Nine awesome motivation videos to give you the boost you need

Sometimes, it can seem like the biggest challenge in life is doing the things you know you should get done. Many of us run into times when procrastination and distractions seem to be eating up our time or when we feel overwhelmed with self-doubt. If you're going through one of those moments now, it may help to have someone else remind you of how much you're capable of if you put in the work.

Motivation videos can be the source of inspiration that many people need. Some of them provide stories of people who overcame incredible challenges. Some suggest innovative ways to look at your work and your life. And some simply get you fired up to go after what you want with renewed energy. Take a look at the following nine motivation videos if you're looking for that extra push that will get you back on track to success.

#1: No Excuses | Best Motivational Video

We'll start with a video that's all about getting you energized and eager to put in the hard work necessary to get what you want. The NO EXCUSES – Best Motivational Video could be a great option if you're looking for a quick jolt of motivation to help you hit the ground running as you start your day. It combines inspiring music, images of people striving for self-improvement, and no-nonsense narration urging you to leave your excuses behind.

This video is short but not necessarily sweet — it takes a "tough love" approach to motivation that may not be for everyone. And the sports-focused imagery might not connect with all viewers. However, almost anyone should be able to identify with its core message: more often than not, your doubts and excuses are what hold you back. 

#2: Be Different | Positive Morning Motivation

Here's another good video to help you start your day feeling motivated and positive. The BE DIFFERENT | Positive Morning Motivation video offers a nice mix of confidence-boosting messages and calls to action. The music is relaxing and upbeat, which might help reduce your anxiety, helping you feel better able to confront the challenges ahead.

The emphasis of this video is on the necessity of change. It provides a reminder that the things you want most out of life often require you to try new things, learn new skills, or look at the world in a new way. It also emphasizes that you have the power to choose to be different than you were yesterday.

#3: Mel Robbins | One Of The Best Talks Ever On Self-Motivation

When you're unsure of the right decision in any given situation, it makes sense to stop and think it over. But as author and motivational speaker Mel Robbins points out in the video, Mel Robbins| One Of The Best Talks Ever On Self-Motivation, we often find ourselves deliberating even when we already know which way to go. This extra deliberation may accomplish nothing except give us time to talk ourselves out of the correct course of action.

In this video, Robbins presents a quick mental strategy for cutting through your tendency to overthink decisions when you know the right answer. This simple but powerful shift in your thinking may help you stop coming up with reasons not to do what needs to be done.

#4: Brené Brown "Stop Giving Your Power To Critics" | Vulnerability and Shame | Motivation

Her advice isn't to simply ignore the critical voices, which she says will close down your ability to learn and be vulnerable. What Brown suggests is to balance out your self-critical thoughts by giving proper weight to the voices of those who support you and love what you do. This talk may help you put your negative thoughts about your work in perspective, letting you find the strength to keep creating.

#5: The 13 Truths - Matthew McConaughey

Matthew McConaughey's commencement speech at the University of Houston is a powerful meditation on the thoughts and actions that lead to personal fulfillment. It's not a short talk, so don't click on it if you just need a quick way to get pumped up before a workout or a workday. Instead, it may be best to take it in when you have some time to reflect deeply on your approach to life.

McConaughey's suggestions include choosing your own definition of success, breaking down your victories to see what went into them, and acknowledging your fears rather than pretending they don't exist. Though you might not connect with every piece of advice in this video, there's a good chance that at least one of them will get you thinking in new ways. 

#6: 3 Life-Changing Stories That Will Inspire You To Live Beyond Limits | Goalcast Inspirational Speech

Staying motivated can be hard enough when things are going well. It can be even harder when you've suffered a major setback, tragedy, or loss. At those times, you may feel like there's no way things could get better, no matter what you do. That might be part of the reason that depression is so strongly linked to difficulties with motivation.

During those tough times, it can be helpful to hear from people who've gone through serious adversity and come out smiling. The three speakers in this video, 3 Life-Changing Stories That Will Inspire You To Live Beyond Limits | Goalcast Inspirational Speech, all experienced life-changing injuries or illnesses and struggled with the temptation to give up. Ultimately, though, they made the choice to continue striving for the lives they wanted to lead. They went on to find a level of happiness they couldn't have imagined when they were at their lowest.

#7: Famous Failures Before Success - Motivational Video by Jay Shetty

Challenging life circumstances aren't the only things that can make us doubt our ability to succeed. Failure may also leave us demoralized, making it hard to go on. This motivation video might help you out if you're worried that your setbacks will define your life. It discusses several examples of people who went through major failures only to persevere and change the world with their creations.

The creator of this video, the author and life coach Jay Shetty, believes that failure is an indispensable part of success. It's part of how we hone our skills and discover what isn't working about our current approach to life. This perspective could be priceless when you start wondering if there's any point in getting back up and trying again.

#8: Hard Work Beats Talent Powerful Motivational Video

This video has a simple but powerful message: that, in the end, motivation has to come from within. The narrator points out that it may not be enough to work hard only when someone else pushes you, or there's a tangible reward. Instead, you might be better off learning to find pleasure and satisfaction in the work itself. Many psychological researchers agree — for instance, studies suggest that losing weight is easier when you focus on eating healthy rather than how you want to look afterward.

The tone of this video is blunt, urging viewers to view success as the result of effort rather than a person's gifts, resources, and opportunities. It will push you to find joy in the grinding, grueling work that leads to victory.

#9: Les Brown Leaves The Audience SPEECHLESS

Les Brown makes a living helping other people find their motivation, and this video is a great example of why. He challenges the audience to think about whether their everyday actions match what they say they want. If you want to be an artist, are you creating art? If you want to run a business, are you doing market research, developing a business plan, and looking for investors?

It may sound like a cliché to talk about the importance of seizing the present moment, but this speech demonstrates why so many works on motivation center on this piece of advice. Dreaming about the future can feel nice, but as Brown points out, it may not mean anything unless you start building that future today.

Therapy can help you get motivated

Watching motivational video content can be helpful in moderation. Yet it can also become a form of procrastination, making you feel good about changing your life even though you're not taking action. If you're struggling to find motivation, it may be a good idea to work with a therapist who can help you modify the mental and behavioral habits that are getting in your way.

Are you worried you already have too much to do, even without adding therapy? In that case, you might consider working with a therapist online. The ability to chat remotely often makes it much easier to fit therapy sessions into your schedule. 

And yes, there's plenty of evidence that therapy can work just as well over the internet as it does in person. A systematic review examining more than 90 scientific studies reported "no difference in effectiveness" between face-to-face and online therapy. In many cases, talking with a therapist online can help produce significant and long-lasting changes in behavior.