Is Self Motivation Intrinsic or Learned?
Is self motivation a characteristic that we are born with or is it one that develops with maturity? I believe it is partly a characteristic we are born with, but it can be developed. Being self motivated helps you to reach your goals. It is part of being resilient and not giving up when the going gets tough.
I have always been self motivated. Even when my upbringing did not support that. I wasn’t particularly intelligent like my brother who could get straight As without too much effort. My success in my education came from hard work and self motivation. My parents did not support me when I wanted to go to university. Because I’m female they said it would be a waste of time because I would get married and wouldn’t use it. I always had a desire to earn a degree so I achieved it on my own, while I was working and looking after my young children.
No-one needs to push me to do something, my drive comes from inside of me. I have never understood someone who doesn’t exercise unless they have someone else to exercise with. I have always had this characteristic, it is an intrinsic trait I was born with. Can someone who isn’t self motivated by nature develop that trait? I believe they can.
My tips for becoming self motivated are:
Set deadlines for yourself.
This works well if you tend to procrastinate. For example my course officially finishes in May but I wanted to complete it before I go back to work in April so I worked on it for a minimum of an hour a day to reach my deadline.
Routines are important.
I wake up early so that I can walk my dog in the morning. I have improved my sleeping patterns so much just by going to bed at the same time. If you have a set routine for your day, healthy habits become second nature.
Make appointments with yourself.
This might sound crazy but if you schedule time in your week for exercise, meditation or self care activities you are more likely to achieve them. Make your goals a priority and they will be easier to achieve.
Get the support of others.
I have never understood someone who won’t exercise unless they have a friend with them. But for many people this makes the difference between doing it or not. Just make sure your exercise partner is as enthusiastic as you or it might backfire.
Enlist the help of professionals.
This has helped me enormously in two areas of my life. I was successful in losing 19kg because I went to a dietician. The Exercise Physiologist is training me to build up my strength after losing so much condition. Neither of those goals would have been achievable without professional help.
Invest in yourself.
I admit there would have been times when I would have thrown in the towel during my immunisation course. The only thing motivating me to keep going was the amount of money I invested in it. You’re more likely to stick at something if you paid for it.
How being self motivated has helped me
My big news is that I am about to reach my goal of returning to my job as a Registered Nurse. Those of you who have been regular followers know that I had complications after surgery last year. I had a haemorrhage after a bilateral mastectomy which resulted in two further surgeries and a long recovery. To be able to return to work I needed to be able to fulfil all the job requirements including being able to do CPR and heavy patient cares.
I have been seeing an Exercise Physiologist since November to work on my upper body strength because I was so deconditioned after not being able to exercise for six months. It was slow progress at first because I had so much pain from using muscles that had been neglected. This year I have really turned the corner and I am seeing great results from my hard work. My Exercise Physiologist timed me doing CPR and I was able to do it for 2 minutes without any problems at all. I also needed to lift 3kg above my head and do modified push ups which I have been able to do for the last few weeks.
Achieving My Goals By Being Self Motivated
My boss is supporting me to return to work gradually, starting at 2 days per week after Easter. I am so excited at the prospect of being able to work again! I used to think it would be great to not have to work but now that I’ve been forced into that position, all I have wanted to do is get back there! There’s more to work than making a living. It’s feeling fulfilled and making a contribution to society. Nursing is a very rewarding career.
My other achievement this week is that I completed my Immunisation course. This was my Plan B in case I couldn’t return to my job. It helped me to switch on my nursing brain, and I realised that I still have it! I still think like a nurse, and I am still capable of being able to use my 35 years of experience in a positive way. It gave me a lot of confidence in my own abilities.
My word of the year is resilience. Hard work definitely does pay off. Don’t give up!
