A Story of Being Motivated: How One Small Change Transformed My Life
Being motivated is the intangible impetus that drives us to act and overcome our challenges. However, maintaining motivation is not always a given—I have been there, struggling to pull myself out of bed.
I went through a period where I felt stuck and overwhelmed in my self-improvement goals. I was at a loss for how to motivate myself to be productive in a consistent manner. Then one tiny thing changed everything: I began treating being motivated as a daily practice rather than a state of being.
By ingesting the practice of staying motivated intentionally, I was able to increase my productivity and completely shift my perspective. Being motivated is not about huge jumps; it is about little, continuous steps that create action.
If you’ve ever wondered how to keep yourself motivated through difficult times, this post is for you. Anyone who is willing to take the first step has the ability to be motivated. There is a lot you can take away from this blog, from deciding when and what to be motivated about to how to cultivate and sustain that motivation for the long haul.
What Does Motivated Mean? The Science of Motivation
To comprehend what motivated means, we have to start with the science of where our brain takes us when it fuels action. Motivation is more than just a general feeling—it’s a process backed by neuroscience that aims to galvanize us toward our vision of ourselves as better people.
Extrinsic vs Intrinsic Motivation: What Drives You More and Why It Matters
Two types of motivation influence how motivated we feel: intrinsic motivation, which comes from an internal place like satisfaction or passion, and extrinsic motivation, which is influenced by an outside source’s reward and desire for our work. Both are needed in successful personal change, but you have to make sure you are using both motivational forces for effective outcomes.
Dopamine is the centerpiece of this equation. You have probably heard dopamine referred to as the “feel-good” chemical in the brain. Dopamine is released upon anticipated rewards and rewards achieved. When you release dopamine, there is a noticeable increase in motivation for your activity level. Your body works like this until you are no longer willing to put in the effort in the first place. Essentially, this produces a feedback loop because of the series of events that unfold with dopamine increases from effort, continuing effort, and winning effort.
When you learn how being motivated works in your brain, you can attempt to contain your natural motivators all the way through, even when environmental issues arise.
Establishing Motivating Goals for Self-Improvement That Stick
In order for you to really possess motivation, you need to think differently than just ticking a box in your goals for self-improvement. You want to build meaning and purpose into the objectives you are creating. Going beyond just SMART means creating a deeper “WHY” to connect to each of your goals-one that adds an emotional level to keep you motivated every single day.
When your goals connect to what matters most to you, for instance, you are getting healthier because you want to feel more confident, or you want to learn a skill because you want to grow in your career, your motivation can be much stronger and last through setbacks. The personal “why” becomes an emotional anchor that propels your motivation and that remains consistent.
For instance, changing your goal of “reading 20 minutes a day” to “reading 20 minutes a day to become a role model for my kids” gives the goal an emotional tie it. The emotional tie now turns your objectives into a mission, therefore helping your goals actually stick.
7 Tips to Successfully Achieve Your Goals for Self-Improvement
Fulfillment of personal goals requires preparation, accountability, and the right mindset. Use the seven tips below to give yourself the best odds for follow-through and change.
- Start with a compelling “why.”
Engagement to achieve your goal can only happen when the goal has an emotional connection that is strong enough to engage you. The deeper the “why,” the more resolved you are in working toward that goal. - Deconstruct.
Many ambitious goals can feel overwhelming when looking at them in totality. Break them down into small, doable tasks that you can complete every day, and congruently, feel satisfied with your progress. - Pair new habits with old habits.
Many times, it helps to attach the new action to something already habitual and familiar. For example, journal after morning coffee. - Design a plan for the week.
Thinking about the week in advance provides clarity and structure about which direction you want to take and keeps you deliberate when thoughts or distractions crowd your day. - Bring your progress to life.
Being able to “visually” see your progress brings value. Consider using a tracker, a checklist, or a progress board so you can keep your momentum going! - Get accountability partners.
Share your accountability journey with somebody you trust. Your friend or partner can help reinforce your plans, and knowing this will help keep you in check. - Celebrate each small victory.
Celebrate every step you take forward. Every milestone you reach is important for building enthusiasm, desire, and engagement for the next step forward.
How to Keep Yourself Motivated to Work Every Day
Staying motivated and productive every day is not just about willpower – it is about building systems and building habits that help you stay motivated. Here are some actionable ways to help you keep your energy levels high:
- Start strong with a morning routine
A good 80% of your day is determined in the morning, just by your morning habits. Start your day with things like hydration, movement, and neural activation, like journaling or meditation, and your brain gets primed for focus and discipline. - Use proven psychology to beat procrastination
This could be as simple as using the Pomodoro technique in combination with implementation intentions (“If it’s 10 AM, then I’m going to work on my task”). Use these to help diffuse the common friction in the brain to get your intention into action. - Build your physical space with things that encourage action
We are influenced by our surroundings. We are influenced by what we see or what order things are in. Find supporting resources around you; space and natural light help build clarity and calm. At a minimum, you’ll want a clear desk space with motivational messages or photos of your goals where you can see them. - Reduce any sort of ending of thought or distractions
Keep the items you need to work close to you; delete the tabs or apps from your mind and devices; and turn off reminders and notifications on your devices and watch. Minimizing even the smallest micro-distractions makes it easier to get into deep work. - Reflect on your day
At the end of the day, go back and take 5 minutes to reflect on what you did well that day. Realizing a win, no matter how small, only builds towards something more.
