What Is The Self Regulation Theory of Motivation

Many people have goals but simply do not know how to reach them. Whether related to career, weight loss, fitness or general health, there are ways to achieve your goals using self regulation.

Self Regulation

Self regulation is the ability to control and regulate your impulses, regardless of emotion. It is the ability to talk yourself out of lazy behavior and into doing the task at hand, even if you do not "feel" like doing it.

The Self Regulation Theory of Motivation

By using self regulation, a person can motivate himself to reach long term goals. For example, a person saving for a trip can use self regulation to stop spending money in order to reap the long term benefit of a nice vacation.

Using Self Regualtion

Write your goal first, and then list all the steps to get to your goal. Include details such as deadlines for mini-goals throughout the process.

Putting It Into Action

When a situation arises that would stall progress, use self regulation. For example, if the long term goal is running a marathon, remind yourself that even though you do not feel like running, you must do it in order to reach your goal.

The Rewards of Self Regulation

Using self regulation for motivation must involve a long term goal that rewards the person for reaching it, as well as rewards along the way for achieving mini-goals throughout the process.