Self-motivation, at its core, is the ability to drive oneself to achieve goals without relying on external factors. It’s a crucial skill that enables individuals to persist in the face of challenges, pursue opportunities, and maintain commitment to their objectives. This internal drive is often fueled by intrinsic factors like personal values and a sense of purpose, but it can also be influenced by external factors such as social support and perceived consequences.

Self-Efficacy:
Belief in one’s ability to succeed is a cornerstone of self-motivation. People are more likely to pursue goals if they feel competent and capable of achieving them.
Goal Setting and Planning:
Having clear, well-defined goals and a plan to achieve them provides a roadmap and a sense of direction, enhancing motivation.

Resilience:
Self-motivated individuals demonstrate resilience, bouncing back from setbacks and learning from failures rather than giving up.

Social Support:
While self-motivation is an internal process, social connections and support can play a significant role in boosting motivation and providing encouragement.

Choice and Autonomy:
Feeling a sense of control and making choices about one’s actions can significantly increase motivation.

Consequences:
Understanding the potential outcomes, both positive and negative, of pursuing a goal can influence motivation levels.

Self-Awareness:
Understanding one’s own motivations, strengths, and weaknesses is crucial for developing and maintaining self-motivation.

Self-Determination Theory:
This theory suggests that motivation is enhanced when individuals feel competent, autonomous, and connected to others.
In essence, self-motivation is a complex interplay of internal drive, beliefs, and environmental factors that work together to propel individuals towards their goals.
How to Motivate Yourself.

The best kind of motivation is self-motivation.
But what is self-motivation? When you’re self-motivated, you do more than empower yourself to check things off the to-do list. Being self-motivated also means having enough self-awareness to know what works for you and what doesn’t. Rather than depending on others to give you a reason for doing, your sense of motivation comes from within. Your drive comes from your interests, values, and passions, not someone else’s checklist.

But motivating yourself is easier said than done. Some days it feels like you’re searching far and wide for anything to help you get things done.
The good news learning the meaning of self-motivation can improve your mental wellness and start hitting your goals. In fact, self-motivation could be the key to feeling better in both your personal and professional life.

What is self-motivation?
Self-motivation is the internal drive that leads us to take action towards a goal. It keeps us moving forward, even when we don’t want to. An example of this is when you’re going for a run.
You set a goal to run for 20 minutes, but at 15 minutes, you’re exhausted. You want to stop. Self-motivation is what keeps you disciplined to run out the clock.
As the name implies, self-motivation works through you, internally.

It doesn’t depend on others. When you motivate yourself, you push yourself to reach your personal goal through hard work and passion.
You’re the one reaching for new opportunities and doing the inner work needed to make long-term change. This takes sustained effort, self-discipline and true self-discipline. Stay

Why is self-motivation essential for achieving your goals?
Self-motivation is the secret weapon to achieving your goals. It impacts both your professional and personal life. Without it, you could struggle. Though having a support network is important, you can’t depend on others to push you in your entire life.

Self-motivation helps you see your daily tasks as part of your long-term goals and consider how what you’re doing lines up with your life purpose.
Setting goals that are aligned with your desires can improve your well-being. When you’re motivating yourself, you can work toward achievements that give you a sense of deeper meaning. If you encounter any challenges or obstacles, your self-motivation will propel you through them.

Rather than depending on others to determine your career path, you can make those decisions for yourself — and then find the power inside of you to achieve what you want, There is no limit to what you can achieve Ultimately self-motivation shows you that by staying motivated now, you can make your 5-year plan happen. You are capable of following your dreams — you just need to be resilient and continually focused.
Self-motivation techniques

Self-motivation isn’t a skill that you’re born with. However, it can be learned if you take the time to focus and change up your normal routine.
If you’re wondering how to overcome a lack of self-motivation,
Here are 11 techniques to try:

1. Build healthy habits that help you create momentum each day (like eating a healthy breakfast)
2. Develop a growth mindset, not a fixed mindset
3. Set goals with the smart goals method specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound
4. Write up a personal vision statement to keep your intentions clear
5. Take a moment to sit down and do a self-actualization
6. Step out of your comfort zone sometimes
7. Practice efficient self-actualization in ways that don’t drain you
8. Look at your failures as learning opportunities
9. Practice gratitude so you can be motivated by the good things in your life
10. Try to keep a positive attitude and practice positive thinking when you’re discouraged
11. Reward yourself for your successes and forgive yourself for your failures
    Keeping these tips in mind will help you stay motivated when you’re struggling to move forward. And if you need extra support, consider trying better up.

