathon? Sign up for a race on or near your target date. Considering a degree? Research the application deadline and write it down. Aiming to learn a new career skill? Register for a course and set a target date to finish. 

Having a target date not only helps you stay motivated, it also helps you track your progress—you always know how much further you have to go. This can have a big impact on your performance [ 1 ].

Tip: Setting a target date

Be realistic when setting your target date, but resist the urge to give yourself more time than you’ll need. Studies show that we sometimes perceive longer goals as more difficult, even when they’re not. This can lead to a greater likelihood of procrastination or quitting [ 2 ].

2. Make working toward your goal a habit.

When you make working toward your goal a habit—an automatic conditioned response—you no longer have to rely so much on feeling motivated. How do you turn a behavior into a habit?

Identify a trigger. 

Choose something that you already do everyday, like brushing your teeth or eating lunch, to be a trigger for the action you want to make a habit. Write out an “if-then” plan (also known as an implementation intention).

For example, if you want to create a habit of studying for a class everyday, your if-then plan might look like this:

If I pour my first cup of coffee, then I will spend five minutes on my math homework. 

To build consistency in exercise, it might look like this:

If I get up and brush my teeth, then I will immediately put on my workout clothes.

Making this plan and committing it to writing could increase the likelihood of following through [ 3 ].

Start small.

Notice that the above examples do not say that you’ll read six chapters of your textbook, watch two hours of lecture videos, or spend an hour sweating on the treadmill.

Getting started is often the hardest part on low-motivation days, and starting is much easier when the task is small: Five minutes of study or putting on your workout clothes [ 4 ]. 

These seemingly small actions can prime your mind for the task at hand, so the followthrough—a longer study session or a full workout—can happen more naturally with less mental resistance, according to The Science of Self Help [ 5 ]. 

3. Plan for imperfection.

It’s great to feel excited and confident about achieving your goal, but it’s also possible to be too optimistic [ 6 ]. Not every day will go exactly as planned, and that’s okay. Life happens. 

One way to boost motivation on difficult days is simply to plan for them. As you think about your goal, jot down a list of the things that could get in your way. If you’re taking an online course, this could include:

Losing internet access

Getting a phone call in the middle of a study session

Having a child home sick

Feeling stuck on a difficult concept or assignment

If your goal is to go running everyday, some obstacles might include:

Rainy weather

Getting asked to stay late at work during the time you usually run

We can’t predict everything that could happen, but we can predict those obstacles that are likely to happen from time to time based on our unique circumstances. 

Once you have your list, make a plan for how to handle the obstacle. How can you plan ahead for when your internet goes out? Maybe you could keep a few lecture videos downloaded to your phone or computer for offline access, or you could identify a nearby coffee shop that offers free wifi. 

Now when that obstacle pops up, instead of losing motivation and feeling deflated, you have a plan in place to keep the momentum going.

Keep in mind that for some obstacles, missing your task is a perfectly acceptable plan.  

The WOOP method

Next time you’re setting a goal for yourself, practice the WOOP technique, pioneered by Dr. Gabriele Oettingen. This stands for Wish , Outcome , Obstacle , and Plan . What is your wish? What would be the outcome of that wish coming true? What main obstacle stands in your way? What can you do to overcome that obstacle?

4. Set small goals to build momentum.

“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another.” 

Naval Admiral William H. McRaven gave this advice during his commencement speech at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014. The former Navy SEAL was onto something.

Research shows that frequent small successes can build a sense of momentum that can in turn drive long-term success, especially early in the process [ 7 , 8 ]. Whatever your big goal may be, start by breaking it down into smaller chunks. Getting a new job might be a big goal. Smaller goals could be updating your resume, making a portfolio website, earning a certification, or attending a networking event.

Did you know?

Setting goals at the start of a new week, month, or year can naturally lead to increased motivation [ 9 ]. We tend to mentally associate these temporal landmarks with new beginnings while creating mental distance from any perceived shortcomings in our past. Now that’s what we call a motivational Monday.

5. Track your progress.

Seeing progress can be highly motivating [ 10 ]. You’ll find many tools out there to help you track your goals. This could be as simple as a to-do list or calendar where you can cross off tasks or days as you complete them. Or you might opt for a free tool like Trello , which allows you to create a personalized digital task board to categorize your big goal into daily, weekly, monthly, or even yearly sub goals.

Another option is to draw a progress bar on a sheet of poster board or paper. Hang it somewhere where you’ll see it regularly, and fill it in as you get closer to your goal.

What is a SMART goal?

Sometimes the best goals are SMART goals—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. 

6. Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones.

It feels good to be rewarded for our work. But rewards can also improve motivation and performance. Rewarding yourself for reaching small milestones and completing big goals could boost your interest and enjoyment in the work you’re doing [ 11 ]. 

These rewards don’t have to be big or cost a lot of money. Here’s a quick list of ideas you could use to reward yourself:

Take a short break

Go for a walk outside

Enjoy your favorite snack

Read a chapter of your favorite book

Spend a few minutes meditating

Listen to an episode of your favorite podcast

Plan a night out with friends

Play an online game

Visit a free museum or attraction

Have a long bath or shower

Call a friend or family member

Spend a few minutes making your own reward list so that you’re ready to celebrate your wins, big and small.

7. Embrace positive peer pressure.

You’re ultimately the one who puts in the work to achieve your goals. But other people can be a great motivator. 

Research shows that feeling like you’re part of a team can lead to boosted perseverance, engagement, and performance, even if you’re working alone [ 12 ]. Depending on your goal, this might mean joining a study group, running team, gym class, professional organization, or virtual challenge. 

Another study suggests that sharing your goal with someone whose opinion you value can strengthen your commitment to attaining that goal [ 13 ]. For work goals, consider sharing with a mentor or supervisor. You might choose to share educational goals with a teacher or academic advisor, or fitness goals with a coach or fellow gym member who you admire.

8. Practice gratitude (including for yourself).

It might seem like gratitude would lead to complacency and acceptance of the status quo. Yet some studies have shown otherwise. Feelings of gratitude can:

Motivate self-improvement [ 14 ]

Make us feel connected to others (i.e. part of the team) [ 15 ]

Enhance motivation across time, beyond the duration of the gratitude practice [ 16 ]

Induce a sense of wanting to give back [ 17 ]

Improve physical and mental health, as well as sleep [ 18 ]

There’s more than one way to foster an attitude of gratitude. Spend the first five minutes after you wake up going through all the things you feel grateful for. Better yet, write them down in a gratitude journal. Is there someone in your life you’re particularly grateful for? Write them a letter expressing your thanks. 

9. Do some mood lifting. 

A good mood has been linked to increased productivity, and improvement in both quality and quantity of work [ 19 , 20 ]. This doesn’t mean that you have to be positive all the time—that’s not realistic. But if you’re feeling sluggish about working toward your goal, a quick mood lift could be enough to get you started.

Need some ideas for how to boost your mood? You could try to:

Spend some time in nature (or at least get some sunlight) [ 21 ]

Look at some cute pictures or videos of animals on r/aww [ 22 ]

Watch funny videos on YouTube [ 23 ]

Exercise [ 24 ]

Adopt an alter ego (i.e. the Batman effect) [ 25 ]

10. Change your environment. 

Sometimes a change of scenery can help you approach your task with fresh eyes (and a new sense of motivation). This is called the novelty effect—a short-term boost that comes from altering your environment [ 26 ]. 

If you usually study at home, have a session at your local library. Do you always watch lecture videos on your computer? Try downloading them to your phone to watch outside in the park. Switch up your running route, or try a new exercise routine. 

11. Remember your “why.”

Why is this goal important to you? Why is that reason important to you? Why is that important to you? Keep digging until you get to your ultimate “why”—the core value that’s driving your goal. 

To further reinforce your “why,” set an alarm every morning to remind yourself to spend one or two minutes visualizing what success would look like. What would it feel like to achieve your goal?

What’s your career goal?

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What is self-motivation?

Why is self-motivation essential for achieving your goals, what are external and internal motivators, 11 self-motivation techniques, 3 examples of self-motivation, 5 benefits of self-motivation, 5 tips for fostering self-motivation at work, is your lack of motivation telling you something, self-motivation is a skill for life.

The best kind of motivation is self-motivation. 

But what is self-motivation? When you’re self-motivated, you do more than empower yourself to check things off the to-do list. Being self-motivated also means having enough self-awareness to know what works for you and what doesn't. Rather than depending on others to give you a reason for doing, your sense of motivation comes from within. Your drive comes from your interests, values, and passions, not someone else's checklist. 

But motivating yourself is easier said than done. Some days it feels like you're searching far and wide for anything to help you get things done. Especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, feelings of burnout and languish have become widespread. From less time outside to more time online, the past couple of years have taken on a toll on our well-being .

The good news? Learning the meaning of self-motivation can help you improve your mental fitness and start hitting your goals . In fact, self-motivation could be the key to feeling better in both your personal and professional life. Let’s dive into what self-motivation is and why it matters. 

To be specific, self-motivation is the internal drive that leads us to take action towards a goal. It keeps us moving forward, even when we don’t want to. An example of this is when you’re going for a run.

You set a goal to run for 20 minutes, but at 15 minutes you’re exhausted. You want to stop. Self-motivation is what keeps you disciplined to run out the clock. 

As the name implies, self-motivation works throu gh you, internally. It doesn’t depend on others. When you motivate yourself, you push yourself to reach your personal goals through hard work and passion.

You're the one reaching for new opportunities and doing the Inner Work® needed to make long-term change. This takes sustained effort, self-discipline , and true self-confidence .