The sense of achievement when you finally reach goals that have been incredibly challenging is like no other. These other articles may be of interest if you would like some motivation to reach your goals:
- Getting support with healthy lifestyle choices (Don’t try to do it alone)
- How to set goals that will stick (set achievable goals)
- My weight-loss journey (how I finally lost weight after yo-yo dieting all my life)
Shared on Weekend Coffee Share on Natalie the Explorer’s blog and Life This Week Linkup on Denyse Whelan’s blog
MidlifeStylist 
20 responses to “Achieving Goals By Being Self Motivated”
What a great article, chock full of wisdom. Look how far you have come in the last year from where you were. I hope your return to the floor is everything you need and want it to be. Congratulations on the frit of your labors. Blessings, Michele
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Thank you so much for your lovely comment. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I can’t wait to get back to work. I know it’ll be very tiring at first but it will be worth it. Thankyou for sharing as well, Christina
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You are welcome!
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P.S. Shared on my personal Facebook page.
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Such a great post. Your thoughts on being self motivated and right on. I can be self motivated, but I also struggle with a lot of self doubt at times. They war against each other. Congrats on almost being done with all your requirements to return to work.
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Hi Kirstin, thank you for your lovely comment. I’m glad my thoughts on being self motivated resonated with you. I hope they help, regards Christina
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Congratulations, Christina, on completing your Immunization course and achieving the fitness level required for your return to work as a Registered Nurse. Thank you for sharing your experience and tips at #WeekendCoffeeShare.
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Hi Natalie, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I’m so happy to have reached those goals last week. Thankyou for the opportunity to share my blog with your readers, regards Christina
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Fantastic Christina and you have worked so hard to get to where you are now. Support is a critical part of achieving goals but also mindset and you have had such a great attitude despite the hardships following your surgery. Well done you! #weekendcoffeeshare
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Thank you so much Sue! You’ve been there encouraging me all the way and I appreciate that. I’m over the moon to reach my goals and I will keep up the exercises now that I’m fit. The last thing I want is to go backwards after I go back to work because I want to stay healthy. It feels great! Christina
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Well done Christina, this is fabulous news and you truly are living your word of the year – resilience! #weekendcoffeeshare
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Hi Deb, thank you so much. I feel like I’m finally living up to my word of the year. I haven’t up til now! It definitely was the right word to choose. Regards, Christina
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Hi Christina – fabulous news about getting to the point of being able to return to work – and how lovely to have a job that you can’t wait to get back to! I don’t think I’ve ever had a job that I preferred to being at home – I’m a little envious! Good on you for putting in all the required effort to be back on top of things after such a long and arduous return to health.
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Hi Leanne, It’s weird because I used to think “Gee it would be nice to not have to work”. Then when I was forced into that position I realised how much it meant to me. There’s so much more to work than earning a living. It’s about feeling like a contributing member of society. Nursing is a very rewarding career. I probably won’t feel this excited when the shift work starts to take a toll but for now I’m just so happy to be able to get back to work. Thanks so much for your encouragement along the way – much appreciated. Regards, Christina
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Oh Christina this is SO true and it’s a huge issue for me. I tend to rely on outside pressures to achieve things rather than ‘owning’ them and the responsibility for their achievement myself. I love this post!
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Hi Deborah, I’m so glad it resonated with you. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, Christina
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What a self-motivate person you are and you have had to be. I am well over 70 and had 100% support for my tertiary study from my father. Mum was there too but she had always been a stay at home mum and at times I know my way of raising kids AND working was strange for her. Nevertheless over the years she lent a lot of practical support having the kids stay and cooking us meals.
I am so pleased you are getting back to what you are meant to do and LOVE!!
Thank you for sharing your story for #lifethisweek. I hope Easter is a reasonable time but sensing
Covid ‘s shadow is there.
See you next Monday for a topic close to your heart. Self Care!
Denyse
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Hi Denyse, You are so lucky that your dad supported you. My dad actually regretted that he didn’t send me to uni. My older brother had all the support he needed but flunked out after 6 months! The best thing you can gift to your children is an education, that’s why I have supported my own sons as much as I could. I hope you’re having a lovely Easter. Our lockdown ended as suddenly as it began which meant we can all be together after all. Take care, Christina
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This is one of the best post on being self motivated to achieve goals. Thanks for sharing this Post.
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Thankyou so much for your lovely comment. I appreciate it, regards Christina
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