Before we get to actual self-motivation,  We talk about what needs to happen. 
We make promises and swear to change, because we know that the benefits of pushing ourselves motivate us to become a stronger person.  True self-motivation isn’t about hype – It’s about trust.  Each time you promise yourself - you strengthen that trust.  I trust myself to do the right thing.  Each time you break that promise, excuses gain power.  The integrity that you have is doing what you said when you said you would do, even when no one is watching.  Then you motivate yourself because of your work ethic and your ambitions. 

​When you follow through when no one is there to congratulate you, or tell you what a great job you did.  A humble Integrity takes over.  When you do the right things when no one is around, you are working and struggling for all the right reasons.  To improve and motivate yourself without crutches.  Without the approval of others.  We spend a lot of time alone, so does that mean I am only motivated when I have an audience, or can I create without others' opinions and approval?

As you woke up this morning, you knew before your feet hit the floor that there would be an obstacle or 2 in your day. 

I  am sure that no one ever faces a day and says,

• “This will be the perfect day”
• “Everything will fall into place, with no effort on my part”
  
• “Good fortune will fall into my lap”
  

This was actually about the time that you woke up. 

Life will not spare you obstacles – but obstacles are not the enemy.  Your attitude about an obstacle is.  Each difficulty is training for your character, for your future self.  Some of us have developed overwhelmingly strong characters due to everything we have faced and conquered.  Instead of saying, “Why me?” practice saying, “This is mine, I’ve got this”.  Here is a chance to grow, an opportunity to take a weakness and set it straight.  Don’t wish this onto anyone else, even your worst enemy.  If your enemy takes on this trouble, then they become stronger than you!

Take your attitude from one of despair to one of excitement.  Tell yourself that I have a mental and physical challenge in front of me, which is for me, and can only be fixed through me.  I am strong enough, I am curious enough, and I am smart enough to figure this out to a great conclusion.  One that will have my signature on it, saying, “I was here.”  Your ability to learn and adapt will only be limited by your very own doubts.

When you face a setback today, ask: “How is this shaping me? What strength can I train here?”

A self-destructive part of who we are gets tied up in feelings.  Feelings are a very powerful tool that can help you or hurt you.  We have heard and also follow the words, “To Follow Your Heart”.  In the right situation, it can be a very powerful driver.   It is also one of the greatest obstacles to self-motivation.  It is a belief that you must “Feel like it” before you act.  In truth, discipline begins when you act despite your feelings. 

By beginning in spite of your feelings, you start to develop the discipline needed to work through anything because you know the value of pushing forward regardless of how you feel.  Recognize the feeling blockers.  Those words that stifle your discipline: “I’ll do it later”, “If I fail, people will judge me”, “I am not good enough”, “No one will see if I take some time off”.  These feelings disguise themselves as logic, but they are only temporary moods. If you obey them, you strengthen avoidance instead of action.  Those words that help you strive towards self-motivation and self-discipline.  “If not me, then who?”, “It needs to get done, and I am the right person.”, “I need to do this, because it is right.”, “The end is right around the corner.”, or “When finished, this will be great!”. 

​Stop thinking about the cost, think about the reward!

How many of us would take 2 tons of rock from the front of our house to the back yard in 1 trip, in 1 bag hung over our shoulder?  No one!  You will take 1 utility cart after another.  Self-motivation thrives on progress, not perfection.  When teaching martial arts, I tell people that even sloppy self-defense is better than perfect self-defense.  It takes too long and might never present itself, a perfect situation, so you can use a perfect move.

Today, choose one thing you’ve been avoiding and commit to just starting — even for two minutes.  Writing down what you want and to what end is a great way to start.  Seeing your steps in action can be motivating if you stop dreading small steps of progress.  Once begun, momentum will carry you further than motivation ever could.  Stop anticipating the work and time involved.  What usually happens, and you know this, is that the actual time needed is so much shorter than the time anticipated and dreaded.  Always strive for the small wins.  If you wait for the perfect path to a perfect outcome, you will be waiting your whole life, when small wins get you closer to the end.
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Pick one task you’ve delayed and begin immediately. Focus on the start, not the finish.

We can create many excuses, and through our own effort, we tend to place our energy into focusing on what we cannot control.  Why do we do that? 

1. It Feels Easier – A sense of relief, blaming circumstances, other people, or “bad luck” relieves us of responsibility.  It gives the illusion of being a victim rather than a participant. 
   
2. we Crave Certainty – The mind fixates on things outside our control (weather, politics, other people’s opinions) because they feel threatening.  We turn our attention to something out of our control, and completely outside the scope of our own lives.  We divert our motivation to something else. 
3. Avoidance of Effort – If we focus on what we can’t control, we conveniently avoid the harder truth: that we can act, but it requires discipline and commitment of time. 
4. Fear of Accountability – It’s not my job; that belongs to someone else.  If I accept that my actions are mine alone, then excuses disappear.  It is a tough realization, but it is both freeing and frightening.

 
When you catch yourself drifting into what you can’t control, pause and ask two very important questions: “Am I avoiding spending energy here because it’s easier than facing my own responsibility?” or “What is one small action I can take right now that is truly mine?”
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By returning your focus inward, you build self-motivation and confidence. You shift from powerless to powerful.
Use this saying: “If I see it, I own it; if I walk away, I condone it.” – Christopher Lockwood
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​Self-motivation is one of the hardest yet most rewarding disciplines a person can master.  Too often, we wait for encouragement; we wait for someone else to tell us what we are great at, and then, thanks to them, we find motivation.  We find direction only because of the permission we’ve gotten from others.  We excuse ourselves with circumstances, feelings, or the comfort of delay.  This will always be a brick wall that we need to climb over or learn to punch through.  Comfort!  We live in an age where comfort is becoming something more and more accessible.  At our very fingertips, we can sit and watch movies, listen to music, be read to, be preached to, and get an education online.  It is all at our fingertips and from the flat part of our behinds.  But a life of growth demands something greater — the ability to move forward, physically and mentally, because you decided to.
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This week, we will step into a practice of mindfulness rooted in strength: noticing our excuses, taking ownership of what we can control, and training our inner voice that pushes us to act even when no one is watching.  The true determination of strength is doing the right thing when no one is around and no one is there to approve.  Today, notice every excuse that arises in your mind — big or small. Don’t fight them, don’t justify them, simply record them.  Be honest: “I don’t feel like it because…” By becoming aware, you take the first step in removing their power.

Self-motivation is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding disciplines a person can master.  Too often, we wait for encouragement, direction, or permission from others before taking action.  We excuse ourselves with circumstances, feelings, or the comfort of delay.  But a life of growth demands something greater — the ability to move forward because you decided to.  This week, we will step into a practice of mindfulness rooted in Stoic strength: noticing our excuses, taking ownership of what we can control, and training the inner voice that pushes us to act even when no one is watching.
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Self Motivation

Day 1: Awareness of Excuses
Day 2: Control What You Can
Day 3: Small Wins, Big Momentum
Day 4: Discipline Over Feelings
Day 5: Turning Obstacles Into Training
Day 6: Audit Your Integrity