Whether it’s a coursework deadline looming over you, a few pounds you want to lose, a habit that you want to give up once and for all or a change in your life that you want to make; all of us need a set of self-motivation skills to get the job done. Here we explain HC Nottingham’s method to self-motivation and success!
DREAM IT!
Firstly, we all need to have a dream or some type of ambition that we want to complete. Without a target to aim for, you’ll never know when you’ve reached your goal. It has to be a SMART dream – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. Write your “dream” on card, stick it on your fridge, set it as your wallpaper so you see it often and know what you are aiming for.
For example: A recent dream of mine was to participate in the Aquathlon race on 1st November and finish the race without dropping out.
PREPARE IT!
It’s always stressed that failure to prepare is preparing to fail. First, try writing a “To Do List” of all the things you need to do to prepare yourself to be able complete your dream. As you do all the preparations, little by little you can start ticking off the list and seeing your progress to success. Make specific mini targets, such as reading three chapters by Thursday or completing a 5km run in under 30 minutes. Always set yourself targets that are a little challenging but realistic and possible to reach. Adapt your plan to yourself: you and only you. You are an individual! I think strengthening your mind and body to work together achieves the best results; no matter what type of goal you have, you need to be mentally and physically on top form come the day of your competition, exam, self-judgement etc.
For example: My preparation for my Aquathlon race included two weeks of physical training; two practice swims, a variation of short and timed runs to improve my pace, drinking plenty of water, (eating less ice cream!) and mental training; imagining myself crossing the finish line, planning a race strategy and positive thinking about the race.
DO IT!
When the time comes to execute your dream and you are in the process of doing it you need to be confident, ready and on form. With all the preparation you have done and all (or the majority) of the things on your to do list crossed off, you will be motivated and ready for your challenge. Your initial dream was SMART and you should be feeling smart, victorious and strong enough to soldier through that two hour classics exam, get the coursework done and handed in on time, or in my case participate in my race.
For example: In my race I knew my strategy, my physical strength and where my weaknesses were. I was completely ready and excited to compete in this event and in the end I came out victorious and won first place in my age category, success!
TREAT YOURSELF!
One of the best parts after achieving your goal is the de-stressing and unwinding part at the end. I often put this in my dream so that I know that after handing in my coursework I am entitled to a glass of red wine and a cheesy romcom. If you are like me, the thought of the treat at the end is also a motivating reason to get up, prepare myself and complete my goals.
For example: My planned post-race treat was a Mars ice cream as they are my favourite. I was also treated by the event organisers with a trophy for my first place and plenty of hugs and kisses from my training team.
Hopefully this method can help you to motivate yourself to complete things that crop up that need a little bit of self motivation. Let us know what you think of our method and what other techniques you use when you need an extra push.
Edited by Luisa Parnell