Self-motivation is the secret weapon to achieving your goals. It impacts both your professional and personal life. Without it, you could struggle. Though having a support network is important, you can’t depend on others to push you your entire life. 

Our goals require a lot of focus , which can be easy to lose. Self-motivation keeps your focus tight because it’s the practice of reminding yourself about the bigger picture. This allows you to ask important questions like, “how will this new skill further my career ?”

Self-motivation helps you see your daily tasks as part of your long-term goals and consider how what you’re doing lines up with your life purpose . 

Setting goals that are aligned with your desires can improve your well-being . When you’re motivating yourself, you can work toward achievements that give you a sense of deeper meaning . If you encounter any challenges or obstacles, your self-motivation will propel you through them.

Rather than depending on others to determine your career path, you can make those decisions for yourself — and then find the power inside of you to achieve what you want. 

Self-efficacy , w hich refers to our belief in ourselves to meet our goals or a certain standard, is related to self-motivation. If we believe in ourselves and our abilities, we’re more likely to succeed. Knowing that we can stay motivated will improve our self-efficacy , which in turn improves our self-motivation. It’s a win-win.

Ultimately self-motivation shows you that by staying motivated now, you can make your 5-year-plan happen . You are capable of following your dreams — you just need to be resilient and continually focused. 

Now that you know what self-motivation is, you might be wondering how to find it. A great way to start is by understanding what motivates you. You’ll likely relate to one of two different types of motivators: internal and external. 

Internal motivators provide the motivation you need to do things you want to do. This is c alled intrinsic motivation . If you’re motivated by internal factors, you’re likely to feel satisfied, happy, and interested in your tasks . These tasks can be fun, like baking your favorite cake.

They can also be personal challenges that you know will teach you valuable things, like taking a coding course to get ahead at work. Intrinsic motivation fuels long-term goals that you know benefit your future.

External motivators, or extrinsic motivation , are all about rewards or punishment. These external rewards could be a paycheck or a promotion . Punishment could mean being reprimanded by your boss or even fired. When we're externally motivated, we might not have as much passion or drive as we would for intrinsic goals.

However, external motivators are a great way to stay accountable. In fact, studies have found that rewards enhance our learning in educational settings . Trying to avoid punishment, too, will motivate us to behave better and work harder . 

Self-motivation is largely intrinsic since it relies on your own desires and personal rewards to keep you going. But self-motivation might mean that you create external factors to motivate yourself.

For example, you could promise yourself that you can have a nice dinner when you finally finish your workweek. Or, you could invite someone over so that you have to clean your apartment. These are both very valid motivators.

Self-motivation isn’t a skill that you're born with. However, it can be learned if you take the time to focus and change up your normal routine.

If you're wonderi ng how to overcome a lack of self-motivation, here are 11 techniques to try:

• Build healthy habits that help you create momentum each day (like eating a healthy breakfast)
• Develop a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset
• Set goals with the SMART goals method : specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
• Write up a personal vision statement to keep your intentions clear
• Take a moment to sit down and do a self-evaluation  
• Step out of your comfort zone sometimes
• Practice efficient self-management in ways that don’t drain you
• Look at your failures as learning opportunities
• Practice gratitude so you can be motivated by the good things in your life
• Try to keep a positive attitude and practice positive thinking when you’re discouraged
• Reward yourself for your successes and forgive yourself for your failures

Keeping these tips in mind will help you stay motivated when you’re struggling to move forward. And if you need extra support, consider trying BetterUp . We can help you stay on track with your goals and improve your mental fitness. 

You can implement self-motivation in all areas of your life. Whether it's at home, in relationships, or at work, self-motivation can be helpful anywhere. It might also look different, depending on where we use it.

Here are thr ee examples of what self-motivation is:

• You're working on a challenging project at work. Rather than wait for others to encourage you, you stay focused on overcoming the obstacles. You ask the right questions and do your own research to fix your problem. Rather than giving up and watching TV, you concentrate on the task at hand. 
• Your friends never have to drag you to work out at the gym because you go on your own. You know when your body needs some exercise, and you know that going to the gym makes you feel good. You schedule out time during the week to exercise, regardless of whether someone goes with you.
• At school, your teachers or professors never need to remind you to finish your work because you want to learn more and succeed. Nobody has to prod you or remind you of your deadlines because you're organized. You know your intentions with your education. When you feel like slacking off, you can remind yourself what you’re working toward to stay motivated.

Successful people haven't become successful by being indifferent to their goals. They reach their goals and continue to set new goals thanks to their self-motivation. 

Here are five benefits that self-motivated people experience:

• They learn how to present their best self in whatever task they're doing
• They become more resilient because achieving their goals takes time and effort
• They have an eagerness to succeed because their passion drives them forward
• When they fail, they see feedback as a learning opportunity
• They learn to take the initiative to manage their time better

Being motivated at work isn't just a bonus for your manager. Your workplace is an environment where you can learn new skills, connect with others in your industry, and do work that's meaningful to you. If you can become self-motivated at work, it can help you get your next promotion or even find a deeper meaning in your job. 

Many of us rely on deadlines or our managers to push us to get things done at work. If you can learn to motivate yourself, however, you can reach a new level of success at work. You’ll be more productive, focused, and respected when you empower yourself to accomplish tasks.

Plus , a study from the University of California discovered that motivated employees were three times more creative than those who lacked motivation. That extra creativity can help you stand out even more in the workplace. 

If you struggle with finding motivation, here are 5 tips to help you boost your self-motivation at work:

• Remind yourself of your purpose and why you’re doing the work
• Learn how to rest and avoid burnout so you have the energy to work hard again
• Volunteer to try new things at work or go to educational seminars and conferences 
• Learn more skills to keep yourself stimulated
• Ask for feedback on your recent projects to see where you can improve, then make an action plan on how you'll do that

Maybe you've tried all the techniques, tips, and advice in the world to become more self-motivated. Yet, it's just not working. Let this be a learning opportunity rather than seeing it as a failure. 

A lack of motivation can signify that your goals aren't challenging enough. If they're too easy, you know you don't have to put tons of effort into them. On the other hand, your goals could be too much at the moment. If they're too lofty or you don't believe in yourself, it may be time to reevaluate your goals. 

Adjust them to be something you can reasonably attain right now. A great strategy is to break your large goals down into several smaller steps. Then you can check each step off your list while making progress toward the ultimate goal.

You're not alone if you keep running into the question, "How do I self-motivate?" and only find frustration. Procrastination is natural, and learning how to self-motivate requires you to dig deep. It's your responsibility to figure out what's stopping you and how you can overcome it. 

With resilience and sustained effort, you'll learn more about what it takes to become self-motivated. One way to start is by trying some self-discovery . This can help you get in touch with your values, which will increase your self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-acceptance . All this will help you become more self-motivated. 

Some skills serve you temporarily. Self-motivation, though, will help you throughout your entire life. It reminds you of your p urpose, your values, and how you can live a meaningful life. Now that you know what self-motivation is, you’re on your way to mastering it.

If you’re struggling with a lack of self-motivation, don’t be embarrassed. Recognizing your struggle will help you dig deeper into your well-being and overall life satisfaction. As you find out what motivates you, you’ll see a change. When you’re working toward your dream life, you’ll have a much easier time staying motivated.

If you need extra support as you learn how to motivate yourself to reach your goals, consider working with BetterUp . We can help you stay focused and hold you accountable so that you become your own best source of motivation.

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Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

41 tips to stay motivated even when it gets tough

Try a positive mindset for success and well-being, ready to be inspired here are 11 self-motivation examples, how to do what you love and love what you do, fake it till you make it: how to use what you don’t know to grow, what causes a lack of motivation plus 9 tips to get it back, what moves you understanding motivation is your key to success, how to answer “what motivates you” in a job interview, improve your life with a new outlook: 10 benefits of positive thinking, similar articles, 10 ways to become your best self, how to use fear as a motivator, motivation vs. inspiration: the perfect combination for success, motivation and inspiration: examples in life and work, find your carrot: how extrinsic motivation will help you thrive, a guide for using motivation to achieve goals, is the carrot-and-stick approach right for your team, stay connected with betterup, get our newsletter, event invites, plus product insights and research..

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How to Motivate Yourself to Do Things You Don’t Want to Do

• Elizabeth Grace Saunders

Focus on the task, not how you feel about it.

No matter how generally motivated you are, all of us have some tasks that we don’t want to do. Maybe we find them boring, pointless, draining, time consuming, annoying, or anxiety producing. So how do you get motivated in these types of situations? The first step is to recognize that getting motivated doesn’t mean that you have to experience a particular feeling. You can decide to do something without ever getting excited about it by finding a personally meaningful reason to do it. Next, you have to come up with a strategy. Try involving other people; positive social pressure can provide the impetus to get something done. It’s also helpful to pair unpleasurable activities with pleasurable ones to increase your overall mood.

No matter how generally motivated you are, all of us have some  tasks that we don’t want to do . Maybe we find them boring, pointless, draining, time consuming, annoying, or anxiety producing. So how do you get moving in these types of situations?

• ES Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time management coach and the founder of Real Life E Time Coaching & Speaking . She is the author of How to Invest Your Time Like Money and Divine Time Management . Find out more at RealLifeE.com .

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How to Increase Self-Motivation

Recent research explores the four dimensions of goal pursuit..

Posted January 10, 2022 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• What Is Motivation?
• Find a therapist near me
• Self-motivation means being driven by a personal desire to set valued goals and to focus on and move toward these goals despite obstacles.
• To motivate yourself, you need to either change the situation or change your understanding of the situation.
• The four constituents of self-motivation include goal setting, goal striving, goal juggling, and leveraging social support.

