We all know that we need to do regular exercise to stay healthy, don’t we? And, we all know what the benefits are, yet knowing that something is good for us and then actually doing it are two different things. Self-motivation is crucial and it’s what makes the difference between losing weight and looking good or remaining unhealthy and over-fat.

By: Midgie Thompson

 What is self-motivation?

 Self-motivation involves initiative, belief and expectations – it’s our internal drive to achieve, produce, develop, and keep us moving forward. When we don’t know where to start, our self-motivation prompts us to seek outside input and assistance to get us going. When we think about quitting it’s our self-motivation that calls on us to persevere.

Self-motivation requires initiative to set challenging (and realistic) goals for yourself. You need to identify ones that inspire and excite you, rather than those that you feel that you have to do, or have a sense of obligation to do. So, in regard to exercise, many people think they ‘have to do it’, rather than connect with the personal benefits and gains that they will experience from doing it.

 Self-motivation requires you to believe in yourself. It is the belief that you have the skills and abilities needed to achieve those goals. If you do not have these you can learn and develop them. So, when you go to the gym, you might seek advice from a personal trainer or gym instructor to develop a programme of exercise that meets your needs and your lifestyle.

 

Self-motivation requires the expectation that you will succeed. If you put in enough hard work and effort, on a consistent and regular basis; you have a good chance of achieving what you want to achieve. So, going to the gym might not produce instant results however, with regular and consistent efforts, it will.

In addition to initiative, belief and expectations, there are a further four factors that are necessary to build strong levels of self-motivation:

Self-Confidence and Self-Belief

Being self-confidence and self-assured means that you feel you have the ability and the resources to set and achieve challenging goals. You believe that you can achieve whatever you put your mind to. With this mindset, you approach the process of goal setting with a ‘can do’ attitude. Challenging goals are exciting and achievable. They might stretch you beyond your comfort zones, but you know you can do it.

With self-confidence and self-belief, you will achieve that goal. Regardless of setbacks or disappointments, you persevere and bounce-back after problems, refocus on your goal and carry on – although it is sometimes necessary to re-adjust your goals to make them re-achievable.

To help you build more self-confidence and self-belief, think about past achievements in your life, examine your strengths, and how other people see them, and set achievable goals for yourself. It’s crucial that you also enjoy achieving them. You should also seek out mentors, friends, coaches, in fact anyone who can support and encourage you along your journey.

As you begin to recognise how much you have already achieved – and understand how much potential you have – you will gain the confidence needed to set more goals and achieve what you want. The more you look and see reasons to believe in yourself, the easier it will be to find ways to motivate yourself.

Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is closely related to self-confidence as a factor in self-motivation. It’s important to look at things positively especially when things aren’t going as planned and you may feel like giving up.

Your thoughts do have an influence on outcomes so, ensuring that they are positive will help you achieve what you want. You should make sure that you have a picture of your goal and include as much detail as possible of what that entails. Having that positive image of your success, coupled with positive thoughts about you actually achieving your goal, will lead you to succeed.

Tips to develop positive thinking:

1) Become aware of your thoughts throughout the day – be they positive or negative. Write them down.  Then challenge any negative thoughts you have and discard them if there is no evidence or basis for them.

2) Create a rich and detailed picture of what it will be like to achieve your goals. Develop positive affirmations or statements about achieving your goals and what difference it will make to your life when you do achieve them.

Goals that inspire

Set step-by-step goals if need be. Sometimes when a goal seems too big or unreachable, having smaller progressive goals can help. These assist you maintain focus on what specifically you have to do to achieve the goal. It also provides a sense of direction as well as a boost of self-confidence when you achieve those smaller milestone goals.

In addition to ensuring that you set SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable and realistic), make sure that they also inspire and excite you. This will help you going as you progress along the way!

A motivating environment

It is also important to surround yourself with people and resources that support you in your pursuit of those goals. They can remind you to keep on going or hold you accountable for when you slow down. Knowing that you have people who are aware of your goals can provide a source of external motivation if they keep asking, ‘So, how’s it going towards achieving that goal?’ 

Let these people know what your milestone goals are so they can cheer you on and celebrate your success. Additionally, by having them hold you accountable to achieving your goals, you’ll have someone to report back to on the progress you have made. These people will be your cheer-leaders, your supporters and your mentors … so seek them out and ask for their help.

Having high levels of self-motivation might not come naturally to everyone, and even those who are self-motivated can benefit from some extra support and encouragement from time to time.

To give yourself a boost to an existing level of self-motivation, you need to be confident that you can achieve what you are going to achieve, you need to believe that you can do anything that you put your mind to. Having a positive mind set helps towards achieving that, plus having goals that inspire and excite you will help keep the motivation high. Surrounding yourself with positive people and resources that support you on your journey will also help.

Whether your goal is to make time for exercise on a regular and consistent basis, do a mountain trek for charity, or pursue a personal goal, unearthing your own motivation and seeking support from others will help you achieve.

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