The Necessity of Self-Motivation

'You can motivate by fear. And you can motivate by reward. But both of these methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.' - Homer Rice. In self motivation essays authors usually share pure tips how to motivate yourself, but they sometimes forget about the role of instristic motivation. So motivation refers to an inner feeling, intense desire, goal or expectation about something. You may not have the necessary level of internal drive to cross the gap between what you have and what you want. Self- motivation is what gears you to work to achieve your desire and bridge this gap.

Self-motivation is, in its purest form, the force that drives you to do things. It's the drive you have to work toward your goals, to put effort into self-development, and to achieve personal fulfilment. 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), and although it's clear that intrinsic motivation is usually a more effective and fulfilling drive.

Self-motivation is easy to understand when you consider some examples that contrast it with other kinds of motivation:

• 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 fulfilment 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 achieve 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. Still, 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 reasons, it can be considered self-motivation.

If you are only motivated to achieve standards set by someone else and not for your 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 working but might be self-motivated to run.

Research indicates that youngsters in challenging environments develop greater self-motivation than most of those who have a more comfortable environment:

• They learn from role models.
• They plan their future goals and
• They work determinedly to achieve them
• They overcome all hurdles in life to reach their final goal
• They maneuver their way through various barriers through well-planned techniques which they have had to learn
• They use (often limited) available resources wisely Self-motivation is a combination of willpower, goals and ability to keep trying to attain the highest level and never being satisfied until you reach your goal.

Why You Need Self-Motivation?

Self-motivation is a guiding force. You have specific goals and targets in life. You pursue them and work to achieve them. With a lack of goals in life, you just keep moving along without any proper sense of direction or aim. This eventually leads you nowhere, and you pass away without achieving anything concrete in life. Hence, fuel for your self-motivation lies in your ideals, dreams, and visions for your future.

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 precisely 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 is 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 naturally happier when we are doing what we want to be doing.

We can get encouragement and assistance from other people, but the bulk of the duty in achieving a purposeful life lies within us. No one will write our script or play our part or run our race. To overcome the hurdles of life, self-motivation plays a significant role. Motivation is a subconscious process of summoning the courage to achieve a definite goal. Depression sets in when there is a lack of self-motivation. When you are down, you need to pick yourself up. Life is a marathon and not a sprint. Always have something positive to look forward to. A negative attitude is a setback, but with the right positive attitude, you can overcome those setbacks.

We are the architect of our own lives, and with a durable will power, we can create a positive environment around us. Nothing happens without any effort, and it is a law of life that we reap what we sow. To get love, we must give love. To get a good grade in school, we must read and take the assignments, test, and examinations seriously. In applying this principle of success, we must be willing to make sacrifices by leaving our comfort zones. Mistakes are part of life and are avoidable lessons. When certain negative things happen in life, we need to take a careful, reflective look at it, and find a link to such habit or event, and which may lead us to the finding the solution. Absorb the lessons of life, and those are the ingredients that form great people. The same wind blows us, but what we make of it differs, growth and success is a factor of the lessons we have learned and applied in life.

Choose happiness over depression. Joy is not sold or bought, and it is a choice. Don't attach your pleasure to anything other than contentment and peace of mind. If we put our satisfaction on material things, as soon as that thing or property vanishes, it takes the pleasure along with it. Life is lived inwardly and expressed outwardly, let love, joy, happiness, and peace, spring from your heart. 100% of the outcome we get in life is as a result of the choice we make, while most decisions are free and straightforward; they may have very heavy implications. So think through every thought and judgment, envision the outcome, before settling in. Anything that does not promote love, will plunge you further deep down. Each time we do the right thing, we are overwhelmed by a specific type of confidence, which helps boost self-motivation. In essence, we draw courage from past successes, and learn from failures. Don't forget the importance of self-check and reflection, and this could be done by setting aside a quiet time to access your difficulties, successes and efforts. In a continuously challenging world, we need self-motivation as a tonic to stay afloat

Summary

Self-motivation encourages you to plan goals and how to reach them. It adds excitement and enthusiasm into your life. You add zest to your life, and your activities become much more enjoyable. It increases and supports your willpower which cushions you when you face obstacles or setbacks. You move along boldly against the challenges and adversities in your life. It prepares and encourages you to accept new opportunities, try new techniques and seek new adventures. In the process, you will come upon unexpected opportunities and rewards. The challenges and your improved ability to deal with them improves your quality of life.

This inner strength and willpower make you tough and build your personality. With this improvement, you will not need nor depend on others to boost or applaud your efforts as you move ahead. It erases boredom and monotony from your life because you are working towards current goals and always have further achievable goals to pursue. There is still plenty of excitement in your life. Self-motivation is a positive driving force to improve the quality of your own life and those around you. This leads to higher satisfaction levels, happiness and more fulfilment in your life. However, it is better not to overdo anything. You need self-motivation to seek your goals but pace yourself and don't overexert or punish yourself.