Whether you realise it or not, motivation is a natural force in your life, and it needs to be employed in order to excel and reach your own goals. It would be a mistake to think that some people are motivated by nature and others are not. But motivation is not a switch, rather a flow. It needs to be fed and cultivated, not simply owned. To feel motivated, one needs to dive beyond the surface, look into the inner self and stimulate that infinite source of energy. 

Motivation is like an engine that generates self-sustaining and long-lasting energy, just like the sun. Likewise it’s composed of 3 parts or layers: 

• surface, or acknowledgement
• support, represented by the enablers
• core, the purpose

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement is generally what you see on the surface when you look at other people.

• It includes any type of social recognition that can give you motivation.
• It may come in the form of respect or recognition, such an award.
• It could be emotional support through encouragement, feedback, and constructive criticism.
• It could also be affiliation, where other people share the same goal or challenge with you.

Support

The second layer is what assists your goals.In order to find motivation, positive enablers are key. They include friends and family, or any support network you’ve built in your life.

• They can enhance the motivation core you have, or increase the momentum that you generate.
• They create the right circumstances for things to go smoothly. 

 Purpose

The most important and most difficult to reach, the true force that drives your motivation flow. Purpose is based on two things: having meaning and forward movement. Having meaning is relatively simple. Do you want to learn how to find motivation?

• You have to ask yourself why. Your motivational energy will be as clear as the reason, which needs a clear direction for your energy to focus.
• Then you need to gain forward movement. It simply means to just keep moving. Motivation leads to action, but it also works in the opposite way. Just do it is not just a commercial: start doing an easy task, and motivation will kick in.
• Motivation from having progress generates momentum, and progress doesn’t have to be huge for you to recognize it. Small pieces of progress can be just as motivating, as long as they keep coming. Creating progress indicators, like checklists or milestones, is a simple way to visualize your small wins. They help your mind to recognize and acknowledge them, giving you small boosts of motivational energy.
• Begin with finding out what drives you. Take one aspect of your life that you want to progress further in. Your job for example. List the reasons for why you’re in the job that you’re in, then think about the core, your purpose.Find what it is within your job that gives you meaning, and what will help push you forward in life.
• Once you have those points, do a comparison. Ask yourself if your current job helps you make progress towards that specific purpose. You’re on the right track if it does. Don’t panic if it doesn’t, try not to focus on the negative.
• Review your goals and aim yourself in a positive direction, starting small and breaking down the big challenges into small steps.