Need to Get Motivated? Look Inside Yourself

Induce. Move. Provoke. Prompt. Impel. All these words are synonymous with motivation; the idea that someone can develop the ability to propel themselves forward to act.

Whether your motivation is internally focused (intrinsic) and based on things like personal satisfaction or a feeling of accomplishment, or externally focused (extrinsic) and based on things like praise from your boss or an increase in pay, here are five very real steps you can take to help motivate you in your work or your personal life.

Step 1: Let Go of Your Fear

Often times, what holds people back from moving forward is fear; fear of making a mistake, fear of embarrassing themselves, even fear of making the wrong choice. Once you let go of your fear and step out of your comfort zone, you can realize that every step you take is a chance to learn. And don't let other's fear or jealousy get in the way of your success.

Step 2: Set Achievable Goals

How will you know you've arrived at your destination if you don't know where you've been? It's important to look at where you are now versus where you want to be and plot a course in that direction. That means, you need to set achievable goals and then determine the appropriate actions you need to make each goal a reality.

Step 3: Explore Your Options

Many times there is more than one path to a personal goal. If you explore your options before deciding on the best course of action, you provide yourself with insight into different choices. It can also help you to understand that if you are going down one path and you come to a bump in the road, there is likely an alternate route you can take.

Step 4: Keep the End Result in Mind

It can be very difficult to motivate yourself to do something you don't enjoy doing. But, if in order to reach your goal you have to choose a course of action that is filled with challenges, frustrations or setbacks, keep the end result in mind to inspire you.  If you don't resolve problems now, you will never be able to move forward.

Step 5: Reach the Finish Line

Daydreaming is great. But spending all your time thinking about the past or envisioning your future will not move you closer to your goal. To reach the finish line you have to put your plan into action. So once you have finished dreaming about what you want, make that dream a reality by taking the steps necessary to move forward.

Self-motivation is possible once you define the reward. Whether it is intrinsic (like personal happiness) or extrinsic (like a job promotion) finding your self-motivation is just a matter of taking appropriate action.