Growing Your Motivation Minute by Minute

Everyone has heard the phrase “‘Rome wasn’t built in a day.’” I believe that also applies to motivation. Today, the focus is on habits, specifically: the habits we can build in our everyday lives to strengthen our motivation. We often don’t realize that even small habits add up over time, whether they are good or bad. So, why not focus on the ones that will benefit us in the long run?

Motivation is what helps us get through our daily lives, whether that’s getting out of bed, doing homework after school or work, or staying consistent with exercise. However, motivation takes more than just completing a task—it requires mental strength to build and maintain. The good news is that it’s okay to start small. By building positive habits and recognizing what motivates us, we can gradually strengthen our motivation and become more consistent in our everyday lives.

Start Your Day With a Plan

Starting my day with a plan has been one of the simplest ways I’ve learned to feel more motivated. It’s not about creating a perfect or packed schedule, but about giving myself a clear and gentle direction for the day.  When I take a few minutes to write down what I want to get done, whether it’s just two or three small things, I feel less overwhelmed and more in control. It helps me focus on what actually matters instead of wasting energy trying to figure out where to start. In a way, it feels like a small act of self-care because I’m choosing to support myself rather than leave my day up to stress or chance.

Back when I didn’t  really have a schedule, a million things would pop up into my mind about what needed to be done that day. However, I ended up doing nothing but just staying in bed all day. That was until I was given a little calendar notebook where I was able to plan out my day. I noticed small changes, like getting less overwhelmed and actually being able to finish my tasks on time. 

Building a simple schedule also creates space for you to honor your priorities in a meaningful way. This is because you're choosing what matters most. Whether it’s work or personal growth, you’re showing yourself that your time and energy are valuable. Completing those planned tasks, even small ones, brings a sense of accomplishment that reinforces your self-worth and encourages you to keep moving forward with care and intention.

Planning your day allows you to support your well-being, not just your productivity. When you include moments for breaks, meals, or something that genuinely brings you joy, you’re reminding yourself that you deserve balance. A lot of times when you're so caught up on life, you tend to forget to take care of yourself. This kind of structure builds a healthier and more compassionate relationship with yourself, making it easier to stay motivated in a way that feels sustainable and kind. 

Building Discipline

I believe building discipline is one of the best habits to strengthen over time. At first, I never thought discipline was inherently important until . For example, in high school, I was in a lot of sports like tennis, swimming, and wrestling. A lot of the time, I had to wake up extra early to go to practice by riding the bus. There were times I had to force myself to go when I didn’t want to because I was tired, or sometimes even just lazy. I also constantly had to watch my diet in wrestling because it was super important that we made weight to be able to wrestle. But yet, I was able to do all three of my sports.

That is because of discipline. It was a habit I built over time that made it easier to motivate myself to get up to catch that bus or go to that practice after an event we lost. However, I didn’t realize how much it would affect me until I stopped having discipline. I stopped doing sports after high school, which made me feel a bit lost for many reasons, but mainly because I didn’t really have a schedule anymore. During college, I struggled my first semester. Often, I procrastinated on homework, missed classes or stayed in bed all day, and didn’t keep my promises.

What once drove me each day became a struggle to find the motivation to even get out of bed. Breaking promises to myself made me realize how much discipline I lacked and how it affected my confidence. I chose to start over, beginning with small actions like simply getting out of bed and brushing my teeth, and eventually working up to exercising and keeping up with homework. Over time, those small changes rebuilt my motivation.

Surround Yourself With the Right People

Surrounding yourself with the right people can make a huge difference in your motivation. The people you spend time with influence how you think, how you act, and even what you believe is possible for yourself. When you’re around people who are working toward something, it becomes easier to want to do the same.

On the other hand, being surrounded by negativity or constant doubt can slowly drain your energy without you even noticing it. It doesn’t always happen in obvious ways. Sometimes it’s just the conversations you hear every day or the mindset that gets normalized around you. Over time, that can affect how motivated you feel about your own goals, especially with people who tease you for your beliefs and goals. It can end up making you doubt yourself and lose confidence. 

Even if it’s not always in-person, this can also happen through what you consume online. Podcasts, videos, social media pages, or online communities that reflect the kind of person you want to become can all shape your mindset. A lot of the time, especially today, we consume a lot of media such as "red pill" and "blue pill," or other media that influences us in bad ways. The more you fill your space with positive influence, the easier it becomes to stay motivated and focused on your own path.

That’s why it’s important to be intentional about your environment. This doesn’t mean you have to cut people off or completely change your life, but it does mean paying attention to who and what is influencing you. Try to spend more time with people who inspire you, support your growth, and challenge you to do better because those are the people that will stick with you through the hard times.

Be Kind to Yourself

Being kind to yourself can manifest in many different ways. And so, there are a few ways I practice kindness to myself that I would like to share.

I believe that exercise is such a good way to be kind to yourself. This is because your body doesn’t just help physically, but it also clears your mind and improves your mood. Something that can boost your mood before exercising is listening to music. Something simple like going for a walk, yoga, or going to the gym can also help reset your energy and make it easier to stay focused on your goals.

It also helps to make time for hobbies and things you genuinely enjoy. When life starts to feel like nothing but responsibilities, motivation starts to fade quickly. Hobbies give you something to look forward to and remind you that life isn’t only about productivity. Moments like these can help recharge you mentally so you can come back more motivated.

Being social and staying connected with others is another form of self-kindness that often gets ignored. Talking to friends, spending time with family, or even just having small conversations can help you feel supported and grounded. Human connection gives you emotional balance, and is something that makes you feel supported when you feel like there is none. A lot of times, I would isolate myself without realizing it because I was so focused on my responsibilities, but realizing how important human connection is motivated me even more to continue my goals and it gave me a refresh.

So, I’ll end with this: motivation isn’t something you wait for, it's something you build through the habits you practice everyday. Simple things like starting your day with a plan, staying disciplined, and following through on small promises to yourself can make a huge difference over time. When you focus on these habits, you’re not just becoming more motivated, but you’re learning how to truly show up for yourself.

About the Author

Yazmin is currently in CSN, majoring in journalism/news production. She will transfer to UNLV and graduate early. She hopes to travel the world as well. She loves to watch movies, dance, and be able to hike on her own time with friends.