Introduction

Creating motivation is one of the major challenges faces by many university students during their academic life.

Motivation comes from the word “motive” which means desires, needs, wants, or drives within the individual.

It is what causes you to act whether is reading a book to gain knowledge or the desire to work money. Motivation entails the biological, social, emotional, and cognitive forces that activate behaviour.

It is the driving force behind human actions.

 

 There are two types of motivation: internal and external motivation. Internal motivation is the desire to do or achieve something because one truly wants to or takes pleasure in doing so.

It is motivation from within.

External motivation is the desire to do or achieve something, not for the enjoyment of the thing itself but because it leads to a certain result. it is motivation from without.

 

As humans, we are not always motivated.

There are moments that we feel motivated and others demotivated. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic motivation they all require achievements and the desire to make things happen.

It requires the ability to work towards goal-oriented activities.

Everyone seeks to motivate himself to achieve success and prosperity, but many do not know-how.

 

The question is: How do you motivate yourself?

 

 7 vital steps in creating motivation.

1. Have a reason or goal

One vital step in creating motivation is to have a reason or goal because it is one of the strongest motives that motivate you.

This reason is what keeps you going no matter the challenges you encounter. It is the driving force for you to accomplish your goal.

 

2. Have a specific plan

There is a saying that failing to plan, is planning to fail. Plan your course of action because it helps you get to where ever you are heading.

When you have a plan, you become more focused on achieving your goal.

Failure to plan can lead to procrastination, disorganization, and lack of focus which can adversely affect goal achievement.

Plans need to be specific and flexible so that they can be altered in case of any obstacle.

 

3. Start with small steps

There is a song titled “one step at the time” by Jordin Sparks.

Getting to where you want to require serious effort.

Take small steps one at a time.

Once started it’s easy to continue.

Do not be in haste and jungle up the task.

 

4. Keep good company

Creating motivation requires you to make frequent encounters with positive, successful, and motivated people.

Positively motivated people are very different from demotivated or negative people.

For instance, if you want to be rich, move with people of the same aspiration likewise motivation.

 

Read on: 

10 Ways to Improve Your Study Habits As A University Student

 

5. Do not procrastinate

Procrastination is when you keep on pushing things to be done at a later date without accomplishing them. I will… I will…. Procrastination slows progress.

It is ok to take some time to rest but to stay procrastinating every day will harm your progress. 

Leave your comfort zone and motivate yourself to accomplish every task you have to do.

 

6. Track your progress

Keep a tally or a progress bar for ongoing projects.

When you see something growing, you will always want to nurture it.

That is to say, if you track your success, you will be motivated to add more efforts to accomplish your objective.

 

7. Do not compare yourself with others

Everyone has his/her path to take in life or the effort needed to get to your destination.

So never compare with anyone because it can be very frustrating.

People have different personalities, skills, attitudes, preferred learning styles, and goals.

Comparing with others sometimes can kill your enthusiasm and help you lose energy quickly.

Believe in yourself and work at your own pace.

 

Concluding Remark

To conclude, to create motivation or maintain a high level of motivation is good to have a reason or goal, have a specific plan, start with small steps, keep good company, do not procrastinate because procrastination slows progress, track your progress to know how far you have gone.

Knowing how far increases your motivation level.

 

Which other step can be included in creating motivation. Please feel free to share your view in our comment section.

 

 Further Readings

10 Bad Habits of University Students in Cameroon