Examples of self-motivation
You can implement self-motivation in all areas of your life. Whether it’s at home, in relationships, or at work, self-motivation can be helpful anywhere. It might also look different, depending on where we use it

5 benefits of self-motivation
Successful people haven’t become successful by being indifferent to their goals. They reach their goals and continue to set new goals thanks to their self-motivation.
Here are five benefits that self-motivated people experience:

1. They learn how to present their best self in whatever task they’re doing
2. They become more resilient because achieving their goals takes time and effort
3. They have an eagerness to succeed because their passion drives them forward
4. When they fail, they see feedback as learning opportunity
5. They learn to take the initiative to manage their time better

5 tips for fostering self-motivation at work
Being motivated at work isn’t just a bonus for your manager. Your workplace is an environment where you can learn new skills, connect with others in your industry, and do work that’s meaningful to you. If you can become self-motivated at work, it can help you get your next promotion or even find a deeper meaning in your job.
Many of us rely on deadlines or our managers to push us to get things done at work. If you can learn to motivate yourself, however, you can reach a new level of success at work. You’ll be more productive, focused, and respected when you empower yourself to accomplish a tasks.
If you struggle with finding motivation, here are 5 tips to help you boost your self-motivation at work:

1. Remind yourself of your purpose and why you’re doing the work
2. Learn how to rest and burnout so you have the energy to work hard again
3. Volunteer to try new things at work or go to educational seminars and conferences
4. Learn more skills to keep yourself stimulated
5. Ask for feedback on your recent projects to see where you can improve, then make an action plan on how you’ll do that.
   
   A lack of motivation can signify that your goals aren’t challenging enough. If they’re too easy, you know you don’t have to put tons of effort into them. On the other hand, your goals could be too much at the moment. If they’re too lofty or you don’t believe in yourself, it may be time to reevaluate your goals.
   
   Adjust them to be something you can reasonably attain right now. A great strategy is to break your large goals down into several smaller steps. Then you can check each step off your list while making progress toward the ultimate goal.
   
   You’re not alone if you keep running into the question, “How do I self-motivate?” and only find frustration. Procrastination is natural, and learning how to self-motivate requires you to dig deep. It’s your responsibility to figure out what’s stopping you and how you can overcome it.
   
   With resilience and sustained effort, you’ll learn more about what it takes to become self-motivated. One way to start is by trying some self-discovery. This can help you get in touch with your values, which will increase your self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-discipline. All this will help you become more self-motivated.
   
   Self-motivation is a skill for life.
   Some skills serve you temporarily. Self-motivation, though, will help you throughout your entire life. It reminds you of your purpose, your values, and how you can live a meaningful life. Now that you know what self-motivation is, you’re on your way to mastering it.
   
   If you’re struggling with a lack of self-motivation, don’t be embarrassed. Recognizing your struggle, it will help you dig deeper into your well-being and overall life satisfaction. As you find out what motivates you, you’ll see a change. When you’re working toward your dream life, you’ll have a much easier time staying motivated.

Procrastination, in psychology, is the act of delaying or postponing tasks, often despite knowing the negative consequences of doing so. It’s not just about laziness; it’s a complex behavior rooted in emotional and cognitive processes. Understanding the psychological factors behind procrastination is key to developing strategies for overcoming it.

Psychologists have found various reasons why people procrastinate, and it is probably not what you think. Studies show that some of the drivers of procrastination include low self-confidence, anxiety and low self-esteem to name a few. The key that unites most of these reasons is emotion and mood regulation.

According to Sapadin, there are six different types of procrastinators which occur from two behavior types. The first three types are motivated by avoiding the task in some way because of the anxiety surrounding said task, and the last three are motivated by boredom and frustration.

Procrastinators who avoid completing the activity due to some form of anxiety
• The Worrier: Does not start a difficult task because they do not believe they will be able to complete the task. Therefore, their logic is not to start the task because they believe they will not feel the anxiety of failure if they do not start.

• The Perfectionist: Does not start the task because of a fear of failure, specifically that they will not complete the task to perfection.

• The Over-Doer: This type commits to too many tasks, failing to prioritize properly and therefore does not fully complete any task they have committed to.

