How do you self-motivate yourself?
To help you find new ways to self-motivate yourself, we asked real HR experts and business leaders this question for their best motivation tips. From creating detailed goals to taking regular breaks, there are several things you can do to stay motivated.
Here are 10 techniques to self-motivate yourself:
- Create Detailed Goals
- Practice Visualization
- Focus on Gratitude
- Master Key Values
- Craft Internal Dialogues
- Build a Strong Team
- Go Your Own Pace
- Remember Your Wins
- Take Regular Breaks
- Know Your “Why”
Create Detailed Goals
In order to be self-motivated, you always have to have a clear goal you are working towards. I am a huge fan of creating action plans which identify my main goal and map out all the various initiatives and tactics I have to take to achieve it. It is a great way to keep me on track, motivated, and constantly growing!
Jeanne Kolpek, Cadence Education
Practice Visualization
Visualization is a simple yet effective tool to motivate yourself when you need a pick-me-up. In social work, there are many days that make me feel defeated and tired, even though I love what I do. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and visualize the moment of achievement I am striving for. I visualize happy families being formed through the adoption process! When I take a moment to take a picture of what success looks like in my head, it doesn’t feel so out of reach. Visualization is the best tool I’ve found to self-motivate!
Kenna Hamm, Texas Adoption Center
Focus on Gratitude
Practicing daily gratitude is a great way to find self-motivation! With Sedona Retreats, we place an emphasis on letting go of the negative and focusing on the good that comes from life. Keep your mind focused on the positive, and you’ll always be excited to reach your goals.
Greg Drambour, Sedona Couples Retreats
Master Key Values
At Stuart Hall, our students stay self-motivated by mastering our key proficiencies, which are well-being, citizenship, communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. Our academic programs are also mastery-based learning programs designed to elicit excellence from each student in the areas of strength and interest. Our programs also provide support for the exploration of new areas for growth and development. These are all strategies we use to keep our students constantly motivated and thriving at our boarding school.
Samantha Hughes, Stuart Hall School
Craft Internal Dialogues
“The Last Dance” shared an awesome story about how Michael Jordan essentially “made up” a comment that an opponent said after a win. As the story goes, the opponent said, “Nice game, Mike,” after MJ lost. The next night when the two teams had to square off again, MJ just destroyed the team. The documentary shared that MJ made up the comment in his own head for motivation and that the opponent, in fact, had never said anything to MJ.
After watching the documentary, I decided to try the same thing. There was a CEO of one of our competitors who “viewed” my LinkedIn profile but didn’t accept my request to connect. So I created an internal commentary similar to MJ in which the CEO told me, “Nice little business, Brett.” To this day, for whatever reason, that comment (which, of course, was never said) motivates me to grow our business and succeed.
Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
Build a Strong Team
Having a strong team around me that challenges me and keeps me going is inspiring and motivating. It helps to keep me on my toes, avoid cabin fever, and break up the day a bit. More importantly, remembering to remain positive, starting my day with some positive affirmations goes a long way.
Brandon Monaghan, Miracle Brand
Go Your Own Pace
I remind myself to find my own stride instead of striving to match everyone else’s stride. I have learned that pacing myself saves me from a multitude of burnouts. As an entrepreneur, you learn that you are the architect of your outcome. It is extremely important to recognize your power in controlling your environment as opposed to letting your environment control you. When I need to motivate myself, I set the tone for my path instead of looking outside of myself for validation.
Nik Sharma, Sharma Brands
Remember Your Wins
I like to think about all of the milestones I’ve achieved throughout my career and use them to inspire future decisions. When I remember that I\’m capable of doing something, I feel ready to take on new challenges and feel a strong sense of motivation. Additionally, I like to stay extremely organized, which helps me have a clear head and allows me to make strong, justified decisions.
Katie Fellenz, Trust & Will
Take Regular Breaks
It may sound counterintuitive, but if you’re having trouble staying motivated at work, remind yourself that you can take breaks. For me going on a walk or taking a meditation break works well. It’s easy to feel like you have to get into a groove and stay there to be productive, especially if your mental health is making it difficult to get motivated. But taking breaks can decrease cortisol and increase dopamine, chemically making you feel better and more prepared to take on the world. Breaks are especially necessary if you’re feeling low because sorting through negative thoughts takes so much energy. Instead of beating yourself up about the amount of rest you need, let yourself have it and see how much it can help your productivity overall.
Yuvi Alpert, Noémie
Know Your “Why”
I engrain my “why” in the mission and vision of my company so when I read my bio, or look at my website, I remember. Remembering why you started and why you’re doing it helps minimize the moments of frustrations, roadblocks and stumbling blocks you face. At that moment of reflection, the “why” becomes greater than the setbacks.
LaShawn Davis, The HR Plug
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