The present article reviews effective self-motivation techniques, based on findings cited in a paper by Fishbach, published in the December 2021 issue of Motivation Science .

Self-motivation means being driven by a personal desire to set valued goals and to focus on, commit to, and move toward these goals despite obstacles. Self-motivation is necessary for many situations, especially when what we desire immediately (e.g., eating pizza) is not what we should do (e.g., eating healthy). For instance, we motivate ourselves to do chores , engage in self-care , and better ourselves (e.g., become more conscientious ).

But how do you motivate yourself, exactly? Below, I review effective motivational strategies related to four elements of motivation: goal setting, goal striving, goal juggling, and leveraging social support. See Table 1.

• Goal Setting

We begin with strategies for successful goal setting.

• Set a goal, not a means to a goal: If goal pursuit does not excite you, you are probably pursuing a means to a goal (e.g., finding a parking spot in a crowded area), not the goal (e.g., buying a special gift for a loved one). So, keep in mind your ultimate destination.
• Set SMART goals: Smart stands for specific , measurable , attainable (i.e. neither too easy nor too difficult), relevant , and time-bound . Instead of saying, “I want to lose weight,” specify how many pounds and in how many months; and how you plan to accomplish your goal. Also, goals should be self-set, not imposed; otherwise, you might rebel against them.
• Set incentives: Incentives are like “mini-goals” and increase motivation. However, they sometimes undermine the original goal (e.g., you study just for the incentive of eating chocolate). Furthermore, uncertain incentives (e.g., 20 or 40 minutes to play video games, randomly chosen) are potentially more motivating than certain ones (always 30 minutes).
• Use intrinsic motivation : To motivate yourself, pursue intrinsically motivating goals —i.e. inherently beneficial and enjoyable activities (e.g., a job you love; an exercise you enjoy) and not a means to another goal (e.g., to lose weight, you jog, but you hate jogging).

Sustaining Motivation

To sustain motivation, monitor your progress.

• Dynamics of goal motivation: To motivate yourself, reflect on your achievements (e.g., good grades; work success). Why? Because they demonstrate commitment to your goal , thus promoting consistency. Alternatively, reflect on things you have not accomplished yet. Why? Because they indicate a lack of progress (e.g., not having completed any extra-credit assignments), thus enhancing motivation to make progress.
• The middle problem: Motivation is usually high initially and toward the end, but not in the middle. The solution? Keep the middles very short (e.g., instead of monthly goals, set weekly goals).
• Learning from negative feedback: People are less likely to learn from negative than positive feedback, perhaps because they take it too personally. The solution? To protect your ego, focus on the lessons learned; sharing these lessons with others, in the form of giving advice, may also protect your ego. Additional techniques include developing a growth mindset , intentionally making minor mistakes (to practice learning from errors), and learning from others’ failures.

Goal Juggling

Rarely do we pursue a single goal, so we must learn to juggle goals.

• Complementing goals: To increase goal commitment , select multiple means serving a single goal (e.g., eating healthy and dancing both help you lose weight; Figure 1B). To attain more goals , use means serving multiple goals (e.g., dancing for both weight loss and increased flexibility; Figure 1C). If you lose motivation, go back to performing activities that each serve mainly one goal.
• Compromising vs. prioritizing: To resolve goal conflicts, we prioritize (choose A over B) or compromise (choose the middle ground or a third goal C). Framing an activity as progress encourages compromise but framing it as commitment encourages prioritization (see Point 1 in the section on sustaining motivation). So, be careful how you frame activities.
• Self-control : Successful self-control requires first identifying a conflict. This necessitates examining behavioral patterns . For example, eating two slices of cake in one sitting is not a problem unless done regularly. Second, it requires us to exercise self-control. How? One, by changing the environment (e.g., filling the fridge with healthy food). Two, by changing our perception of a goal’s value (e.g., “I will feel proud of myself if I control my weight”) and reducing the value of the temptation (e.g., “I will feel guilty if I overeat” or “Looking at it closely, this doesn’t look appetizing”).
• Patience: Goal conflicts often involve having to choose between something good soon and something great later (e.g., a yearly vacation vs. buying a house in five years). How to motivate yourself to remain patient? Use distractors, remind yourself of the value of your goal, and trust the process (i.e. “good things happen to those who wait”).

Social Support

Social support can increase motivation.

• Leverage social support: The mere presence of people increases motivation, magnifying what you do. Additionally, others may set expectations for performance—though in rare cases, too high of an expectation, which lowers motivation—provide resources, join you (e.g., study groups), and serve as role models.
• Pursuing group goals: When pursuing goals as a group (e.g., be it a husband and wife, a class, or a community), in order to make sure all members are doing their fair share (i.e. to prevent free-riding and social loafing), make contributions public, increase members’ identification with the group, and inspire group members with your contributions. In addition, remember that in many groups, as far as resources are concerned, the goal is not an equal partnership but maximizing benefits for the group as a unit . Naturally, this can be motivating only if the resources you expect to obtain as a group justifies ignoring your personal desires or ambitions (e.g., relocating because of your spouse’s financially rewarding career ).

Arash Emamzadeh attended the University of British Columbia in Canada, where he studied genetics and psychology. He has also done graduate work in clinical psychology and neuropsychology in U.S.

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10 ways to generate study motivation

10 February 2020

If you have exams and essay deadlines piling up but you just can't seem to focus - here are 10 ways you can help yourself get motivated!

This is the time of the year when courseworks and dissertations are due and for some of you, exam time is looming. Sometimes having to do all that studying and catching up with reading feels like a drag. It can be overwhelming because together with the studying can come a wave of questions where you doubt yourself on a personal level with thoughts such as:

" ‘Do I even understand these readings?’… ‘Am I going to be able to write something interesting and relevant?’…  ‘Am I going to do the right thing?’… ‘Am I good enough to do this?’… ‘Others seem to be more on top of things than I am’… ‘What if I do badly?’...  

These thoughts are subtle, but can lead to difficult feelings that interfere with motivation. So try out these 10 ways that you could help yourself to generate that motivation!

• Acknowledge your resistance and difficult feelings with motivation. It may be helpful to write these feelings or thoughts down and then leave these on the side so you can then study.
• Do not run away. Avoiding work can make you feel deflated. This is emotionally more draining than having to go through the frustration of reading for your paper.
• Do not blame yourself for procrastinating now and then. Try to become aware of the habit and gently make yourself to go back to the task sooner rather than later. 
• Try to understand your studying style better. What will make it easier for you to work? We are all prone to pleasant experiences and it is natural that we tend to avoid uncomfortable, dry chores and duties.  So try to make your study experience as interesting as possible.
• Don’t question your abilities.  Don’t put yourself down by comparing yourself to others.
• Visualise yourself starting. Make yourself sit down and work even if this is for just 20 minutes. See starting as a parallel process like a plane on a runway. You may start slow but you will still take off! 
• Focus on the task at hand and prioritise the most important tasks.  Avoid multitasking.
• Communicate to others any difficulties and/or what you intend to do. This can help you engage with the process and identify the important tasks. Communication / externalisation can help you to commit with immediate goals and you could also find out others points of view and tips. 
• Take a time limited approach in which you schedule your tasks.  Ask yourself  ‘how much can I achieve in the next 2 hours?’ instead of ‘Can I complete all tasks?’ In this way you do not get as easily overwhelmed by the volume of study you need to do.  

By Zoi Kontakou, Counselling Psychologist in UCL Student Support and Wellbeing 

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FOR STUDENTS : ALL THE INGREDIENTS OF A GOOD ESSAY

How to motivate yourself

There are tons of different ways to increase your motivation. it is always important to be motivated in whatever you do. However people often think that some people are just more motivated than others, this is true but only because these people WANT to be more motivated.

If you want to really boost your productivity and really thinking like a smart student here are a few tips to help yourself get more motivated.

Stay motivated!

Set yourself some realistic goals

The first step to being more motivated is to set yourself a task to do! People are much more motivated to complete small tasks rather than large daunting tasks, so split up a big task into lots of smaller ones. It is important to set realistic goals, don’t trying to ask too much of yourself. When you complete a goal make sure you note it, nothing is more motivating than seeing how far you have come already.

Set goals for your own learning

Try to see which concepts you can learn to help you with your work. if you have a big task that needs doing try doing some reading around the subject, and see what you can learn before hand to make your work better and easier to do. Learning goals help motivate you about your subject and true student thinking requires a thirst for knowledge.

Make sure all your goals are SMART goals

Make sure you know what completing the task will do for you

It is always important to see the bigger picture. When you draw up a set of tasks make sure you know how completing each task will benefit you. This is a great way to motivate yourself, it makes the task seem more important and it actually seems like less work, if the benefit to you is much better than the work you have to put into the task. Completing a task will be a lot more enjoyable too!

Keep a positive attitude

When starting any task it is important to remember ant tasks you finished in the past. Just by knowing that you have finished a similar task can increase your motivation. Or if you have to do a task that requires you to use a skill that you are proficient in, remember that you are good at it! It will help increase your motivation and improve your attitude.

Carry on positive self talking

Remember to always tell yourself that you can do it! A strong internal positive voice is one of the best ways to motivate yourself. If it helps do not be afraid to say it out loud, remember you have to motivate yourself.

Remember, your work is what yields results, do not forget to put the most work you can into something!

Use study techniques

It is always useful to use certain study techniques, there are different techniques for different types of learners. I would recommend the  Feynman technique as a good method for studying and understanding your work – see below.