Procrastinators who are driven by boredom and frustration
• The Crisis Maker: Holds a belief that they need stress to perform at their best, they are addicted to living on the edge.

• The Dreamer: Believes that they do not need to work hard to achieve their goals and do not like details, which makes it hard to implement their ideas.

• The Deifier: A rebel seeking to break the rules.

Procrastination has been described as a “complex maladaptive reaction to various perceived stressors.” It is a short-term solution to the immediate problem. However, procrastinators do not consider the long-term consequences of leaving those tasks unfinished until the last possible moment. Ironically, putting off your assignment will make you feel better now but will leave you stressed out when you have left yourself too little time to complete it.

Before you go and blame the internet or technology as reasons for why procrastination is so common, people have struggled with this problem since the time of ancient civilizations. Nowadays, technology tends to be used as a scapegoat by people who do not want to address the root of their problems. However, in saying that, it is true that technology and social media have only made it harder to stop procrastinating.

An influential study conducted in 1997 by Roy Baumeister and Dianne Tice found that while procrastinators are less stressed than non-procrastinators when they are actively procrastinating, this can come back to haunt them because their overall stress is doubled in the long run. The work they have to do will be doubled up for them.

It seems that while active procrastination may have some benefits, it is better to try and avoid procrastinating. So, how exactly do we do that?

If you identify as a perfectionist or feel like you procrastinate because you think it is going to be awful, I recommend stopping judging your work before you have even started. The first draft is always going to be awful.

I am not saying this because you, as an individual, are a terrible writer, but because the first draft for everyone is always going to be worse than the final piece. I am sure we have all heard before that starting is the hardest part of completing a task, and I relate to this as well. The best way to start a task is to commit to a tiny first step, for example, starting a reading.

A tip I would recommend, for example, for students when exam season is around the corner, is to improve your environment by studying in a place that has minimal distractions, such as the library and increase your energy by taking breaks. Taking care of your mental and physical health is crucial too.

We all procrastinate, but we probably should not do it in important areas of our lives, such as our health, wealth, career or personal relationships. Managing your emotions would be a key takeaway message because procrastination is not due to poor time management instead, it is due to poor mood regulation. I wish you all the best in tackling the ugly beast of procrastination, and remember that imperfect action is better than no action.

UMSU acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands on which we work and pay our respect. Why do so many people procrastinate and how do you overcome it?

For most people procrastination, irrespective of what they say, is NOT about being lazy. In fact, when we procrastinate we often work intensely for long stretches just before our deadlines. Working long and hard is the opposite of lazy, so that can’t be the reason we do it. So, why do we procrastinate and, more importantly, what can we do about it?

As suggested above, some say they procrastinate because they are lazy. Others claim they “do better” when they procrastinate and “work best” under pressure. I encourage you to be critical and reflective of these explanations. Virtually everyone who says this habitually procrastinates and has not completed an important academic task in which they made a plan, implemented it, and had time to review, etc. before their deadline. So, in reality, they can’t make a comparison about the circumstances they work best under.

If you pretty much always procrastinate, and never really approach your tasks systematically, then you can’t accurately say that you know you “do better” under pressure. Still other people say they like the “rush” of leaving things to the end and meeting a deadline. But they usually say this when they are NOT working under that deadline.
What can we do to overcome our tendencies to procrastinate?

• Awareness: The First Step
First, to overcome procrastination you need to have an understanding of the REASONS WHY you procrastinate and the function procrastination serves in your life. You can’t come up with an effective solution if you don’t really understand the root of the problem. As with most problems, awareness and self-knowledge are the keys to figuring out how to stop procrastinating. For a lot of people acquiring this insight about how procrastination protects them from feeling like they are not able enough, and keeping it in mind when they are tempted to fall into familiar, unproductive, procrastinating habits, goes a long way to solving the problem. For instance, two psychologists, Jane Burka and Lenora Yuen, who have helped many people overcome procrastination, report in their article, “Mind Games Procrastinators Play” (Psychology Today, January, 1982), that for many students “understanding the hidden roots of procrastination often seems to weaken them” (p.33). Just knowing our true reasons for procrastinating makes it easier to stop.

