Motivation from within

How do we achieve self-motivation? Allow me to share my story of waking up before daybreak as an example.

Everyday we have to wake up from our sleep and start our day. Do you have to wake up at a specific time? How easy is it for you to wake up? Do you use an alarm clock? Do you need someone to pull you out of bed?

What is your reason for waking up at that particular time? If you experience difficulty in waking up, there could be some very fundamental causes, for example, insufficient hours of restful sleep. 

If that is not the case, then it could be a deeper reason. Perhaps you are not motivated to get up. Do you view it as a responsibility or is it your choice to wake up at that hour? 

Do you drag yourself out of bed even though you're tired but have to wake up and get things done, for example going to work or attending to your kids? Do you jump out of bed if you have something fun to do, for example on holidays? 

To make yourself wake up at a specific time consistently every day, you have to find the meaning or value of doing so. At least I had to. 

I love to sleep, and I love the idea and luxury of waking up naturally after a good long sleep. For me, waking up before sunrise was very unappealing & was not necessary. However, after I decided to do so for every school-day, I've been able to persuade myself to continue.

I asked myself: how did I manage to do it? Originally I thought the motivation came from outside, for example, to prepare breakfast for my son so he eats better, to have some time in the morning for chatting and bonding, and not to be late sending him to school. But though meaningful and valid, I realise that those reasons were not my strongest motivation.

Then I saw the deeper cause of my perseverance. It was a challenge to myself, to do something which I've determined to do, to overcome my inner resistance, to achieve a breakthrough in my weak area.

Motivation from within is a more sustainable motivation. I've the freedom to become a better person. If I want to do it, I can do it. I've many mentors and they've all taught me a lot. But ultimately it's my choice. Nobody can motivate me better than myself. This is not meant to be arrogant. In fact, it's my mentors' success if they've inspired me to achieve self-motivation.