The Feynman technique

Richard Feynman was an accomplished scientist, known for his amazing ability to absorb information at an astounding rate. Feynman would often reach the same conclusion as a student of a subject after a brief explanation of the course material, even though the student had been studying the same material for a much longer time. How did he do it? Well Feynman used a technique that is now dubbed the Feynman Technique . It’s a great way to absorb information quickly and teach yourself a subject and comprehend the subject in a lot of depth in a short amount of time. This is a great skill to have when studying at university. You can use this technique to help you better understand a topic before a test, to make sure that you can answer any questions thrown at you, its much better than cramming before an exam.

The first step is to choose the concept you wish to learn about. Firstly get a blank piece of paper and jot down the subject you are trying to learn right at the top of it. I like to write it using a different coloured pen, but do it whichever way you find makes it stand out to you. Now all you have to do is teach it to yourself. Try to imagine that you are teaching someone who has never studied what you are trying to teach. Use very simple terminology in your notes and try to add diagrams where you can. Doing this will not only re-enforce anything you have already learnt but it will also point out anything you do not fully understand! Throughout the procedure, keep asking yourself questions about what you are writing about. If a question comes to you that you do not know the answer to go away and learn what you need to know from a textbook or ask your lecturer. Keep going back to the material until you can answer your question yourself. Don’t be afraid to say to yourself or anyone that is trying to explain to you that you don’t understand it.

One of the most important tips when using this technique is to use the SIMPLEST language that you can. Try to stay away from terms specific to the subject you are trying to learn about. For example I study Economics and when explaining something to myself using this technique I always try to stay away from using lengthy terms like aggregate demand (even though I know what it means) and instead I say the entire demand within the economy. Also I always like to use analogies. The human brain is configured to better understand stories rather than processes, so I always try to make an analogy for something I am trying to learn. Try using it when taking notes in your next lecture and see if you feel that you better understand the subject that was taught!

Derren Brown’s Tricks of the Mind is also excellent for memory techniques that really work!

Monitor your learning

It is important to keep track of what you have done and what you have learnt. This is a great way to see how far you have come and how you have developed as a student. Remember it is always important to look back and see what you have come from and the mistakes you have made along the way. Also it would be a great idea to test yourself constantly.

Look at the mistakes you have made

What we do right is only half the story. We all make mistakes and the best way to learn is to learn what you did wrong before. See any mistakes you made in tests you have done and make sure you go back and make sure you can answer them! The key to being a smart student is to learn from the mistakes you have made and not to repeat them.

I hope these tips have given you the tools to motivate yourselves and do the best you can. I also hope that you can now see that everyone makes mistakes, every smart student sees what they did wrong and ensures they never make the same mistake again.

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Tips for Writing Your Motivational Statement and Essays

While it’s one of our favorite parts of the application reading experience, we know that writing essay components can be anxiety-inducing for applicants. As you start or continue your application , we hope you find this guidance on the motivational statement and essays helpful.

Motivational Statement

All students applying to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) , MA in Public Policy (MA) , MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) , and MA in Public Policy with Certificate in Research Methods (MACRM) programs are required to submit a 300-word motivational statement answering the questions: Why policy? Why Harris? (Or a version of these questions more specific to your program).

Some suggestions as you are thinking about your answers to these questions:

Answer the prompt. Don’t worry about using precious space to introduce yourself—jump right into answering the question. 

Write first, edit later. Get your ideas onto the page—whether that means bullet points, idea webs, or a journal entry. Don’t worry about crafting the perfect opener, meeting the word count, or checking grammar when you are first getting started.  

Reflect. Think about the professional, personal, or academic experience that has inspired you. 

Be specific. When answering Why Harris? , be specific to the University of Chicago and Harris. Analyze why certain programs, centers, classes, or professors made you want to apply here. 

Optional Essay Questions

Although the Motivation Statement is required, the essay questions are optional. For all optional essay questions, we aren’t just interested in the “right answer,” but how you are thinking about and approaching these complex questions.

Students applying to the Master of Public Policy (MPP) program may pick any of the three questions below. Completing question three will allow you to be considered for Pearson fellowships open only to MPP students.

Students applying to the MA in Public Policy (MA) , MS in Computational Analysis and Public Policy (MSCAPP) , and MA in Public Policy with Certificate in Research Methods (MACRM) programs may choose to complete optional essays 1 and

Option 1: Challenge—Describe briefly the biggest challenge you have ever faced. How did you tackle it and what did you learn? (max 300 words)

Tip: In essay one, you may write about a personal, professional, or academic challenge when answering this question. Perhaps more than the challenge itself, we are interested in how you tackled the challenge, and what you learned in the process.

Option 2: Community—Where do you see yourself getting involved in the community during your time at Harris—either at the University of Chicago or in the city of Chicago? (max 300 words)

Tip: If you are answering essay two, please make sure to speak specifically to Harris or UChicago.

Option 3: Pearson—If you would like to be considered for  The Pearson Fellowship , please answer the following: In reflecting on the complexities of past and present protracted global conflicts, please analyze what singular global conflict most puzzles you personally, and discuss why.

Tip: Please note that “global conflict” can refer to a range of conflicts (i.e. inter/intra state; those involving non-state actors, etc.) and a range of issues associated (i.e. refugee crises, religious conflict, gang violence, drug wars, domestic violence, etc.). Remember to consider: Is the conflict actually puzzling? For example, does it involve actors acting against their own best interest, or operating irrationally?​ And finally, for the purposes of this essay, you will not need to cite sources.

We hope you find these tips helpful as you move your application forward.

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How can I stay motivated to complete homework?

Break down your study goals into smaller, more attainable chunks. Instead of panicking over the final page count for a long essay, take on each subtopic in the essay individually, and overcome them one by one.

Another way to stay motivated to complete your homework is to tie a carrot to the end of the stick, so to speak. For example, you can tell yourself, “Once I finish this assignment, and only when I’ve finished this assignment, I can hang out with my friends or play video games.”

Of course, you can also motivate yourself to complete your homework by thinking about how your accomplishment will positively benefit your future. You can think along the lines of, “If I stop procrastinating on this homework assignment and finish it now, I’ll get a better grade in class. If I get a better grade in class, my overall GPA will be higher, and I will look better on my college applications!”

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6 Unique Tips for Writing a Brilliant Motivational Essay

Fortunately, in the contemporary world we live in, we can pursue have numerous education paths.

However, choosing college and career path is only half the battle.

The hard part is gaining admissions into the school of your dreams. Make no mistake: this is not an easy task. Most schools require not only outstanding grades, but also a thorough motivational essay explaining your motives for pursuing your chosen major at their institution.

This is the opportunity to stand out and show your character and ability to turn your education into a successful venture.

In the following article, we will give you some writing tips and practical advice on how to write a superb essay for college admissions and earn that acceptance letter.

1. Do your research

One of the most common mistakes people make when writing a motivational essay is creating a template piece for every college they apply to. This is a huge no-no, and here’s why: each academic establishment has its own agenda and preferences.

Some appreciate social initiatives and volunteering experience, some look for passion and determination to succeed, while others pay more attention to grades and test scores.

Try to research your chosen school as much as possible and write a unique essay accordingly. Sometimes colleges provide specific questions they want to see answered in your essay, so be sure to read the instructions carefully. Edit your work so the readers will feel the school’s spirit in your essay. It’s a good start to help your application stand out from the crowd.

2. Be personal

This part may surprise you: you don’t need to be an excellent writer. Sites like EduBirdie might save you some time, but they skip over the real reasons colleges want a motivational letter. Colleges want to get to know you — the person behind the application forms, documents, and numbers.

They want to see what your aspirations are, what you like to do, why you decided to pursue this particular path, and what you consider your strengths to be.

A generic, standard letter with no personality simply won’t. Don’t just repeat your application verbatim — embrace your life and interests and show off the real you! Try to present yourself in an informal way; don’t worry about formalities.

Let the university staff get to see your unique character and way of thinking; perhaps you can include a relevant joke or an anecdote from your life that is connected with your choice of profession, etc.

A strong personal approach goes a very long way here — trust us.

3. Drafts are important

First impressions matters. In the case of college applications, your first impression is in your motivational essay . Of course, you want to give a good first impression. Proper grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation are the key. This is why editing and revising your text is crucial.

Play around with word choice, ensure the paragraphs are clear and concise, and pay close attention to sentence structure. You can even use an Online Word Counter Tool to help you size up your draft properly.

Online programs like Grammarly are great for checking spelling and other possible issues in your writing. If the admission committee reads an essay with a clear sense of purpose, excellent grammar, and determination, they will see the applicant as a good fit because they understand the applicant’s goals and abilities. Don’t underestimate the power of proper styling and grammar.

4. Survey your essay

This may seem like an odd tip, but it can help with your essay quite a lot. If you’re unsure about the motivational essay you’ve written, or maybe you’re looking for ways to make it more memorable, try creating an online survey. You can put it out to the masses on social media, or even ask a few close friends to take a read and give you their thoughts.

Ask their opinion on your writing: what points are the strongest, what areas did you struggle, and how could you improve. This will provide you with real feedback to identify any issues you may have overlooked.

5. Get to the point

It may seem alluring to include every seemingly-relevant detail in your motivational essay. However, this can make the whole piece come across as vague and all over the place. Pick a couple of routes to follow, assess your best qualities, and decide what areas of your life and background you wish to include.

Don’t try to cram in every idea that crosses your mind; this will only clutter your essay! One good suggestion is to ask your friends and family to list your best characteristics, skills, and talents, then pick a few of most common to include in your essay.