Inspirational Quotes on Motivation
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston Churchill
- “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson
- “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” — Jim Ryun
- “Your limitation—it’s only your imagination.”
- “Push yourself, because no one else is going to do it for you.”
- “Great things never come from comfort zones.”
- “Dream it. Wish it. Do it.”
- “Stay positive, work hard, make it happen.”
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” — Theodore Roosevelt
How to Stay Motivated During Life’s Ups and Downs
Staying motivated during life’s highs is easy; it’s how you respond when the lows come that defines your resilience and how much progress you’ve made. Here are ways you can help keep your inner strength alive and keep moving onward through life’s lows.
- You can control your mind shifts
Instead of “Why is this happening to me?” ask “What can I learn from this?” When we reframe challenges as growth opportunities, it helps our emotional toughness. - Create a resilience toolbox
Develop habits daily that comprise things like journaling, deep breathing exercises, and self-compassion. These don’t erase hardship, but they will help guide you through it with a sense of clarity and serenity. - Use gratitude to reframe your perspective
Gratitude is hard work when circumstances can feel heavy; however, gratitude acts as an important reminder of what is still going right. A simple list of three good things you see every day, no matter how simple, can bolster optimism and mental stamina. - Visualize your “why.”
When things feel difficult, stay connected to the deeper emotional reason for doing what you do and where you struggle. Think of it as visualization, and it is never an easy thing to adequately do, but it helps to emotionally anchor as you push through some short-term disruption to work through some short-term discomfort. - Lean into routine
What can help restore control when life feels out of control is structure; structure provides you with a means of stability. Maintaining simple routines of waking up at the same time each day or moving your body for some time each day creates a sense of control.
Interactive Self-Motivation Toolkit (Downloadable)
✅ Daily Checklists
You can use templates to stay organized and focused.
- You can create and customize checklists for anything with Canva’s Free Checklist Templates.
✅ Mini-Challenges for Consistency
Taking part in 30-day challenges is a great way to form and strengthen positive habits.
- You can find printable Challenge Trackers on Etsy that will help you stay dedicated to your goals.
✅ Goal Trackers
Using printable trackers is a great way to track your progress, which allows you to visualize your achievements and helps you stay on track.
- For more to choose from, you can find free printable goal planners on 101 Planners. You can customize the templates to suit your goal-tracking needs.
Defeating Motivation Killers: What Stops Us and How to Battle Them
Even the most motivated among us come across roadblocks – burnout, fear of loss, or stress from too many commitments lead to hidden mental killers that, over time, can destroy your motivation. Have you ever felt motivated, and your next day’s effort seemed to vanish in the night? You are not alone!
Burnout is not a motivation issue – it’s an issue that occurs, unfortunately, when you have pushed (whether it’s a project, taking care of a child, or taking care of a parent), too hard for too long without rest or gains. Fear is the silent killer that whispers self-doubt and stops you from moving to the next step. Stress that leads to being chronically tired makes even the smallest tasks hard to complete.
Here are a few ways to remain motivated when it becomes tough :
- Change your mind – change the way you view failure – a mindset shift and view failure as feedback.
- Balance your energy – learn to say no, take breaks, recover – recovery is as important as the action.
- Change your environment – in some cases, your environment is a motivation killer – dispose of clutter, set boundaries, and create an environment for your progress.
Being motivated is being aware of these silent killers and actively working against them with smarter habits and mindset shifts.
Real-Life Stories: How People Like You Stay Motivated
Staying motivated is more than having some ideas – it is real people coordinating real strategies in the busyness of real life.
- Many entrepreneurs say their motivation comes from aligning actions with long-term goals, and ultimately with their goal of self-improvement and self-betterment. One business owner shared how “win targets” that she set each week helped her to continue to feel that she was making progress, even in the slow months.
- Athletes use visualization and gratitude to quickly reset after a less-than-stellar performance a day before the event, and they learn how to motivate themselves through times of physical and psychological pain and exhausting training.
- Creative type people often develop rituals – sketching every day, writing for an hour a day, or music practice, in order to be inspired and prevent themselves from burning out from creative endeavors.
What do they all have in common? A personal reason behind why they show up and are disciplined in what they do. Motivation stays alive when it connects to a cause or purpose that is broader than the task itself.
Conclusion: Your Next Step to Unstoppable Motivation
To be motivated every single day is not to be perfect—it is to have progress. Now that we have explored ways to maintain focus, ways to get back on track, and ways to set better goals for self-improvement, it is time for action.
🎯What is your next step? Just start small, but start now.
Choose a few of your favorites out of our action plan and take action today. It may be resetting a goal, implementing a better morning routine, or a mindset shift; you choose something to change to move yourself further along to being your best self.
Let’s keep growing as a community.
Join our Motivated Mindset Community where we can all share & tips, celebrate our wins, and hold us accountable. It is much easier to stay motivated with a support system.
👉Are you ready to take action?
Let’s do it! You got this, and we got you!