SELF-MOTIVATION

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

—Chinese proverb

Personal Portraits

Apparently, I’m an excellent guitarist, songwriter, and live performer. This is not my inflated opinion of myself, but something I have been told many times by many different people. I have never studied music formally and actually hated music classes in school. So how can this be?

Well, I found my path to music later in life. There was a point in time before Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and jazz when I was lost in the mundane madness of the charts. It was meaningless to me. However, I recall a turning point in my life when I was fifteen and first heard a live album by Dire Straits called Alchemy. That was my first “real” exposure to progressive rock music.

So my mother bought me a classical guitar as a graduation present. I hadn’t a clue as to what to do. I bought books, spoke to guitarists, watched films, and basically locked myself up for six months. My friends actually remember that time in my life where I disappeared to form a bond with my new guitar. And when I emerged, I was playing music.

I removed the strings and stuck colored dots on certain notes on the guitar fret board so that I could learn the scales in my mind. I practiced ten hours a day until my fingers bled and callouses grew on my fingertips. I learned about chords, harmony, scales, modes, and the art of song writing. I still recall the feeling when I actually managed to play for about twenty seconds without the strings buzzing, without being out of time, and without messing up the chord shapes. It was a moment of simultaneous realization and joy—“Oh my God! I’m making music!” I was also surrounded by guitarists, drummers, poets, and artists at the time who inspired me and taught me.

Eighteen years later—I still play my guitar every day.

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What could you accomplish in your life if you were self-motivated? Who would you be?

If you are like most people, with the right amount of self-motivation you would do, achieve, and be everything you’ve ever wanted. Nothing could hold you back. Nothing could stop you from being fulfilled, accomplished, and successful.

If only you had that elusive and powerful personal force known as self-motivation.

The Latin root of the word motivation means “to move”—to take action. In order to achieve anything in life, you must first act. Action is fueled by self-motivation. It takes a lot of work to become a fulfilled individual; self-motivation is a significant part of the process.

In this module, you’ll find powerful insights about self-motivation that will help you fully realize your talents and strengths.

The Background

Let me relate a story to you of a young man who wanted nothing more than to be a great warrior. The problem was that he was born with only one arm and was constantly told by everyone that he could never be a great warrior.

He didn’t listen. He set out every day from a young age to work at his dream—exercising, practicing, and learning the arts and crafts of his trade. With years of hard training, he built his mind and body, bit by bit, into a finely honed instrument. But, because he had only one arm, all the other warriors in his village mocked him for his foolish efforts.

One fateful day, the village was attacked and every man in the settlement drew up arms and ran into battle. The tide of the battle was turning against the villagers, who were desperately looking for any chance at victory. The invaders outnumbered them, and soon the survivors were facing destruction.

The one-armed young man seized the opportunity. He drew his weapon and charged into battle. The years of hard, relentless practice had turned him into a truly powerful and disciplined warrior. With his leadership and skill, the village turned the tables and defeated the invaders.

This young man realized his dream—not because someone told him he was worthy or gave him constant support. He had the one powerful attribute that carried him through the years of hard effort to the ultimate payoff.

But with a purpose, everything in life seems to fall into place. To be on purpose means you’re doing what you love to do, doing what you’re good at and accomplishing what‘s important to you. When you are on purpose the people, resources, and opportunities you need naturally gravitate to you. (Jack Canfield, The Success Principles)

Self-Motivation

Self-motivation plays an incredibly important role in becoming the person you want to be. You see, at the end of the day you are the only one who can really motivate you to do anything at all. At some point, your external support will fail. When that day comes, if you lack self-motivation, what will happen?

Definitions

Self-motivation: the ability to motivate, inspire, and drive yourself without any outside help.

Initiative: an introductory act or step; one’s personal, responsible decision to take action.

Empowerment: a feeling of self-reliance, self-motivation, and/or initiative that enables you to take action.

The Process

Beginning any journey in life requires three things:

•   a plan or direction,

•   a purpose,

•   and a first step.

You probably won’t succeed if you skip any of those three things. If you have a purpose and a first step but no plan, how will you know where you are going? If you have a plan and a first step, but no purpose, how will you know why you are going in that direction? And if you have a plan and a purpose but no first step, when will you ever begin? You must have all three if you ever want to accomplish anything. But there is something else you need, one other quality that unites all three.

It is the power and drive of self-motivation - the quality that sets you up for success when you begin to achieve the goals you have established for yourself in your life.

How Self-Motivation Works

Self-motivation is one of those concepts that sound so simple and obvious. You just have to convince yourself to do something, right? Well, while it may sound simple, a lot of people have problems properly motivating themselves. I’ve met countless people who have all the talent and skills to succeed but somehow can’t get themselves to actually take action.

This is where initiative and empowerment come in to play. Self-motivation allows you to empower yourself and seize the initiative to do whatever you want to do. There are three components of self-motivation: positive thinking, a forward-looking perspective, and goal setting. Let’s look at these more closely.

Positive Thinking

There’s a moving story about two shoe salesmen who went to an isolated village in the middle of nowhere to research the potential of the shoe market there. They reported back to their boss with an update the next day -

The first salesman seemed distressed and said, “Boss, that village has no potential—nobody wears shoes.”

