In life, sometimes it becomes difficult to go on and remain self-motivated enough to believe in yourself. This is not a good thing as this will make you feel low and negatively impact your mental health. In this piece, we bring you a few ways to remain self-motivated.

  1. Focus on Your Achievements

You may not be in a very good place in life but remember that you have made it this far and that you many laurels to your name already. Think about those to remain self-motivated.

  • Think about the various awards that you have to your name.
  • Think about the time you were proud of yourself for achieving something.
  • Think about the time when you managed to successfully overcome obstacles.
  • Think about your work-related, academic and non-academic achievements.
  • Recollect all the achievements which you have to your name right since childhood.
  1. Recollect How You Overcame Obstacles

In life, we all face a plethora of obstacles and issues. Think about how you overcame these obstacles and issues and managed to go past them. Recollect how you felt after overcoming the obstacles.

  • Feel proud that you have overcome all obstacles in your life till now.
  • Ensure that you don’t disregard your efforts and appreciate how many obstacles you overcame.
  • Recollect how you felt back then that you might not overcome them, but you still did.
  • Recollect how you beat unspeakable odds just to achieve success.
  1. Don’t Disregard Your Efforts

When you are feeling low or de-motivated, you will end up disregarding all your efforts. You will feel like you have never been enough or done enough.

  • You must not disregard your efforts; you must remember that you have always put in a lot of effort.
  • Remember that you may have failed a few times but overall you have always been a success.
  • Try to get out of the feeling that you haven’t put in enough effort.
  1. Stay Positive

One of the most fundamental and easy ways to stay self-motivated is to just stay positive. Don’t think that things will not work in your favor or you will fail.

  • Ensure that you have enough faith in yourself to repel negative thoughts.
  • Try to believe that the best will happen.
  • Don’t keep expecting yourself to fail all the time.
  • Keep encouraging yourself to do better than you did yesterday.
  1. Set Small Goals

Sometimes, you may feel low and de-motivated while pursuing long term goals which may not materialize the way you want them to. In such cases set small goals for you.

  • Set daily tasks for yourself so that you can feel that you are going forward.
  • Don’t get bogged down by long term goals that you fail to appreciate your small victories.
  • Make sure that you know what you intend to achieve every day.
  • Divide your work well so that your work doesn’t seem insurmountable.
  • Make sure that you work hard to achieve your smaller goals.
  1. Keep the Right Company

The people you keep around you always matter. Ensure that you are surrounded by the right kind of people and not people who pull you down.

  • Make friends who motivate you to be better versions of yourself.
  • Hang out with people who provide you with encouragement.
  • Keep friends who are there for you when you need them.
  • Ensure that the company you keep doesn’t just be there for you when you are happy.
  1. Stop Over-Thinking

It is important that you stop thinking so much all the time and that you take some time off from thinking about just your goals.

  • Try not to get embroiled in issues that make life more stressful for you.
  • Stop overthinking about the decisions you have already taken.
  • Go with your gut feeling if you are thoroughly confused.
  • Don’t think about the paths you didn’t take.
  1. Keep Track of the Progress You Make

As you move forward step by step, it is important you keep track of the progress you are making. Forgetting to keep track of your progress will undermine your mental health.

  • Make sure you look back from time to time to see where you come from.
  • Look back to see where you were and far you have come.
  • Keeping track of this progress will help you feel good about yourself.
  1. Stay in the Right Frame of Mind

Staying in the right frame of mind is important since it will help you change your outlook towards and life and this is sure to take you very far.

  • Keeping your mind in check will allow you to be more productive.
  • Having the right mindset will allow you to accomplish tasks more successfully.
  • Having the right mindset will stop your mind from spinning out of control when faced with sorrow.
  • Having the right mindset will allow you to take charge of your life better.
  1. Accept Setbacks as a Part of Life

No matter how hard you try, setbacks are bound to happen. It is important that you accept this fact rather than try to fight it all the time.

  • Everyone faces setbacks but it’s how you react to them that matters.
  • Make sure that you understand that a setback doesn’t mean you have failed.
  • Ensure that you don’t let setbacks pull you down to the extent that you stop trying.
  • A setback simply means that you need to try harder next time.
  1. Take Breaks

Work-life in the 21st century is extremely hectic. It is important that you understand the need for taking breaks every now and then. Taking breaks will help you stay self-motivated.

  • Taking breaks will allow you to rest and recharge.
  • Taking breaks will assist you in feeling refreshed and ready.
  • Taking regular breaks will help you focus better on work.
  • Taking breaks will help your mind focus on something other than your work life.
  • Breaks will boost your self-motivation by giving you a more content feeling.
  1. Reward Yourself

From time to time, you will do things exceptionally well. At such timings, it is important that you reward yourself properly so that you are motivated enough to do more and more.

  • The reward need not be something big and fancy; it can be something as simple as chocolate.
  • Make sure that the reward isn’t something that will pull your productivity down.
  • Make sure that the achievement is such that you deserve the reward.
  • Make sure that you appreciate and reward yourself often.
  1. Make Yourself Useful to Others

A lot of times it feels as if there is little need to do something because it is useless to others. Or that your work is not of any relevance. Maybe, you need to try using it in real cases and check if you are actually good or not.

  • For example, after reading your subject, you can motivate yourself by trying to explain the same to others.
  • When others appreciate your work, you are sure and confident that you did well and can take up any work on the same.
  • It boosts your self-confidence.

TIPS

  • Keep your mind in check don’t let it spiral out of control when you are feeling low.
  • Eat, Sleep and Exercise well to keep your body and mind healthy.
  • Avoid trying to take short cuts while trying to motivate you.
  • Commit yourself to feel better and more motivated.

What are the five steps to self-motivation?

5 Steps to Get Yourself Motivated
  1. Defining Your Objective.
  2. Declare Your Intentions Publicly.
  3. Take Small Steps at First.
  4. Think About Your Goal … to the Point of Obsession.
  5. Catch Negative Thinking and Crush it On the Spot.

How can I motivate myself everyday?

Review your goals first thing in the morning and pick one thing.
  1. Evaluating and reflecting what’s going in your life right now.
  2. Defining your dream and goals.
  3. Making your goals S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive).
  4. Holding yourself accountable.

What causes lack of self-motivation?

Lack of motivation is a symptom of depression, but it may be caused by something else. For example, you may lack motivation if you’re having difficulties coping with an issue in your life or experiencing something that affects your self-confidence.

How do you develop motivation?

Use 90 day goals to boost motivation

Ask yourself what is the meaning/purpose behind each of the goals. Write the goals down. Put specific measurements against each goal and visualise what achieving the goals will mean to you in terms of your own personal progress.