The Best Way to Motivate Yourself

When people try to motivate themselves, they will often look at what other people have done to get ideas and to see what is an achievable goal.  This makes sense because we are much more able to visualize what can be accomplished if others have done it.  There is one major issue with this approach however, and this is that when we look at others’ accomplishments, typically on social media, we have no context on the journey it took to achieve them AND we are looking at the result: the positive result.

Those people are justifiably proud of their accomplishments, but they are posting their “highlight reel”: the best things they have accomplished. Even if some people show the journey they took to achieve it, we usually remember their positive result at the end, not all of the hard work that went into.  Again, that is IF they show the journey; most people will just show what they have accomplished.

This can be a very difficult thing for us to relate to.  We can be very happy for them, but it is hard for us to see ourselves in that position, if we are still in the middle of our journey. 

On the other hand, the best way to motivate ourselves AND measure progress is to compare ourselves today with our former selves.  To measure what we have gained.

These do not have to be major accomplishments at all, small wins work very well. 

If you compare your previous financial situation and you have saved some money compared to when you last measured, that is a gain.

If you have gotten a better job than last year, that is a gain.

If you are in better shape physically than you were, that is a gain.

Even a small win like keeping to your goal of going for a 15 minute walk every day is a gain!  They do not have to be massive, life changing accomplishments, just progress that you have made for yourself.

Rather than trying to compare yourself to others’ highlight reels and huge accomplishments, if you measure these personal gains, however small, you will be able to motivate yourself by seeing what is possible for you and build upon them.

Compare yourself today to your previous self and celebrate the progress you have made.  You will feel so much better about yourself.