6.Professional goals matter

While showing personality in your essay is essential, don’t forget to talk about your professional goals. Clearly state your motivation for choosing this career path and why you’re most suited for it. Explain why you are the best candidate for the program. Don’t overdo it by showing off or praising yourself too much.

Instead, talk about what personality traits will help you success, and where you plan on going with the degree you earn.

Remember, balance is the key to a good motivational essay; putting less information than needed is just as bad as putting too much. Getting too personal and informal will harm your application,but so will being too bland and official.

The secret is to maintain balance, and include only the points that matter. The most important advice is be yourself and be inspired.

For more great college tips, check out the other blogs on College Basics.

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6 Strategies to Boost Your Writing Motivation: Fueling Impressive Creativity

Table of Contents

Understanding Writer’s Block

The infamous antagonist in every writer’s tale is the daunting writer’s block . This mysterious phase hinders our writing motivation, leaving us staring at blank pages. However, it’s a common phenomenon shared by many creative minds globally. The first step towards defeating this adversary is understanding its root causes, which can range from harsh critiques to an unfavorable writing environment.

But remember, overcoming writer’s block is a journey, not a destination. The process helps us grow as writers, teaching us resilience and determination. By understanding what triggers your block, you can devise strategies to boost your writing motivation and keep writer’s block at bay.

The Importance of a Writing Routine

Creating a writing routine is an underestimated but powerful strategy to fuel your writing motivation. A common myth surrounding the creative process is that inspiration will spontaneously strike. However, in most cases, discipline serves as the breeding ground for creativity.

Scheduling regular hours for writing breeds familiarity, easing the flow of ideas and gradually boosting your writing motivation. Over time, this practice can transform writing from a Herculean task to an integral part of your routine.

Creating the Ideal Writing Environment

The significance of a conducive writing environment in nurturing your writing motivation cannot be overstated. A serene, distraction-free setting can do wonders for your creativity, allowing your thoughts to flow seamlessly onto the paper.

Remember, the definition of an ideal writing environment varies for each individual. For some, it may be a quiet home office, while others might find their creative juices flowing in a bustling café. The key is to identify what works best for you and to consistently utilize this space to bolster your writing motivation.

Embracing Feedback and Criticism

As writers, we pour our heart and soul into our work, which can make criticism hard to swallow. However, learning to accept feedback is instrumental in our growth as writers and can play a significant role in boosting our writing motivation.

Constructive feedback can help you identify areas of improvement, guiding your writing journey towards success. As you embrace critique, it becomes a source of writing motivation, pushing you to refine your craft and reach new heights.

The Role of Health and Well-being in Writing

In our quest to boost writing motivation, we often overlook the significance of our health and well-being. However, a healthy mind and body serve as the foundation for creativity. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or emotional stress can significantly impede our writing motivation.

Engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a balanced diet, and ensuring adequate sleep can do wonders for your creative output. Furthermore, practices like meditation and mindfulness can also enhance focus and mental clarity, fueling your writing motivation in the process.

Building a Supportive Writing Community

As writers, we tend to thrive in solitude, but this can sometimes lead to isolation. Connecting with a supportive writing community can provide much-needed encouragement, feedback, and a sense of belonging. These interactions can act as a catalyst, boosting your writing motivation and helping you navigate the challenges of the writing process.

Writing groups, online forums, workshops, and seminars are great platforms to connect with fellow writers. Sharing experiences, gaining insights, and receiving constructive feedback from this community can be instrumental in enhancing your writing motivation.

Setting Goals and Celebrating Achievements

Setting tangible goals can serve as a roadmap guiding your writing journey. It gives you a clear direction, maintains focus, and most importantly, boosts your writing motivation. Whether it’s writing a certain number of words each day, completing a chapter in a week, or finishing a manuscript in a year, having clear goals gives you something concrete to work towards.

Equally important is celebrating your achievements, no matter how small they may seem. Each milestone, each completed goal is a testament to your dedication and hard work. Celebrating these victories can immensely boost your writing motivation, encouraging you to keep pushing forward.

How to Get Motivated to Write a Story

Starting a new story can be exciting, but it can also be daunting. Sometimes the challenge is figuring out where to begin, how to develop your characters, or where your plot should go. Other times, it might just be a struggle to find the motivation to write a story.

The first step is to create a writing schedule. Consistency is key when it comes to writing, especially when you’re working on a story. By setting aside dedicated time each day or week for writing, you’re signaling to yourself that this task is important and worth your time.

Next, envision your story’s end. Having a clear goal in mind can be a powerful motivation to write a story. This doesn’t mean you need a detailed outline from start to finish, but knowing where you’re headed can help propel you forward.

Character development is a vital part of story writing. Get to know your characters as you would a friend. Understand their motivations, their strengths, their weaknesses, their desires. The more you understand your characters, the more real they will feel, and the more motivated you will be to bring their story to life.

Dive into the world of your story. Create a mental picture of the setting, immerse yourself in the details, the culture, the environment. The more connected you are to your story’s world, the more you’ll want to spend time there, enhancing your motivation to write a story.

Finally, don’t be afraid of the first draft. It’s supposed to be a rough representation of your story. Give yourself permission to write imperfectly. Remember, every writer, no matter how experienced, starts with a first draft. You can always edit a bad page, but you can’t edit a blank one.

Boosting your motivation to write a story often involves a combination of planning, passion, and patience. Each step you take forward, even if it feels small, is progress. Trust in the process, keep your vision clear, and let your creativity flow.

How to Motivate Yourself to Write an Essay

Essay writing can be a formidable task, especially when it’s hard to find the right motivation. Fortunately, with some strategic planning and a positive mindset, you can tackle this assignment head-on and find the motivation to write an essay.

The first step is to understand the purpose and the significance of your essay. Understanding why you are writing and how your essay could contribute to your academic or professional goals can be a significant motivator. Try visualizing the benefits of completing the essay, such as receiving a good grade, learning more about a topic you’re interested in, or improving your writing skills.

Next, break down your essay into manageable parts. This could include the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Planning out your essay and tackling each section one at a time can make the overall task seem less daunting and increase your motivation to write an essay.

Research plays a pivotal role in essay writing. Start by gathering your sources and extracting relevant information. The act of discovering new information can be exciting and can often spark interest and motivation. If your topic is something you’re genuinely curious about, even better.

One effective method is to create a rough outline. This helps in organizing your thoughts and gives you a roadmap to follow, which can be very motivating. You’ll see your progress as you complete each section, which can be incredibly satisfying.

Finally, set realistic goals for yourself and take regular breaks. Essay writing is a marathon, not a sprint. Trying to complete it in one go can be overwhelming and demotivating. Set a goal for each writing session, and once you reach it, reward yourself with a short break.

Finding the motivation to write an essay can be a challenge, but with the right mindset and strategies, it can become an enjoyable and rewarding process. Remember, every essay you write is a stepping stone to becoming a better writer and critical thinker. Keep going, stay focused, and you’ll get there.

How to Motivate Yourself to Write a Book

Writing a book is no small task. It requires dedication, passion, and, most of all, a lot of motivation. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering, how to motivate yourself to write a book, these tips might just help you along the journey.

Firstly, recognize the reason you want to write a book. Is it to share a story that’s been burning inside you? Or perhaps to become an authority in your field? Identifying your “why” is a critical first step in fueling your motivation.

Secondly, develop a writing routine that suits your lifestyle. One of the major reasons people lose motivation to write a book is because they try to fit their writing into an irregular schedule. Consistency is key, and setting aside specific times to write each day or week can make a significant difference.

Breaking the book into smaller, manageable sections can make the task less overwhelming. Think about your book in terms of chapters, or even individual scenes. Celebrate each small victory as you complete these segments, and you’ll find your motivation naturally increasing.

Remember that writing a book is a journey. Like any long trip, it helps to have a roadmap. A clear outline of your book can guide you through the writing process and help you stay focused and motivated. Knowing where you’re going gives you a clear path to follow, reducing feelings of being overwhelmed or stuck.

Connecting with other writers can also be very inspiring. Join a local writers’ group or an online community. Hearing about others’ writing experiences, struggles, and victories can give you the push you need to keep going.

Lastly, don’t forget to reward yourself. Writing a book is a significant accomplishment. Celebrate your milestones, no matter how small they may seem. Each word, sentence, and paragraph brings you closer to your goal.

Above all, remember why you started this journey in the first place. Reconnecting with your initial spark of inspiration can rekindle your motivation when you’re feeling stuck. Writing a book is a marathon, not a sprint, so take your time, stay patient, and keep your motivation to write a book alive.

Exploring New Genres and Styles

Sometimes, a dip in writing motivation can simply be a sign of creative fatigue. Exploring new genres and styles can rekindle your interest and spark creativity. It not only breaks the monotony but also expands your writing skills, boosting your writing motivation in the process.

Dabbling in poetry when you usually write prose, or trying your hand at fantasy when you typically write realistic fiction, can provide a fresh perspective. Such experimentation can rejuvenate your writing motivation, equipping you with a renewed vigor to weave your stories.

As we delve into these strategies, it’s essential to remember that writing is a journey, not a race. Boosting writing motivation is about embracing this journey with all its ups and downs. It’s about evolving as a writer, one story, one word at a time. So keep exploring, keep experimenting, and let your writing motivation guide your way to countless stories waiting to be told.

The path to sustained writing motivation might seem elusive, but with the right strategies, it’s entirely attainable. Whether it’s creating an ideal writing environment or learning to embrace feedback, the journey to maintaining consistent creative motivation is deeply personal and unique to each writer.

