How to Motivate Yourself

Creating motivation within yourself means being ready to pursue, focus on, and engage with a task or goal. This also means having enough intelligence and sharpness not to be manipulated, while still being open to receiving positive lessons. Achieving the ability to create motivation is no easy task, but it’s not impossible either, as we all have the necessary elements within ourselves. Let’s explore this in the following article.

Stay positive. If you constantly think thoughts like, "Life is so pointless, and it’s raining too," then it will be incredibly difficult to get anything done. These thoughts will just make you want to curl up in bed until someone comes to pull you out. Don’t do that! Positive thinking is the starting point if you want to create motivation for yourself.

• Avoid negative thoughts by stopping them as soon as you notice them. Redirect your focus to something else, especially when you're thinking about how to motivate yourself for a particular task. This is something you can absolutely do, and you have the ability to achieve it. If you only focus on what negative outcomes might happen, you might never even attempt to do anything at all.

Be Confident. You need to maintain a positive attitude towards everything around you, including yourself. Even thinking that you can’t be confident is already an obstacle in your pursuit of self-confidence. Why attempt something you believe you can’t achieve? That’s right, if you don’t believe you can do something, you’ve already set an end to it.

• Start by listing your accomplishments. What do you already have? What amazing things have you done in the past? Think about everything you’ve achieved so far. There’s no reason you can’t achieve what you want to do, because you’ve been successful with past goals.

Truly Desire It. When it comes to motivation, Les Brown often says, "You must crave it." You have to genuinely want to achieve something, as if you can’t live without it. Thinking about good things is not enough, you must truly crave it. If you don’t want it badly enough, then what are you doing to motivate yourself?

• Sometimes you need to ask yourself whether you truly desire something. Are you struggling to get started on something? Will it lead to something else? If you’ve ever longed for a vacation to Hawaii, think about your current situation like that desire. You really want to go to Hawaii, and work will help you achieve that dream sooner or later. When you’re doing something that doesn’t seem exciting, attaching it to a specific goal you really want will make it easier to get started.

Failure Will Always Happen. You must understand that failure is a part of the journey to success. Being overly perfectionistic will only lead you to want to give up at some point. No one is perfect, and failure is inevitable. You might not reach your goal at this moment or at some other time, but always have a backup plan.

• Failure or delays are part of life. Sometimes, it happens because of you (not every decision you make is flawless), but other times it occurs because of things beyond your control. You’ll gain more than you lose when you embrace failure with your head held high.

Focus on Positive Goals. It’s easy to recognize what we don’t want, as these things make us anxious or fearful. On the other hand, identifying what brings us joy and what we truly desire is more challenging. However, to achieve any goal, we need to think about positive goals first, rather than dwelling on negativity. Instead of thinking, “I don’t want to be poor,” think, “I want to save X amount each month,” because that’s a better, more achievable goal, right?

• Being positive here doesn’t mean something grand or unattainable. It means setting goals that are achievable and suited to specific aspects of your life. A goal like “lose 10 kg in one week” is inherently unrealistic. “Lose 4-5 kg by dieting and exercising” is a much more practical goal that won’t make you feel frustrated when you think about it.

Set Small Goals. Achieving a huge goal is not easy, just like when you think about reading a story with seven chapters, you might feel reluctant to start. Therefore, break down large goals into smaller ones. As you achieve each smaller goal, the remaining parts will gradually be handled as they come.

• Instead of saying, "I want to lose 20 pounds," pursue smaller goals like, "I want to lose 1 pound this week," or "I want to exercise 4 to 5 days a week." The result will be nearly the same, but mentally, you’ll feel much lighter.

Track Your Progress. Since the dawn of humanity, people have sought purpose and direction in their work, relationships, and even hobbies—not just existing for the sake of survival. If something seems impossible to achieve, we won’t bother trying. So, when you’re trying to lose weight, work overtime, or study, track your progress. By doing so, you’ll stay motivated and see the positive results from your actions. You’ll find your goals along the way.

• Pay attention to both your behaviors and the outcomes of those actions. You need results to see your progress, but also to understand which actions are helping you and which are not. If you’re trying three different study methods or workouts, you’ll want to know which one works best for you. Based on these results, you can set goals and strategies for the next phase of your journey.

Rest. Humans are not machines (and even machines need rest). Research has shown that students are more effective when they take breaks. And everyone knows that muscles need rest too. Rest doesn’t mean laziness; it’s for those who want to keep going for the long haul.

• When to rest is entirely up to you. The timing of such relaxation also depends on your ultimate goals. Not only do you need daily breaks, but you also need longer breaks to restore balance in your life.

Do What You Enjoy. Most people are working jobs they don’t truly love, doing workouts that don’t excite them, and handling a long list of tasks they would gladly delegate if possible. These tasks always exist, so we need to adjust and find ways to make what we’re not passionate about something manageable—and even enjoyable. If you don’t find something interesting, you’re unlikely to finish it.

