There are two types of people in this world. The first is internally-motivated; they set goals for themselves and push themselves towards their goals on their own. These usually do not believe in religion.

The second group is one that is externally-motivated; they rely on external motivation - religion, the promise of reward, etc. These groups of people are usually those who firmly believe in religion.

Working with different groups requires a slightly different approach to the task. When working with the latter group, all you have to do is reward him or her with something. Praise him or her. When working with the former group, put him in comparison with another person who is weaker than him or her. He or she would do the rest.

There are many cases of talents and potential being wasted, just because they did not develop it further. I heard of this student whose mother allowed him to go out with his friends only once a year. Of course, he’s a GPA-4 student. But he has close-to-zero social lifestyle, and any talents he might have would be lost. Perhaps he is good at drawing? Playing piano?

So, depending on which group you belong to, you can do different things to self-motivate yourself. For the former group, start comparing yourself with weaker peers (but don’t get too big-headed). For the latter group, start writing down the praises that others gave you.

Remember, your brain is a powerful thing. You definitely have a talent. If you’ve discovered it, don’t waste it. Motivate yourself to develop it further. For those of you, who haven’t discovered it, don’t be discouraged. You will find it one day.