• Time Management Techniques: One Piece of the Puzzle
To overcome procrastination, time management techniques and tools are indispensable, but they are not enough by themselves. And, not all methods of managing time are equally helpful in dealing with procrastination. There are some time management techniques that are well-suited to overcoming procrastination and others that can make it worse. Those that reduce anxiety and fear and emphasize the satisfaction and rewards of completing tasks work best. Those that are inflexible, emphasize the magnitude of tasks and increase anxiety can actually increase procrastination and are thus counter-productive. For instance, making a huge list of “things to do” or scheduling every minute of your day may INCREASE your stress and thus procrastination. Instead, set reasonable goals (e.g., a manageable list of things to do), break big tasks down, and give yourself flexibility and allot time to things you enjoy as rewards for work completed.

• Motivation: Finding Productive Reasons for Engaging in Tasks
To overcome procrastination, it’s critical that you stay motivated for PRODUCTIVE REASONS. By productive reasons, I mean reasons for learning and achieving that lead to positive, productive, satisfying feelings and actions. These reasons are in contrast to engaging in a task out of fear of failing, or not making your parents angry, or not looking stupid, or doing better than other people to “show off.” While these are all reasons – often very powerful ones – for doing something, they are not productive since they evoke maladaptive, often negative feelings and actions.. A good way to put positive motives in motion is to set and focus on your goals. Identify and write down your own personal reasons for enrolling in a course and monitor your progress toward your goals using a goal-setting chart. Remember to focus on your reasons and your goals. Staying Motivated:

• Be Active to be Engaged
Another key to overcoming procrastination is to stay actively engaged in your classes as a student. If you are passive in class, you’re probably not “getting into” the course and its topics, and that weakens your motivation. What’s more, if you are passive, you are probably not making as much sense out of the course and course materials as you could. Nonsense and confusion are not engaging; in fact, they are boring and frustrating. We don’t often want to do things that are boring or frustrating. Prevent that by aiming to really understand course material, not memorize it or just “get through it.” Instead, try
(1) seeking out what is interesting and relevant to you in the course materials,
(2) setting your own purpose for every reading and class session, and
(3) asking yourself (and others) questions about what you are learning.

By understanding the Psychological underpinnings of procrastination and implementing targeted strategies, individuals can improve their productivity and well-being.

Stop procrastinating and start doing.

What is Gratitude – Its Meaning & Definition

Gratitude at its core, is the psychological recognition and appreciation of positive aspects of life. It is an emotion similar to appreciation Gratitude is both a state and a trait (Jans-Beken et al., 2020). Better explained, one can experience gratitude for someone or something at a certain moment in time, and someone experiences gratitude more long-term as a positive character trait.

According to Dr. Robert Emmons, the feeling of gratitude involves two stages (Emmons & McCullough, 2003):
First comes the acknowledgment of goodness in one’s life. In a state of gratitude, we say yes to life. We affirm that, all in all, life is good and has elements that make it worth living. The acknowledgment that we have received something gratifies us, both by its presence and by the effort the giver put into choosing it.
Second, gratitude is recognizing that sources of this goodness lie outside the self. One can be grateful to our creator, other people, animals, and the world, but not to oneself.

At this stage, we recognize the goodness in our lives and who to thank for it.
The two stages of gratitude comprise the recognition of the goodness in our lives and then how this goodness came to us. Through this process, we recognize the fortune of everything that improves our lives and ourselves.
Further, gratitude can be considered either a dispositional trait or a state of being.

Gratitude & Positive Psychology – What is the Connection?
As we already know, positive psychology focuses on positive thoughts and behaviors. Its constructs include optimism, hope, and, you guessed it – gratitude (Iodice et al., 2021).
Some of Emmons’s work has also specifically dealt with gratitude in a religious setting, highlighting how gratitude towards a higher power may lead to increased physical health (Krause et al., 201

Why Is It Important to Be Grateful?
Passmore and Oades (2016) assert that as expectations have changed, gratitude has diminished in Western society. Possessions and health are expectations for many individuals rather than considered personal ‘blessings’ that are appreciated. “Gratitude has, for many, been replaced by disappointment, anger, and resentment when these expected ‘blessings’ either do not appear or they disappear” (Passmore & Oades, 2016, p. 43).

We have learned gratitude helps people focus on the positive aspects of their lives. Gratitude can help build and maintain relationships with others, resulting in hope, life satisfaction, and more proactive behaviors toward others (Passmore & Oades, 2016).

