Ever wondered what gets you up in the morning? It is the hope that comes with a new day. If all hope is lost, you wouldn’t bother to get up and that is one of the things about self-motivation.
Self-motivation is simply the inner drive in each of us that makes us want to succeed. Were you born with it? No but this develops as you grow older thanks to the help of your family, friends and school.
A good example from your parents could be you asking them to buy something you see in the store and they tell you to work for it if you want to get it. One option will be to offer you an incentive like getting good grades and in return, this is given to you as a reward.
If you are grown up already, they will probably tell you to find a job like delivering newspaper or mowing the neighbor’s lawn in exchange for cash. Once you are able to collect enough money, only then will you be able to buy it.
Such examples teach you one thing and that is to set a goal. Since a goal is like an “X” in a treasure map, you have to plan a path so you are able to get there. If you are able to follow the right path, you will be able to get what you want regardless of the objective.
Not everything we want in life is going to be given to us on a silver platter and chances are, this is when you are thinking of giving up. Should you quit? Some people will but you have to fight that urge and continue on. By being to do that, you will soon develop the habit of never giving up and always finishing what you started.
We mentioned earlier that our friends and people in school contribute to self-motivation. While not everyone will share your dreams and goals, this is why you have to socialize with those that have similar interest. Studies have shown that motivation is contagious and if all of you have a winning attitude, there is nothing that you guys cannot do.
In any goal, there will be a few setbacks that will come your way. This will delay your goals but by learning from it, you will be able to overcome it. This in itself is what sets us apart from animals because we are able to learn from others and at the same time discover a few things on our own.
One thing you might learn is that there is some goals that are too far to reach so new ones need to be made. Does this mean we gave up? Some people will think so but there is something good that comes out of it which is our ability to channel our focus elsewhere perhaps to a certain interest or talent that we possess which in the end will make us more successful.
Self-motivation is an ongoing process and the only way we become better and stronger is to make a few mistakes a long the way and also face a few setbacks. In essence, you have to take a certain amount of risk because it is the good times and the bad that makes us a better person.