Self- motivation refers to an individual’s ability to do things that need to be accomplished without the influence external stimuli, which usually means that of other people. If an individual is self-motivated they perform tasks and strive to accomplish their goals because they always have their own reasons and resolve to do so.
It is what pushes a person to accept and overcome challenges without having to wait for encouragement or impulsion from other people. It is through exercising self-motivation that an individual becomes more capable of achieving their goals, which generally results in improving their quality of life and personal happiness.
One very important aspect of self-motivation is knowing what motivates you to perform tasks and achieve goals. Your source of motivation may change from time to time and as you reach different stages in life. Your goals in life along with your needs and wants also evolve along with your sources of motivation.
Many researchers of human behavior believe that in order to develop self-motivation, interest and commitment must be stimulated first. One way to do this is to make sure that the person is completely aware of the importance of the task while giving them enough freedom to make decisions on how to carry out the task to its completion.
Self-motivation can also be affected by the following factors:
- Personal drive – the intensity of your desire to achieve a goal
- Commitment – the level of commitment either to your job/career or personal relationship with other people can also affect their self-motivation
- Readiness – if you are not yet ready to act on a certain opportunity then your self-motivation will also be affected
- Volition –your willingness to persist despite setbacks and challenges that will almost undoubtedly appear
The Qualities of a Self-motivated Individual
- Self-motivated individuals are much more likely to be more organized than others.
They believe that when everything is organized well it will become easier for them to complete tasks and eventually achieve their goals. They further believe that staying organized helps them complete tasks according to priority, urgency and importance.
Being organized places a person in readiness to take advantage of opportunities when they appear. Many opportunities are unable to be acted on due to a lack of preparedness. This leads to regret and in a circular fashion, can depress self-motivation.
- Self-motivated individuals are also known to have better time management skills.
For a self-motivated person, time is money which means wasted time is also tantamount to wasted money. It is even truer of time than money that it can only be spent once, so should be spent wisely. Thus, self-motivated individuals make sure that less time is wasted and that each hour that passes contributes to their ability to complete their tasks for the day.
- Self-motivated individuals have high levels of self-esteem.
They think highly of themselves in terms of their ability to do things. They believe in their own potential and are determined to achieve their goals no matter what. With their positive self-esteem they are less afraid of failures and are more willing to take evaluated risks whenever they think they have to.
- Self-motivated individuals rarely get tired of doing and trying.
They always exert extra effort when it is needed to deal with a project. Their bodies are reservoirs of energy and enthusiasm to do the things they want, believing that all these contribute to their goal, which is to succeed in whatever the task or goal is.
Why Do Some People Lack Self-Motivation?
Self-motivation can be hard to obtain or maintain if a person lacks confidence. If they do not believe that they will succeed then it can be difficult to convince them that they can.
Another reason why some people lose their self-motivation is due their lack of focus. If you are not certain about what you really want in life, what you want to achieve now and what you want to be in the future then self-motivation will also be too hard to consistently maintain.
It is important that your short-term, mid-term and long-term goals are all in alignment, or your subconscious mind will thwart your efforts and diminish your self-motivation.