Writing isn’t merely a task; it’s an exploration of our creative psyche. It’s about discovering our unique voice and sharing it with the world. And the key to this exploration lies in finding and maintaining our writing motivation. So, keep writing, keep exploring, and keep creating. Your next masterpiece is just around the corner.

Click here to contact The Writing King to discuss your project today!

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9 thoughts on “ 6 Strategies to Boost Your Writing Motivation: Fueling Impressive Creativity ”

This is a good article with tips for any writer. I’m in need of much motivation to keep up blogging for better.

This is a great article! Thank you for all the tips. I will start implementing your suggestions right away!

I am glad that I read your post. I just received news today that my university application has been accepted. As you know, a lot of essay writing will go on. I will visit your blog more often for excellent tips like this.

The focus on routine, feedback, and trying new genres for writing motivation is both practical and inspiring. Thanks for these actionable insights!

Loving this post and man have I experienced writers block more often than I’ve wanted. I’ve found that when it happens to just back away and give my brain a break. It helps me to get the motivation I need to start writing again.

I have had my share of writer’s block. Staring at my laptop, not knowing anything to write.

I am a writer but have never did anything other than writing essays that have been that big. I still enjoy reading, learning and writing.

LIfe is a motivator of its own with the changes it takes place and feelings involved ones writing style can also change. I love to write yet have yet to go beyond an essay but maybe one day. Reading, learning and life experiences all help with writing style being complete. THanks for sharing

Your post on finding and maintaining writing motivation is a valuable resource for writers who sometimes face challenges in staying inspired and productive. The tips and strategies you offer, along with your personal insights, provide practical guidance for overcoming writer’s block and staying motivated. Thanks for sharing this helpful piece – it’s a great source of encouragement and motivation for fellow writers. Keep up the excellent work in providing valuable advice for your audience!

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• 9 Tips for Writing a Brilliant Motivational Essay

Whether you are a high school student caught in the crossroads of your educational journey or an undergraduate debating on a graduate degree, several steps must be taken, from choosing a college or master’s program to applying for your dream job.

On the other hand, choosing is the easy part; getting into the college of your choice is a different story. Most colleges and universities require students to have excellent grades and write a motivational essay describing why they want to pursue his\her desired major at their university.

Writing college motivational essays is a required part of any educational institution’s application process. Then again, some employers require job applicants to submit inspirational articles along with their resumes.

A motivational statement allows you to show off a little more of your personality and explain why you are qualified for the university course or job position in question. This is an opportunity to stand out and demonstrate your integrity and your ability to turn your knowledge into a successful career.

This article will teach you how to write a motivational essay that will help you get into your dream university or land your dream job.

Table of Contents

9 Tips to Write a Motivational Letter

There are a few things to keep in mind when writing inspirational statements to help you write a good paper. Many students struggle to find the motivation to write an article or are simply stumped when asked “What motivates you in life?”. Motivational papers are not as complicated as you may believe. To write a perfect inspiration paper, use the following tips:

1. Research the Institution to which you are applying

It is not in your best interest to simply copy and paste motivational essay examples or templates from the internet. The first step is to learn how merit-based admissions work at your preferred college. If you already have outstanding grades, you have to figure out what other aspects of your life could boost those grades.

Many universities, for example, seek students who have good grades, participate in extracurricular activities, have some volunteer experience, and are involved in social initiatives in school and their community.

Researching your preferred university will assist you in writing a tailored inspirational essay that will showcase all of your personality and goals. It’ll also broadcast how your social and volunteer work will continue to be a factor when you get into the university. Knowing about the university and including that information in your inspirational paper will be a breath of fresh air for the reader. It will give them the impression that you are confident in your decision.

Be sure to sprinkle some positivity and determination in your motivational statement.

2.  Be Creative

I know this may seem obvious to most people but it is still critical. The first two or three sentences of your motivational letter are crucial to the reader. Remember that the person reading your inspirational statement has most likely read thousands of others before it. Keeping the reader’s attention early on will thus benefit you.

Assume your college motivation letter isn’t exciting and doesn’t hook the reader from the first sentence. The reader is likely to close the letter and decline your application at that point.

You want the first paragraph of your motivation essay to keep them guessing and interested in reading until the end. You can include a mysterious story about your motivations and leave the culmination until the end.

3. Get Personal in your Motivational Essay

Make your motivation letter specific to the employer or university to which you are applying. Your letter should reflect your distinct style and personality. Your employers or university are interested in getting to know you better and no one knows you better than yourself. So, don’t just look up some motivational essay examples and use them as your own. The inspiration article should include the things that make you tick, your passions, and more!

Many students prefer to entrust the writing of motivational letters to a professional writing service. However, I can assure you that this is a bad option because you should write the motivation essay yourself.

4. Adopt a Straightforward and Succinct Tone

The objective of a letter of motivation, as the name implies, is to demonstrate your motivation for attending college to the school board or the reasons why you deserve a job to an HR manager who will read it. Avoid using long phrases and, instead, get right to the point. Explain in simple terms what you’re looking for and what you have to offer. Concentrate on what is vital; the rest will be addressed later.

5. Clearly Explain your Motivation

Make it a point to convince the school board or recruiter that this is the right college or job for you. Hit the nail on the head as many times as possible. Demonstrate that this is, without a doubt, the best place for you. Make use of all of your persuasion skills.

If you’re a student who can’t seem to motivate yourself to write the letter, think of it more as your motivation for earning a degree paper. This way of thinking will make you come up with points that are straightforward for your motivational letter.

If you’re writing an inspirational paper to apply for a job position, make sure it includes all of the qualities listed in the job description. Explain how each of the qualities relates to you.

6. Share your Professional Goals

In your inspirational essay, don’t be afraid to put yourself in the future. Outline your career goals and how the university or job offer is a step in the right direction. Also, talk about what you’ve accomplished and what you’re proud of.

7. Find The Right Balance

Of course, you must present yourself in the best possible light and persuade the recruiter that you are the right person for the job but don’t be too smug. At the same time, don’t undervalue yourself or appear overly modest. Try to summarize your accomplishments but avoid bragging about them. Please keep it simple; don’t fill the entire page with your achievements; instead, choose the ones that are relevant to the university or job requirements.

8. Back up what you’re saying

Simply stating that you are organized or that you have a sense of responsibility is not enough. Avoid overused phrases and explain why you’re organized. In your inspirational letter, provide some examples. When writing your motivational paper, one approach is to write as if you were a narrator. Narrating allows you to see yourself through the eyes of another person, telling the story of your life and goals.

9. Ensure that your Essay is Grammatically Sound 

When it comes to writing motivational letters, grammar errors are a no-no. So, double-check and have someone else read your inspirational paper because they may spot grammatical errors that you’ve missed. Also, it would be best if you avoided abbreviations and technical jargon. Do not try to sound like you’re writing a school assignment; instead, use the most elegant yet straightforward language and tone to make your point.

Don’t make writing a motivational statement more difficult than it should be. Focus on the essential things and let the rest go. Keep in mind that the college or company is curious to learn more about you. So, stay relaxed and make use of the tips we have mentioned above and you will be on your way to a brilliant motivation letter.  For more information on college writing tips and essay writing services, check other articles on Essay Advisor .

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Motivation Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on motivation.

Everyone suggests other than the person lack motivation, or directly suggests the person remain motivated. But, no one ever tells what is the motivation of how one can stay motivated. Motivation means to face the obstacle and find an inspiration that helps you to go through tough times. In addition, it helps you to move further in life.

Meaning of Motivation

Motivation is something that cannot be understood with words but with practice. It means to be moved by something so strongly that it becomes an inspiration for you. Furthermore, it is a discipline that helps you to achieve your life goals and also helps to be successful in life .

Besides, it the most common practice that everyone does whether it is your boss in office or a school teacher or a university professor everyone motivates others in a way or other.

Role of Motivation

It is a strong tool that helps to get ahead in life. For being motivated we need a driving tool or goal that keeps us motivated and moves forward. Also, it helps in being progressive both physically and mentally.

Moreover, your goal does not be to big and long term they can be small and empowering. Furthermore, you need the right mindset to be motivated.

Besides, you need to push your self towards your goal no one other than you can push your limit. Also, you should be willing to leave your comfort zone because your true potential is going to revel when you leave your comfort zone.

Types of Motivation

Although there are various types of motivation according to me there are generally two types of motivation that are self- motivation and motivation by others.

Self-motivation- It refers to the power of someone to stay motivated without the influence of other situations and people. Furthermore, self-motivated people always find a way to reason and strength to complete a task. Also, they do not need other people to encourage them to perform a challenging task.

Motivation by others- This motivation requires help from others as the person is not able to maintain a self-motivated state. In this, a person requires encouragement from others. Also, he needs to listen to motivational speeches, a strong goal and most importantly and inspiration.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Importance of Motivation

Motivation is very important for the overall development of the personality and mind of the people. It also puts a person in action and in a competitive state. Furthermore, it improves efficiency and desire to achieve the goal. It leads to stability and improvement in work.

Above all, it satisfies a person’s needs and to achieve his/her goal. It helps the person to fight his negative attitude. The person also tries to come out of his/her comfort zone so that she/ he can achieve the goal.

To conclude, motivation is one of the key elements that help a person to be successful. A motivated person tries to push his limits and always tries to improve his performance day by day. Also, the person always gives her/his best no matter what the task is. Besides, the person always tries to remain progressive and dedicated to her/his goals.