The second salesman was much more excited and reported, “Boss, that village has great potential—nobody wears shoes!”

As you can see, the second salesman was thinking in a much more positive way and he chose to have an optimistic view of the situation. I don’t think anyone who can really motivate themselves if they perceive the situation in a negative manner.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right. (Henry Ford)

Forward-Looking Perspective

Here is a quick lesson on what separates winners from losers. Winners see potential for victory; they motivate themselves by looking forward to the finish line. Losers, on the other hand, see potential for defeat and they look at every possible reason for why they will not succeed and both perspectives end up becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.

Self-motivation requires a forward-looking perspective. Your brain is wired to spur itself into action based on how you look at the future. If you can look forward and see a positive future, you can begin to generate the force of self-motivation.

Goal Setting

We will talk about goal setting in more detail later on in the journey of personal development, but it needs a mention here because it is so important to self-motivation.

When you are motivating yourself, you are really taking action towards achieving a goal that you have set. These goals—the places you want to go and things you want to achieve—represent the finish line you should always keep your eyes on.

Put all three together—positive thinking, a forward-looking perspective, and goal setting—and you have self-motivation. When you are in a village where no one wears shoes, do the smart thing and open up a shoe store.

The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today. (Franklin D. Roosevelt)

Common Obstacles to Motivation

Fear

Kurt Lewin, a German psychologist, made a startling discovery about the achievement of goals. He found that the closer a person gets to accomplishing something - the more likely they will encounter the potentially negative consequences of reaching that goal. As a result, the person begins to avoid reaching the goal.

Do you know why? It’s fear.

Lewin found that, most of the time, the fear of the consequences was worse than the consequences themselves. He called this the “approach-avoidance” theory. It shows how fear—fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, or fear of something unknown—is one of the main obstacles to motivation.

Recognizing that the fear is often far worse than the consequence itself is the key to staying self-motivated.

Rewards and Punishment

When you were a child, chances are you were disciplined based on a system of rewards and punishment. If you were good, you were rewarded. If you were bad, you were punished. This conditioning often continues into our adult lives, creating serious problems when it comes to motivating ourselves. As humans, we’re not very good at rewarding or punishing ourselves. In fact, experts like Edward Deci have found that people are more successful at motivating themselves when they seek to do a task based on the task itself, not because of reward or punishment.

Think about that for a moment. That suggests that a big part of self-motivation comes from focusing on the task itself, as well as how it benefits you and makes you feel, rather than worrying about rewards or punishment.

Taller Than the Tallest Problems

In considering the life and achievements of Rousseau, sociologists have often raised a provocative question: how did it come about that a man born poor, who lost his mother at birth and was deserted by his father, who was afflicted with a painful and humiliating disease, who was repudiated by society and civilization, who was driven from place to place as a dangerous rebel, who was suspected of crime and insanity, … how did it come about that this man, after his death, triumphed over Voltaire, transformed education, elevated the morals of France, inspired the Romantic movement and the French revolution, and influenced the philosophy of Kant?

Whether or not we wholly agree with their evaluation of Rousseau, his accomplishments seem truly remarkable when viewed against the stressful conditions of his early life. Although he suffered from serious emotional difficulties, he reached an unusually high level of achievement.

If he could do it, surely you and I can attempt the same.

Exercises

To help you better understand self-motivation, here are a few exercises.

1.   The Power of Positive Thinking

The simple goal of this exercise is to help you get started with thinking positively. Take a piece of paper and write down five positive attributes you have. These should be things about yourself that you value. Review this list regularly.

2.   The Three-Goal List

Take another piece of paper and write down three goals you have: one short-term goal (1–2 weeks), one mid-term goal (1–2 months), and one long-term goal (6–12 months).

3.   What Motivates Me?

Take some time to consider what motivates you. What gets you really excited about a task?

Action Plan

Okay, this is where the real work begins. This is how you can actualize the potential you were born with and motivate yourself to realize all your dreams and goals.

If you follow this action plan closely, you will soon realize the power of self-motivation.

1.   Establish a Goal

   Every time you come across something you want to achieve, establish a goal. Be specific about what you want to accomplish. Write it down, and remember what you want to happen.

2.   Establish “First Steps”

   Getting started with any task is often the most difficult part. With regard to your chosen goal, what are the first tangible steps you can take to get started?

3.   Daily Tasks

   Find inspiration wherever you can, such as in quotes, music, or literature; whatever motivates you, read it, watch it, or listen to it daily.

   Affirm yourself. Consider your positive traits and abilities (e.g., “I’m thoughtful and compassionate”); remind yourself of them often.

4.   Track Your Progress

   Keep a record or journal of your journey. Write down the things you are doing to develop self-motivation. Review your journal regularly.

You Can Do It!

Anyone can develop self-motivation—no matter who they are or what their circumstances are. You have the incredible power within you to motivate yourself, reach your goals, and become the person you long to be. Stay positive, look to the future, and set goals. Always look for ways to affirm yourself and find inspiration in the world around you. You’ll quickly discover that you can motivate yourself—and that is a very powerful thing.

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. (Jeremy Kitson)

Further Reading

Deci, Edward. (1995). Why We Do What We Do: Understanding Self-Motivation. New York: Penguin Books.

Covey, Stephen. (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Free Press.