043: How To Be A Self-Starter

Motivation is a huge topic, but there are some simple strategies that can help you be a self-starter so that you can get things done efficiently and take action on what matters to you. What I want to share with you is how to motivate yourself, so that any external motivation is a bonus, but not the only way for you to take action. So that instead, you rely on your internal sources of motivation to propel you into action. 

Normally when we are not motivated to do something it tends to be because we have lost connection with our big why. The reason we're doing this particular thing in the first place. Over the years working with creatives, we would speak about the importance of practice. When I checked in, for some it was not always easy for them to stick to their practice because they didn't feel motivated to do so.  I realised that for those clients who found it hard to motivate themselves to practise, it was simply because they lost their connection to why they must practice in the first place. For them it felt more like they should practice rather than must practice.

When this is the case, the first thing to do is to reconnect with your why, so that you can separate the ‘shoulds’ from the ‘musts’. This applies to anything you need to motivate yourself to do, not just the practice of a skill, but also general tasks or actions you need to take. Think about some area of your life right now where you may be lacking motivation and therefore not following through. What is the big why behind what you’re wanting to achieve? What are the rewards that this achievement will bring? Really go big on this and draw from it everything you can, so that you reignite your purpose and drive. 

Being a self-starter requires you take responsibility for your own actions.

As such it means being honest and direct with yourself when things aren’t moving or when you become complacent. Do your best to witness your own drawbacks so that you create the habits to support your own success. This type of awareness will encourage you to pave your own way forward.

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