FAQs about Motivation Essay

Q.1 Define what is motivation fit. A.1 This refers to a psychological phenomenon in which a person assumes or expects something from the job or life but gets different results other than his expectations. In a profession, it is a primary criterion for determining if the person will stay or leave the job.

Q.2 List some best motivators. A.2 some of the best motivators are:

• Inspiration
• Fear of failure
• Power of Rejection
• Don’t pity your self
• Be assertive
• Stay among positive and motivated people
• Be calm and visionary

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How to Get Motivated to Write an Essay: 9 Easy Steps

Writing essays is an essential part of school and college life, but most people dread writing them.

Especially if you’re not a prolific writer, it can be hard to structure them, to put pen to paper, and to get them done efficiently.

Staying focused on homework can be hard enough!

In this guide, I’m giving you my best tips for how to get motivated to write an essay, which assumes that you currently don’t have the motivation now.

Follow these steps to set up each of your essays, and then conquer them one by one.

You’ll find that once you do, you feel more accomplished, more able to stick to a plan, and much more able to stay focused on homework!

Study Tools You Need RIght Now

1. Choose an Enjoyable Topic, if Possible

If you’re going to be motivated to write an essay, the easiest way to do so is by choosing a topic that means something to you.

Sure, some essays already have the topic handed out and in that case, you don’t have much of a choice, but many times you do.

You’ll be confined to a specific area, probably – whether it’s choosing an influential person in history, a book written by a woman, etc.

But within the bounds of what you can choose, make sure to choose something that is meaningful to you and gets you at least somewhat excited to research and explore the topic.

This helps you to feel like you’re motivated to write an essay because you genuinely want to learn more rather than being forced to.

2. Outline the Essay including the Introduction and Conclusion

In this step, you’re going to set up the essay to make it as easy as possible to think about.

This is one of my biggest tips when it comes to sticking to a plan .

This helps get you motivated to write the essay because it makes it seem less daunting.

Most essays have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

You need to work out how many body paragraphs you will need based on the points you are going to make in the essay.

Write this outline down to help you with the next step and to see that you can approach the essay by these individual sections rather than feeling like you need to sit down and just write an essay all at once.

3. Chunk the Word Count Down

Once you have your outline down, it’s time to figure out how many words should go in each section.

For instance, if I were doing a 1000 word essay, I would probably do 100 for an introduction, 200 for 4 body paragraphs each and 100 for a conclusion.

However you break it down is up to you and how many words you want the final essay to be.

This seems like extra work up front, but writing an essay that is properly outlined and has word counts attached to it can give you motivation because you see that it is already starting to come together before you even start writing. Suddenly, it seems a lot easier and that’s what encourages us to forge ahead.

4. Break Down the Work Over Multiple Days

As long as you’re not someone who has waited until the last day to write your essay (and if you have then this is not for you), break down the work over multiple days and plan it out so it’s not all on one day.

For instance, if you had 5 days and 5 sections, you could do a section a day, or if you only have 2 days, you could split it up in half.

Use a tool like Click Up or Trello, found in my productivity tools list , to help you plan.

This means you don’t have to work up the motivation to write your essay all at once, but only have to work up the motivation to write a certain number of words, which some people find easier.

5. Organize Your Research and Notes

Figure out where your lack of motivation to write your essay is coming from.

Chances are, the whole thing seems overwhelming and that’s one of the reasons you don’t start.

I always like to organize my research into easy-to-read notes, and many times I’ve used index cards to write down each fact and then you can arrange the index cards into the structure you want your essay to take later on.

You have to first digest the material you have researched in order to put it into an essay, so make sure to do this crucial step in between researching and writing, otherwise you’ll be left with a pile of books with no notes and trying to write the essay from memory of exactly what the quote was about photosynthesis on page 66 on the book with the blue cover.

I know that these steps feel like they’re adding more stress to your essay writing experience, I promise that once you do them you will feel so much more motivated to get it done.

6. Look Up Quotes

Especially if you’re writing for a high school paper, a lot of times it can be a good idea to start with a quote in your introduction.

Regardless, looking for quotes surrounding your topic is a great idea to give yourself some inspiration to write an essay and give you the motivation to start.

Remember that the quote doesn’t always have to exactly be about your topic or have the exact wording of your topic, but maybe it’s from an important person that you’re writing about in your essay or they’re talking about a general concept that you’re including in your essay.

We’ve got some great options to get you started in these quotes on staying focused and these quotes on never giving up .

7. Read Related Essays or Past Essays

It’s unlikely this is your first essay, in which case you should read over your past essays to remind yourself how you structured them and look at examples of when you finished essays, including any feedback that teachers gave you.

You can also read related essays on the subject that you look up online or the teacher hands out from past students, but you need to be very careful to only read this and not make any notes that could lead to you plagiarizing, even on accident.

It may be an idea to read essays in an unrelated topic, just so you can get more ideas for structuring an essay but won’t be in danger of stealing someone else’s words or ideas.

8. Plan Writing Sessions with a Friend

If it’s truly the motivation to write the essay that you struggle with and not the difficulty, team up with a friend and plan writing sessions where you set goals for how far along in your essays you want to be by the end of it.

You shouldn’t share notes to the point that you end up with the same essay, but working across from someone who is also working on the essay can be a huge motivator so you don’t feel left behind.

This also works more broadly if you decide to work in the library where other people are also working on various assignments, as the atmosphere of productivity can be one of the things that encourages you to improve your own productivity even further.

9. Choose a Reward for When You Finish

If getting a good grade on the essay isn’t a good enough motivator, choose a reward for yourself for when you finish the essay to help keep you motivated to study .

It could be a cake that you bake yourself, it could be a friend that you hang out with, it could be a weekend trip you plan.

It could be something small like a television show you watch or, if the essay is part of a longer string of assignments, taking an hour break afterwards.

Whatever it is, push yourself through writing the essay in order to get to the reward at the end.

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How to Motivate Yourself to Write a College Essay

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Do you sometimes wonder where all those famous personalities got their motivation from?

For instance, would physics be what it is if Albert Einstein was not motivated by his curiosity to determine the defining laws of modern physics?

Would Michael Jordan be one of the best basketball players of all time if he was not motivated enough to succeed and get past his failures?

Would the United States be united if Abraham Lincoln was not motivated and determined to preserve the Union? Come what may?

..and here you are, unable to even start your college essay!

If you are lacking the motivation to start your essay or are struggling to stay motivated because your essay does not seem to end, first of all - stop stressing. You are certainly not the only student to be in this situation.

It’s true. It would be best if you were charged up and motivated about something to do an excellent job at it. Motivation is the fuel that drives you - it pushes you to stay committed to your goal despite hurdles and challenges along the way. It stems from vision and your willpower to turn it into reality.

Believe it or not - there is a science behind motivation .

Finding the Motivation to Write Your College Essay When You Hit a Dead End

You have an essay to complete, but you are nowhere close to starting it. The fact that you might have to put together a last-minute essay is no longer enough to get you started because you are deeply demotivated and unenthusiastic to begin working on it.

Don’t worry - we have put together a list of tips and tools that will get you out of this phase and jumpstart your motivation.

Why are you Losing Motivation to Write an Essay

There are many reasons that might be contributing to your lack of motivation. The first step is knowing why you are not motivated enough to complete your essay so you can arrest it and get beyond it.

Here are five common reasons behind losing the motivation to write -

Not Interested in the Topic

If you find yourself saying, “but I hate the essay topic” or “I couldn’t care less about the topic,” it’s inevitable that the core reason behind your lack of motivation is your absolute disinterest in the essay topic.

We agree - it’s challenging to write when you don’t relate to something or worse still, dislike the subject. How do you start? How do you express your thoughts? How do you begin the research?

..but you gotta do what you gotta do.

At such times, what helps is knowing that this particular writing assignment will take you one step closer to your academic goals. Remind yourself that doing well here has long-term benefits. So, put aside your aversion and get onto it.

Lack of Confidence in your Writing

This reason is unfortunate - when you second-guess yourself to the extent that you start doubting your writing abilities which takes a hit on your confidence and jolts your motivation. The next thing you know, you are struggling with all the writing assignments that come your way.

You don’t have to deal with the entire essay in one go. Doing that will just scare you more and take you further away from finishing it. Instead, break it down and take it one step at a time. You are likely to maintain your sanity and motivation when you do so.

So, set aside time for research, outlining, writing, editing, and proofreading. Even in the writing stage, don’t aim to write everything out together. Break it down paragraph-wise and let yourself do justice to each one of them instead of rushing with it.

Keep a Strong Writing Schedule

How will you regain your confidence if you don’t give yourself a chance?

For a moment, forget what your teacher will say after reading your essay or how you will be perceived. Just write with the aim of pushing your limits and doing the best you can.

Read more books. Ask yourself what it is that you want to communicate—plan and practice writing. Most importantly, stop letting your fear and anxieties from telling you that you cannot write - be more significant than that.

Tips on building confidence as a writer from Reedsy community

Cannot Stop Procrastinating

Ask any student what their biggest enemy is, and they will tell you it’s procrastination.

That’s your story too? Then the only way to battle that is to plan well. Yes, get all those productivity apps and tools out and get disciplined. That’s the only way to get around your assignment.

No one said assignment writing is fun but it’s necessary to take it up with all seriousness to get the scores you want. So, stop procrastinating and just START.

Feeling Overwhelmed

Considering the number of assignments a high school, college, or university student deals with on a daily basis, it is extremely common to feel overwhelmed and intimidated. When this overwhelming feeling is not tackled early, it takes over one’s thought process and becomes a deterrent.

