Why is self-motivation important and 11 tips to improve it?

Self-motivation is the single most important factor in deciding if you are doing your best or not. Motivation is essential for achieving success, yet the majority of people have trouble increasing it to the level needed for them to succeed. These 11 steps will help you get motivated and likeable so that you are reaching your full potential and fulfilling what you want.

What is self-motivation?

Self-motivation is the drive or desire one has to work on a particular task, it involves activating the body and mind. A person must have a high level of self-motivation in order to achieve all that they want to achieve in life, it allows you to work harder at something you enjoy and makes it easier to get better. Self-motivation is extremely important in your everyday life as you don’t always need other people around to help encourage you.

Why is self-motivation important?

Self-motivation is important because it allows you to do things for yourself and not rely on others. It means that if you desperately want something and no one else can help then you can achieve it on your own without having to rely on others.

It also allows people to work harder in areas they are interested in as it gives the individual a drive or desire to make themselves better. Self-motivation allows people to work harder at things they enjoy and helps them reach higher levels of success in their careers.

Tips to improve your self-motivation

Improving your self-motivation can be tough, especially if you don’t feel like doing anything. The 11 tips below will help you get motivated and likeable so that you are reaching your full potential and fulfilling what you want:

1. Change your diet

Change the type of food you eat to become healthier in general, it will make you feel more motivated as eating better gives your body a boost in energy and produces better results when working out and performing tasks.

Start small, try eating a healthy snack such as fruit and vegetable sticks, it’s a lot better than chocolate. Try reading up on the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables or other healthy foods so that you know exactly what you are putting into your body. Look online for easy recipes, don’t just buy ready meals and snacks as they are filled with processed food and salt which can slow down your metabolism.

Quick motivation hack: Stop drinking calories because it’s really bad for you. Try drinking a glass of water with lemon instead so it tastes better but contains fewer calories.

2. Start moving around

Try to get up and move around when you are watching TV or when you are bored, go for a little walk or do one exercise. This will stop you from doing things that waste your time and give you something productive to do instead. If it is really hot outside try going out and enjoying the weather, go to the park or swim in the sea so you can cool down and relax. It also helps to break up your day as it gives you a chance to relax and get away from work or study.

Quick motivation hack: Set an interval timer on your phone to remind yourself to get up and do something. Even if it’s just 30 seconds of jogging on the spot to get the blood pumping.

3. Change your mindset

Try to think of yourself as more motivated and productive, try looking at things from a different point of view. Instead of thinking about how difficult a task is try instead to think of how you can achieve it or break it down into smaller steps. If you have been feeling unmotivated and lazy then try thinking about what motivates you and what makes you feel good, this is a great place to start if you are trying to create motivation in yourself.

Quick motivation hack: Tough but easy. You are not your past self, so use your past experience to make you better, not to keep you down.

4. Choose your poison

Try to find something you really enjoy doing, whether it is music, sport or something else that you really enjoy. When you are spending time doing what you enjoy then you will be working out as a part of your motivation and no longer finding it hard to get going.

Quick motivation hack: Do what makes you feel good, this will help motivate you and make the work easier for yourself.

5. Develop new habits

Don’t try to force yourself to do things that you don’t enjoy, instead work on some new habits and make this the start of your new motivation. If you are home alone then try going for a walk and using this as an opportunity to think about what you need to do at work or study. Or if your job involves a lot of sitting then make it a point to stand up and get around every half an hour by walking around or even dancing.

Quick motivation hack: Change your desk at work, so you are forced to move more and also change the stimulus of your environment.

6. Emphasise the positive

Don’t focus on what you are not doing but use this time to figure out what you are doing well so that you can continue to do it. This can be changing your eating habits so that you eat more fruits and vegetables. Or changing your job so it involves more exercise or gets you outside a lot more. This will help motivate yourself to keep improving and will also make you feel happier with yourself as you work towards success.

Quick motivation hack: Be positive and think about what you are doing well instead of focusing on the bad.

7. Meditation

Meditation is a great way to take your mind off what you are doing, so try it and see if it works for you. You can do it with the help of a guided meditation app or find a quiet place by yourself.

Quick motivation hack: An easy way to meditate is by saying positive things to yourself out loud because in this case, your mind will focus on them rather than on whatever you are doing.

8. Stop over analysing

Try to stop over analysing things, you will only make yourself feel bad as it is not helping you improve. Instead focus on the present and work out what you are going to do next rather than thinking about what else you can do. This will help you get motivated and keep moving forward in your life.

Quick motivation hack: Get up and move around, this will help your mind relax and start thinking positive thoughts.

9. Reward yourself

Reward yourself when you achieve something, whether it is a small goal or a huge one. This will help motivate you to keep going and will give you something to work towards. If your goal is to exercise at least 3 times a week then reward yourself for it. Find rewards that won’t make you feel worse about yourself and just keep going, so try eating a healthy snack or having fun and spending time with friends as this will allow you to relax and give you energy.

Quick motivation hack: Every new achievement makes you more motivated to keep going, so use this as your reward.

10. Practice gratitude

To feel motivated you need to be grateful for what you have, so try to be thankful every minute. This will make you feel better and more positive when you are trying to build motivation in yourself. If you sit in front of the TV and feel lazy then say thanks to it because if not then there would not be anything else that you could do, or if you are sitting at home in the garden and enjoying it then say thanks to it because then there would not be anyplace else where you could do this. Try to thank everything that you have and it will help you to feel good about what you have already and also help you be more motivated.

Quick motivation hack: Start saying your thanks for things that are happening right now, this will make you feel better and energise you.

11. Set goals

Setting a goal for yourself will help you to become more motivated and keep moving forward in your life. Try to set a goal that is achievable, but also one that you really want to achieve as this will help you work up the motivation to work hard and get it done.

Quick motivation hack: Think of something that will motivate you to want to get it done, maybe tell your family or friends or even write it down somewhere so that you can see it every day.