How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like doing what you know you need to do?

In the previous question, notice I didn’t say, do what you must do. I didn’t say you must do because you have to do only a handful of musts. You need little else for basic survival besides eating, sleeping, and bodily functions. And if basic survival is all you’re aiming for, you can stop reading and get back to it.

However, if you’re seeking any kind of personal progress, then you must learn to overcome inertia. You must find ways to motivate yourself, even when you’re not in the mood or feel like doing so.

While there are no hard and fast rules to motivating yourself, I can share a few ideas that might spur you to action.

First, start with the end in mind. If you can vividly picture yourself accomplishing a goal or living a life that’s compelling for you, you can use that as a motivating force to pull you towards it.

Second, learn to negotiate with yourself. When you find yourself in a lackluster mood, as we all do at times, remind yourself of the benefits of sticking to your commitments. Write out or think about the pros and cons of action versus inaction and consider the fact that whichever path you choose has the probability of compounding itself in either direction.

Lastly, think about the kind of person you want to be known as. Not to others, but yourself. Do you want to be the kind of person that you can trust and rely on, or are you willing to lose trust in yourself? Trust in yourself can be a virtuous or vicious cycle. You can either use it to build yourself up or let it erode to the point where you no longer attempt to do anything.

So, the next time you find yourself at the crossroads of knowing what you need to do but aren’t motivated to do so. Hopefully, one of these ideas will spur you towards moving towards what’s best for you.

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