At times we cannot bring ourselves to begin a task that we’ve been postponing for quite some time. Occasionally a set of challenges or a minor failure makes it hard for us to resume our efforts. Every so often our initial momentum runs out and we grind to a stop. Motivating ourselves is an exhausting endeavour: we don’t always want to do it, nor are we aware of the demotivating forces that lead us to avoid commitments, hesitate or even break down. This book describes the stages through which the motivational process unfolds, the advantages of being well-motivated and how to deal with the most frequent obstacles one encounters when motivating oneself, motivating others, re-motivating oneself, and convincing oneself. A set of exercises helps readers identify the steps they need to take in order to recognize, rediscover and increase their (and others’) resolve.

Angelica Moè teaches Psychology of Motivation and Emotion and Psychology of Personality and Individual Differences at the University of Padua.