• Think about your job. If it’s dreadful, is there any way you can make it more enjoyable? For example, could you propose working on a project you’re passionate about? How can you focus more time on what you really love?
• If your current workout routine isn’t fun, try something different. You don’t have to become a marathon runner just to burn calories. You could swim, join a class, or go hiking. If you don’t enjoy a particular exercise, don’t force yourself to stick with it.

Reward Yourself. This is an important point to consider. If there’s one thing you should do, it’s to associate everything with something you love, such as a favorite treat or a special hobby. Rewarding yourself can be highly effective if done correctly. After completing a task, remember to reward yourself with something that reflects your achievements.

• Don’t think about rewarding yourself every five minutes while working on something. Doing so will distract you and waste more time. However, when you accomplish a small goal, treat yourself to something. If you’ve exercised every day of the week, reward yourself with a rest day, some home yoga, and a movie.

Don't Worry About Making Mistakes. To find the best way to achieve something, we often have to try things we've never done before. Mistakes are inevitable along the way as we explore, grow, and improve. When you make a mistake, you can eliminate that approach and narrow down your options. In a way, mistakes serve a purpose because, after all, they contribute to something valuable.

• One common fear that holds many people back is the worry of looking silly or foolish. The desire to stay within our comfort zone is a natural human instinct, so you might hesitate to speak up in class or try a new piece of exercise equipment that you're unfamiliar with. However, to achieve the best results, whether it's aiming for high grades, maintaining a balanced body, or starting a business, you must do things that feel uncomfortable.
• As mentioned earlier, don't let mistakes stop you. It’s easy to feel discouraged after a mistake, thinking there's no reason to continue, and then giving up. But if you remind yourself that mistakes are unavoidable, you’ll feel better. Failure isn't the issue; pick yourself up and keep moving forward.

Keep Your Sources of Motivation Around You. Simply put, we all need reminders and encouragement. A source of motivation can be anything that helps you keep the right mindset. It's natural to veer off course, lose balance in some areas, or forget what you want at times, but external motivation can keep you from losing your way.

• You can do small things to keep yourself on track. Change your computer wallpaper, put sticky notes on your desk, set reminders on your phone. Surround yourself with constant motivation and reminders.
• Others can also motivate you. Let people around you know that you’re trying to lose 4-5 kg. They might offer solutions that make your weight loss journey easier and will keep an eye on your progress.

Maintain Good Friends. Unfortunately, some people can sap your motivation. Perhaps you have a friend who always encourages you to eat just one more slice of cheese. If you're trying to lose weight, that person is not a good friend. On the road to success, we all need encouragement along the way. Share your goals with friends and family, and you’ll likely find a few trusted individuals who can help you stay focused and maintain your motivation.

• It can be very helpful if you know someone who has been through similar experiences. Talk to someone who has successfully started a business, lost 20 kg, or achieved their dreams. Listen to their stories about how they accomplished these successes, and you’ll realize how achievable your own goals are, and how important it is to maintain your energy and motivation.

Never Stop Learning. On your journey, you might feel bored or lose focus at times. By continuously learning, you can avoid these problems. Focusing on and maintaining motivation for any long-term goal is not easy. However, if your goal constantly evolves and your knowledge base keeps expanding, things will become simpler and more manageable.

• If you're trying to lose weight, read stories about weight loss. Talk to a personal trainer at the gym, meet with a nutritionist, and try new factors (such as different workout methods or diet plans). Refreshing your approach and story will help you maintain a positive mindset.

Don't compare yourself to others. One of the most effective ways to lose motivation is by comparing yourself to others. You will never be that person, and they will never be you, so what's the point in comparing? While you've probably heard this a million times, it's worth repeating: the only person you should measure yourself against is who you were yesterday. Whether or not you’re making progress is the issue, not how well others are doing.

• This is also why it's important to track your progress. Keeping track will show you how much success you've achieved. If you've made any progress at all, there’s no need to feel ashamed, no matter how far others have gone.

Help others. Once you're close to reaching your goal, it means you've learned a lot from your own experiences, so why not share your insights to help others? This not only boosts your own motivation but also inspires others. Have you ever wished someone could have helped you during your journey?

• If you've lost a few pounds, started a business, or aced an exam, use what you know to help others. Even more, teaching what you've learned or revisiting your achievements will help you stay focused and feel accomplished.

Set bigger goals. After accomplishing smaller goals, it's time to look at the bigger picture. This is the moment to set a larger goal. Think about your greatest motivation—like booking a trip to Vung Tau with a swimsuit that now fits your healthy, fit body.

• Make sure you keep the final goal in mind; otherwise, you might never achieve it. Why are you doing all these things? No one else can answer that but you, because the light always shines at the end of the tunnel. And when you reach the end of the tunnel, there might be a whole new journey waiting for you, don’t you think?