Self-Motivation: Definition, Examples, and TipsWhat is self-motivation? Learn more about what self-motivation is, how to show you’re motivated, and how to boost your motivation.
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How to Show You're Self-Motivated on Your Resume
Now that you have a better sense of the different parts of self-motivation, how do you show you’re self-motivated on a resume? To start, identify the traits above that describe you. You might then include these descriptions on your resume. Be sure, though, to make sure you have examples to back up these traits.
For example, if you list one of your positive qualities as “resourceful”, then make sure you have an example of a time when you raised money that was needed, found someone with expertise to teach you something, or gained other resources that would be difficult for the average person to gain—all examples of being resourceful. By having these stories locked and loaded, you won’t get tripped up by interview questions about how self-motivated you are.
For example, if you list one of your positive qualities as “resourceful”, then make sure you have an example of a time when you raised money that was needed, found someone with expertise to teach you something, or gained other resources that would be difficult for the average person to gain—all examples of being resourceful. By having these stories locked and loaded, you won’t get tripped up by interview questions about how self-motivated you are.
How to Boost Self-Motivation
Increasing motivation is probably something we all want to do from time to time. Even those of us who consider ourselves to be fairly self-motivated run into roadblocks that can prevent us from achieving success as we define it. So, in this section, we’re going to talk about a variety of different strategies that can be used to boost motivation. Which ones work best for you might just depend on your current circumstances.
Boost self-motivation by bonding with others
Past research among employees has found that the single factor that contributed most to commitment—which they considered a part of motivation—was a drive to bond (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). Perhaps this might surprise you (it surprised me!) because when we think about self-motivation, we might imagine grueling schedules or long ToDo lists. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
As we mentioned earlier, one of our most fundamental needs is belonging or relatedness. And according to Dr. Matt Killingsworth, we enjoy almost every activity more if we’re doing that activity with other people. So if there is an activity that we’re having a hard time doing, making this activity social can make it more likely that we’ll actually do it.
Example of how bonding can boost self-motivation:
Boost self-motivation by finding something you’re good at
The same research study that we mentioned above also showed that feeling like we comprehend what we’re doing at work (and find it meaningful) can lead us to be more engaged (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). That makes sense, right? I don’t know about you, but I have a heck of a time motivating myself to do things I’m not good at. For example, in college, I dreaded doing my physics homework (which I was terrible at). And, even though I love eating good food, I don’t bake (because it rarely comes out tasting good).
According to learning theories, we stay engaged and motivated when the difficulty of a task is in the sweet spot between being too hard—which can make us feel bad about ourselves—and too easy—which can be boring.
Boost self-motivation by bonding with others
Past research among employees has found that the single factor that contributed most to commitment—which they considered a part of motivation—was a drive to bond (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). Perhaps this might surprise you (it surprised me!) because when we think about self-motivation, we might imagine grueling schedules or long ToDo lists. But it actually makes a lot of sense.
As we mentioned earlier, one of our most fundamental needs is belonging or relatedness. And according to Dr. Matt Killingsworth, we enjoy almost every activity more if we’re doing that activity with other people. So if there is an activity that we’re having a hard time doing, making this activity social can make it more likely that we’ll actually do it.
Example of how bonding can boost self-motivation:
- If we’re having a hard time going to the gym, we might ask a friend to go with us. That way, we’ll feel more inclined to go (and not ditch them) and we’ll likely enjoy the gym more, which can make it more likely that we’ll go again in the future.
Boost self-motivation by finding something you’re good at
The same research study that we mentioned above also showed that feeling like we comprehend what we’re doing at work (and find it meaningful) can lead us to be more engaged (Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). That makes sense, right? I don’t know about you, but I have a heck of a time motivating myself to do things I’m not good at. For example, in college, I dreaded doing my physics homework (which I was terrible at). And, even though I love eating good food, I don’t bake (because it rarely comes out tasting good).
According to learning theories, we stay engaged and motivated when the difficulty of a task is in the sweet spot between being too hard—which can make us feel bad about ourselves—and too easy—which can be boring.
Example of how competence can boost self-motivation:
Boost self-motivation by accessing your drive to acquire or defend
Workplace researchers suggest that two more drives can motivate us: the drive to acquire things that boost our well-being (e.g., food, money, experiences, entertainment) and the drive to defend ourselves (e.g., our property, accomplishments, beliefs, etc…; Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). At times, it may be helpful to remind ourselves of these drives and how our actions can help us fulfill them.
- Let’s say you’re a really good public speaker. When you give talks, you feel effective, people applaud your skill, and you excel in your field easily. The lack of difficulties can make it easier to stick to it, move forward, and succeed in this area.
Boost self-motivation by accessing your drive to acquire or defend
Workplace researchers suggest that two more drives can motivate us: the drive to acquire things that boost our well-being (e.g., food, money, experiences, entertainment) and the drive to defend ourselves (e.g., our property, accomplishments, beliefs, etc…; Nohria, Groysberg, & Lee, 2008). At times, it may be helpful to remind ourselves of these drives and how our actions can help us fulfill them.
Video: Mel Robbins | One of the Best Talks Ever on Self-Motivation
Self-Motivation Techniques & Tricks
Now that you know some of the drives that can help you stay motivated, here are some tricks from other areas of research that can help you boost your motivation across a variety of life domains.
1. Build habits
Once we get in the habit of doing something, it becomes way easier to keep doing it. That means that learning how to build habits can be a really useful skill for becoming more self-motivated. To build habits, BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, says to start with a tiny—he means minuscule—habit. Grow it from there. For example, if you want to get in the habit of walking a mile every day, start by taking one step outside your door, then a few steps, and soon you’ll be walking regularly. Check out this article on habits to learn more.