The Importance of Gratitude in Life
Gratitude is strongly related to well-being (Jans-Beken et al., 2020; Wood et al., 2010). The positive effects of experiencing and expressing gratitude are endless.
Gratitude has been found to be beneficially associated with social wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, and psychological wellbeing It is no surprise that trait gratitude is an important “predictor of wellbeing and other desirable life outcomes.

If a person experiences gratitude, they are more likely to recognize the help and then later reciprocate that help (Wood et al., 2010).
Likewise, people who are not thanked may not be expected to provide reciprocation in the future. The expression of gratitude is beneficial for both individuals and society for life.

• Christianity – Christians denote gratitude to God by stating blessings. These blessings are said in a prayer form and are created for food, family, life, and any other blessings that God may grant.
Cregg and Cheavens (2021) found that gratitude has a positive affiliation with positive affect, life satisfaction, extraversion, forgiveness, and a negative affiliation with substance abuse and neuroticism, as well as an inverse relationship between gratitude and anxiety and depression.

Gratitude is the act of recognizing and acknowledging the good things that happen, resulting in a state of appreciation (Sansone & Sansone, 2010).
Often when we consider what we are grateful for, overt and profound life experiences, circumstances, and events come to mind. We may feel grateful for our upbringing and family, our job, good health, and the opportunity to gain an education. While recognizing and being grateful for these experiences is important, our gratitude practice must also venture below the surface.

For many, “Thanksgiving is a collective ritual that celebrates material abundance through feasting Thanksgiving is important because it is a designated time assigned to encourage us to pause to be mindful of the blessings we have. Many of us get so caught up in our day-to-day routines that we fail to stop and acknowledge our fortunes.

To demonstrate and celebrate gratitude, you don’t need a particular holiday to show thankfulness. Conveying gratitude should be practiced daily.
How to Show Gratitude and Appreciation

Gratitude can be demonstrated in many ways. It can be shown with merely a simple, verbal “thank you” or it can be indicated by a more elaborate practice, such as the strategies detailed below.

To improve your gratitude, reflect on how better you can show your appreciation to others. When verbally expressing gratitude to someone, consider reflecting on your emotions and on the effort involved.

Gratitude journal
A gratitude journal involves jotting down a few things that you are thankful for and can be done daily or weekly as you so choose. Keeping a gratitude journal is a good first step toward establishing gratitude, and it will help you identify and reflect on people, things, or events for which you are thankful.
Nawa and Yamagishi’s (2021) research involving university students concluded that completing a gratitude journal not only positively impacts academic motivation, it favorably influences goal-directed behavior in general.

The gratitude visit
Take the gratitude letter a step further by visiting the person to whom you are giving the gratitude letter and reading it aloud to him or her. A study by Wood et al. (2010) suggests that gratitude visits are a practice that is even more beneficial than a gratitude letter and practitioners of this strategy reported more happiness.
In their preliminary research, Wood et al. (2010) referenced two studies involving gratitude visits. In a study by Seligman et al. (2005), adults from an internet sample were instructed to write and deliver their gratitude letter within 1 week. Those who went on the gratitude visit reported more happiness and less depression than the control group.

Gratitude condition reported greater gratitude and positive affect than the youth in the control condition.

Exercises To Nurture Gratitude & Appreciation
If you practice gratitude daily, no matter how much or how little you have, you will be happy.
Being grateful will make you healthier and happier.

Someone could have everything and still feel like they have nothing. Someone could have nothing but still be happy with what they have. Recognizing gratitude towards non-tangibles, such as health and relationships, is a good start.

As we have learned in this piece, gratitude has endless benefits for both individuals and society and has deep roots in positive psychology.
It can be identified in many religions, as well as in the secular world. It is crucial to understand that gratitude can be defined as both a state and a trait, able to move from a grateful state to a healthy trait.

There are various ways to demonstrate gratitude. Regardless of the method you choose, it is critical to convey thankfulness. Additionally, you don’t need to wait for a holiday to show appreciation.

Gratitude is the key to a happy life and should be continuously practiced daily. Another important takeaway is that gratitude can have a snowball effect. You never know the positive effects your gratefulness will have on others and the future impact it will have.
Gratitude is a perspective – it is a choice. We can foster a healthier mind, deeper relationships and more fulfilling life. I hope that you choose gratitude today and every day.