This is primarily in the case of college essays because there is so much pressure riding on them. Essay writing is a cognitive, time-consuming process that requires an extensive amount of planning and work, but when you take it one step at a time, it helps to feel less overwhelmed and re-ignite your motivation.

Too Focussed on Grades

A study suggests that when students are overly focused on grades, it affects learning.

..and we agree.

The same applies to writing college essays. When you start obsessing over the grades you will get, you are likely to work under immense pressure, which affects the quality of your writing.

While grades do matter, it’s important to shift focus from the final outcome to getting immersed and enjoying the process. Try it!

So, what’s your reason? Accept it to overcome it.

What to Do When You Lack the Motivation to Write a College Essay

Contrary to what people think, no one is “born” motivated. You can make changes in your life and mindset to become motivated and at the same time, if you are not persistent enough, your motivation may even start to fade.

So, if you are stressing over the fact that you are losing motivation to write your college paper, here are ten hacks that can help you get out of that phase and get started on your essay -

Write and Revisit your Goal

“Does that even help?”

Oh. It does.

When you write down your goal, it registers better. Whether it’s finishing your essay in a given amount of time or aiming for the grades you want - when you write your goals down, however big or small, it remains in your subconscious and ignites renewed passion in your mind to go after that goal.

What’s more, on days when you are not particularly charged up or are feeling listless and demotivated, revisiting your goals is an essential reminder and helps you get back on your feet.

So, get a journal, write your goal down, and maybe even stick it on your study table, so you never lose track.

Watch Mary Morrissey deconstruct the power of writing down your goals

Break Down the Writing Process

Earlier, we spoke about how writing assignments tend to get overwhelming. In such cases, you know what helps? Breaking down the writing process.

You don’t have to deal with the entire essay in one go. Doing that will scare you and take you further away from finishing it. Instead, break it down and take it one step at a time. You are likely to maintain your sanity and motivation when you do so.

So, set aside time for research, outlining, writing, editing, and proofreading. Even in the writing stage, don’t aim to write everything together. Break it down paragraph-wise and let yourself do justice to each one of them instead of rushing with it.

Once you have broken down the writing process into smaller steps, allocate a definite period to each of them - that includes the exact dates because only then can you hold yourself accountable for it.

Another aspect of keeping a solid writing schedule is knowing when you are your productive best and when your ideas are flowing. For some, it can be early morning, for others, it can be late at night.

So, find your favorite writing period and maintain an intense writing schedule wherein you can get most of the writing done. Try and write at least something every day, so you don’t lose touch and go back to square one.

Create the Essay Outline

One of the most overlooked aspects of writing essays is creating outlines. “What has created an outline got to do with being motivated,” you may ask.

It helps because when you work on a solid outline, you realize that the next step is just populating the essay, knowing that you are not going off-track and following a logical sequence.

Creating an essay outline makes you feel closer to the end result because you know you have your research, notes, and outline in place - now, you can get onto the writing part.

Conquer Writing Anxiety

Writing anxiety is when you are filled with fear and tension when you are met with any writing assignment. It may have arisen due to a bad experience wherein you were dissed for your writing - and then this perception just stuck on.

Well, guess what? That’s not helping your “motivation” at all. It’s crippling.

Firstly, stop comparing your work to others and set unrealistic expectations aside. For a change, don’t look at the bigger picture and just focus on the task.

Read the assignment instructions, reach out to your instructor if you have concerns, and start the process. Every time you second-guess yourself, identify it and reason it out instead of giving in to it.

As Antoniou and Moriarty stated, “the most important lesson in developing one’s writing is to WRITE.”

Practice Freewriting

Sometimes, instead of feeding your demotivated self, you need just to put your foot down and start writing. This is what freewriting is - writing whatever comes to you.

It helps you to overcome your mental blocks and gets you started on something you have been delaying for the longest time. Once you get the ball rolling, you can always come back to polish your essay and make it worthy of submission.

Here are five tips to free-write successfully

Write the Introduction Last

When we started writing essays in school, we were taught to create essays with introductory paragraphs.

Yes, introductions do come first, but that does not mean they need to be written first.

Let’s face it - introductory paragraphs face the most amount of pressure. Starting with an interesting hook , engaging the reader from the word go, and ensuring your essay begins with a bang is the kind of pressure we are talking about.

Someone who is not too motivated to write is bound to crumble under this pressure. Hence, it’s a good idea to start with the body paragraphs and even write the conclusion before you can come back to write the introductory paragraph with a calm, composed, and confident mind.

Find your Perfect Writing Space

Many might think this is overrated, but we beg to differ.

You might think you can write on the couch today and tomorrow and get the writing down while sitting on the bed, but that’s where you are making a mistake.

A dedicated space to think and write helps because you create a motivating and safe environment for yourself. From ensuring you sit in the correct posture and having easy access to your tools and resources to maintaining a distraction-free space - sitting there to write is enough to get you in the ‘writing zone.’

So, find your perfect writing space, and you will see a spike in your productivity levels.

Reward Yourself

Do you remember how as kids, our parents gave us chocolate to tidy up our room or took us to the amusement park to score well in our exams? It helped. That’s because we were told we would be rewarded for doing something.

Not much has changed. You can try the same thing for yourself even today.

Rewards boost motivation because who doesn't love getting rewarded? So, every time you finish a chunk of your writing, celebrate that small win and reward yourself. It can be as simple as catching another episode of your favorite show on Netflix or anything else that brings you joy.

Take Breaks

Talking about joy, taking regular breaks is extremely important to remain motivated because otherwise you just turn into an unhappy machine and you certainly don’t want that, do you?

Take a break from your writing - watch a movie, spend time with friends and family, go to your favorite restaurant or just head out for a walk in the park. Do anything to get away from your books so you can come back to your essay with a fresher mind.

Practical Tools to Stay Motivated While Writing your College Essay

If there is anything more complex than finding motivation, it is staying motivated. But hey, why fear when technology is here?

Here are four practical online tools to help you stay motivated right through the essay writing process -

WriteMonkey

Today’s most prominent online distractions come from social media channels, Netflix, and e-commerce websites. How is one supposed to even begin writing, given these circumstances?

This is where WriteMonkey can come to your rescue. This tool does not let anything come between you and your writing. It displays an empty screen, letting you stay focussed on paper and nothing else.

The organization is critical - all the more when it comes to writing college essays. Trello is a planning tool that makes organization fun.

From keeping track of websites and planning drafts to creating a to-do list and adding priorities - this tool lets you arrange your assignments well such that you don’t miss anything.

Remember the tip about breaking down the writing process we spoke about earlier? Yes, Trello has a feature that lets you create subtasks and track their progress.

Focus Keeper

As the name suggests, Focus Keeper is meant to keep your focus going. This easy-to-use app needs you to plug in the tasks that need to be completed, set the timer, and start writing. It also allows for timely breaks to prevent you from reaching burnout .

Cold Turkey

Let’s face it - you cannot possibly finish your essays without the internet, and where there is the internet, there is bound to be a distraction.

Downloading Cold Turkey lets you maintain discipline because it turns your computer into a typewriter and allows you to set a time limit and word count goal. You are literally locked into this app - unless you don’t meet the daily goal, you won’t be able to log out.

While we agree it is not easy to be motivated to write a college essay, it is not impossible either. So, follow the tips, hacks, and tools we have put together for you to supercharge your motivation and write a brilliant essay!

However, if everything else fails and you are still struggling to start your essay, we have a sure-fire solution for you and that is reaching out to essay writing experts.

Writers Per Hour is one such expert that can help with your college papers, no matter the type or length of time you have in hand. Just write to us with your requirements, and we will get our professional writers on the job, guaranteeing to deliver superior quality, 100%-plagiarism-free, and authentic essays.

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Home / Essay Samples / Psychology / Child Development / Motivation

Motivation Essay Examples

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The Necessity of Self-motivation

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What Motivates You in Life - the Biggest Dreams

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What Motivates Me: a Personal Reflection

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Personal Experience of Helping Someone: What Drives Me to Do This

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An Ideal Learning Community: Plc and Teacher Empowerment

Usually teachers are habituated to perform his or her duties individually within the work place. But in the last decade of twenty century this old approach turn into modern approach that is more effective for the teacher professional development through creating collaboration, sharing ideas and...

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Motivation is a process that makes people determined to achieve their goals. It totally depends on the firmness of our decisions. Theories about motivation explains about the efforts of the people to achieve their desired things. Many motivational speakers give their views differently about motivation...

My Motivation to Get Summer Program in China

“Seeing something once is better than hearing about it a hundred times. Doing something once is better than seeing it a hundred times. ” This adage by Lisa See is what I’ve been a strong believer of and live by. Having the privilege of travelling...

Motivation in Second Language Learning: a Historical Overview

The concept of motivation always regarded in human societies particularly for scholars and educational experts.  In this paper, we review the theoretical perspectives that have been submitted over the past 4 decades and associated with language acquisition, this review also covers the important results of...

Theories of Motivation: Analysis of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Hertzberg’s Two Factor Theory

Numerous psychologists have contributed to the theories of motivation which most organizations use as a tool to aid in efficiency and effectiveness of employees. The theory of motivation can be approached from various perspective, however, they all share common factors that there is a link...

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About Motivation

Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors. It is what causes you to act, whether it is getting a glass of water to reduce thirst or reading a book to gain knowledge. Motivation involves the biological, emotional, social, and cognitive forces that activate behavior.

There are four main tyoes of motivation: Intrinsic, extrinsic, unconscious, and conscious.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Herzberg's two-factor theory, Alderfer's ERG theory, Self-Determination Theory, Drive theory.

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