2. Use SMART goals
SMART goals are Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Realistic, and Trackable. If we make sure that our personal goals are SMART, then working to achieve them can be easier. As an example, I use a ridiculously specific outline to make sure that I publish enough articles to grow this website. It includes the title of the articles that I plan to write, how many articles I plan to write each week and month, word counts, and success metrics like growth rate, income, etc…
After doing this tracking for a while, I now know what is achievable and what timeline is realistic. Plus, on days when I’m lacking self-motivation, I don’t have to exert as much energy to get started. I already have my outlines, templates, and research done. Then, all it takes is a reminder that this goal matters to me—it’s meaningful to me. That’s enough to get me started putting words on the page. Even if the writing wasn't good that day, I’ve maintained my motivation.
3. Set implementation intentions
Implementation intentions are kind of like a backup plan—they set up strategies ahead of time in case plan A doesn’t work out (Gollwitzer, 1999). To create an implementation intention, you just set an intention that IF X happens, THEN you’ll do Y.
Here’s an example that happened to me today:
While writing this article, I got an important phone call about something that needed to be dealt with immediately. This happens all the time—we get interrupted and through no fault of our own, we have to stop what we’re doing, even if we’re feeling super self-motivated. That’s where things get tricky. Picking back up our motivation, getting the same amount of work done in less time, or finishing work when we hadn’t planned to is never fun.
Luckily, having implementation intentions helps keep us on track. Mine put me at ease because I know that IF I get interrupted and can’t finish my work when I planned, THEN I’ll finish my work the following morning (by getting up earlier, taking a shorter lunch, or working faster). It’s not always a perfect solution, but I usually still get everything done that I had planned.
1. Build habits
Once we get in the habit of doing something, it becomes way easier to keep doing it. That means that learning how to build habits can be a really useful skill for becoming more self-motivated. To build habits, BJ Fogg, author of Tiny Habits, says to start with a tiny—he means minuscule—habit. Grow it from there. For example, if you want to get in the habit of walking a mile every day, start by taking one step outside your door, then a few steps, and soon you’ll be walking regularly. Check out this article on habits to learn more.
2. Use SMART goals
SMART goals are Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Realistic, and Trackable. If we make sure that our personal goals are SMART, then working to achieve them can be easier. As an example, I use a ridiculously specific outline to make sure that I publish enough articles to grow this website. It includes the title of the articles that I plan to write, how many articles I plan to write each week and month, word counts, and success metrics like growth rate, income, etc…
After doing this tracking for a while, I now know what is achievable and what timeline is realistic. Plus, on days when I’m lacking self-motivation, I don’t have to exert as much energy to get started. I already have my outlines, templates, and research done. Then, all it takes is a reminder that this goal matters to me—it’s meaningful to me. That’s enough to get me started putting words on the page. Even if the writing wasn't good that day, I’ve maintained my motivation.
3. Set implementation intentions
Implementation intentions are kind of like a backup plan—they set up strategies ahead of time in case plan A doesn’t work out (Gollwitzer, 1999). To create an implementation intention, you just set an intention that IF X happens, THEN you’ll do Y.
Here’s an example that happened to me today:
While writing this article, I got an important phone call about something that needed to be dealt with immediately. This happens all the time—we get interrupted and through no fault of our own, we have to stop what we’re doing, even if we’re feeling super self-motivated. That’s where things get tricky. Picking back up our motivation, getting the same amount of work done in less time, or finishing work when we hadn’t planned to is never fun.
Luckily, having implementation intentions helps keep us on track. Mine put me at ease because I know that IF I get interrupted and can’t finish my work when I planned, THEN I’ll finish my work the following morning (by getting up earlier, taking a shorter lunch, or working faster). It’s not always a perfect solution, but I usually still get everything done that I had planned.
Self-Motivation Quotes
Need some quotes to help inspire more self-motivation? Here are a few:
- You'll achieve far more personal satisfaction trying to impress yourself than you will trying to impress someone else --Kory Livingstone
- Small daily efforts multiply into weeks, months and years of effort. Change takes time but does happen over the course of time. --Kathy Henn
- Don't waste time bathing in the negative experience. Spin your energy and focus your attention on moving on. Take the lesson from the hardship, and use it in the future. --Les Brown
- If you ever need to find motivation to accomplish something, try telling a few people what you are planning to do. --Aaron P. Taylor
- The most daring thing is to be yourself and to do exactly what you want to do at that point in time and not to be worried with what other people are doing or what's popular. --Wiz Khalifa
- You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think. --Christopher Robin, Winnie The Pooh
- Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right. -- Tony Robbins
Video: How to Motivate Yourself to Change Your Behavior
More Articles Related to Self-Motivation
Keep reading about skills that can help you with self-motivation in the articles below:
Books for Self-Motivation
Want to keep learning about the science behind self-motivation? Here are some books to explore:
Final Thoughts on Self-Motivation
Boosting motivation is something we all want and need from time to time. Hopefully, these strategies and tools provided you with some useful ideas for how to boost your motivation and achieve your dreams.
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References
- Goleman, D. (2018). What makes a leader? (pp. 39-52). Routledge.
- Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: strong effects of simple plans. American psychologist, 54(7), 493.
- Greene, L., & Burke, G. (2007). Beyond self-actualization. Journal of Health and Human Services Administration, 116-128.
- Nohria, N., Groysberg, B., & Lee, L. (2008). Employee motivation: A powerful new model. Harvard business review, 86(7/8), 78.
- Stajkovic, A. D., & Luthans, F. (2003). Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy: Implications for motivation theory and practice. Motivation and work behavior, 126, 140.
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