Find Out What Motivates You

Find Out What Motivates You
Sergio De Dios González

Reviewed and approved by the psychologist Sergio De Dios González.

Last update: 21 December, 2022

Motivation is something that we need to be able to continuously get up each day and focus on our responsibilities and goals. But sometimes we fail to find the right motivation. Many times, our life feels meaningless, everything we fought for does not bear fruit and the straight path we used to see is now filled with dangerous curves.

“The secret of personal motivation can be summed up in four Cs: curiosity, confidence, courage and certainty.”

-Walt Disney-

Discovering what motivates us is hard work because we always try to make others or what we do the focus of our motivation. What we don’t always realize is that our  motivation must come from us.

Therefore, we must learn to look within. To do this, you need trust and perseverance.

The motivating force

With motivation you can achieve anything you want. You can reach as high up as you want. But to maintain this motivation you must nourish it. But how can we do this?

  • Find meaning in what you do.
  • Persevere in what you want to achieve.
  • Identify your strengths.
  • Reflect on what really matters to you, what you want to achieve first.
  • Put the steps you must take in order so you can achieve what you want.

All this will help you stay motivated and give you the necessary strength to move forward. It will be the force that will help you persevere in what you want.

motivated man riding a bike up a mountain

It is very important to be realistic at all times. Motivation does not feed on dreams or goals that cannot come true, but rather on those that can. These are dreams that will not come true in one shot, but step by step, slowly but surely.

What if we fail to motivate ourselves at a certain point? Don’t worry. Experiencing  demotivation will get you ready to re-motivate yourself at the right time.

It’s not bad to fall, as long as you have the courage to get up again.

But beware! Demotivation is used as an opportunity to recharge, not to put you down. This way, you will not only get the strength to get up again, but you can find out how to motivate yourself and get out out of that demotivation that’s bringing you down.

Self-motivation is the key

If we do something we like, if we are engaged in a project that keeps us active, alert and interested, being motivated is very easy. But what happens when the opposite happens?

motivated woman sunrise

Motivating yourself is the first thing we should think about. External motivation that we receive is only momentary, it will not last long unless we find the motivation within us.

To help in this process, there are some principles you should keep in mind to boost your motivation and to be able to find it whenever you need it.

  • Get up quickly from pain; emotions, over time, become a memory.
  • Nobody said it was easy, everything you want to achieve costs your effort and helps you better savor the success you achieve.
  • Visualize your dreams to propel yourself towards achieving them. Do not allow them to remain fictional, make them real!
  • Push yourself and force yourself to continuously improve.
  • Get out of your routine and try something new every day.

These principles will help you see every morning as a challenge. Something essential if we want to achieve our goals. Do not sit and watch life go by while your goals disappear before you.

“If we do not learn to motivate ourselves, the external motivation that we receive is useless.”

 -Bernardo Stamateas-

We all know how to motivate ourselves, but the problem is that demotivation is more comfortable. Like everything, getting something good is difficult. Achieving our motivating force will give us the opportunity to enjoy after getting what we worked for.

Find your inner motivation to get what you want, be strong and you will get your reward. A great effort will lead to great results.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Maslow, A. H. (1991). Motivación y personalidad. Ediciones Díaz de Santos.
  • Palmero, F., & Martínez-Sánchez, F. (2008). Motivación y emoción. Madrid: Mc-Grawhill Interamericana de España.
  • Reeve, J., Raven, A. M. L., & i Besora, M. V. (1994). Motivación y emoción. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.