Brainstorm. During a brainstorming session, don't be concerned with what ideas are valid or not. The purpose of the exercise is to help you come up with as many ideas as possible. Among the things you may come up with as you brainstorm are activities that you perform regularly such as hiking, swimming or biking; or experiences you have had such as spending time with family, eating ice cream or taking a vacation; or dreams you have such as living in your ideal home or being able to work less hours for more pay. At this stage, all you have to do is come up with as many ideas as possible.
Narrow down your ideas. Think about why you are writing the paper as you narrow down your ideas. For example, when writing a paper about personal motivation for college or an academic program, it may be best to steer clear of seemingly frivolous sources of motivation like trying to buy your dream car. Instead, talk about a source of motivation that is connected to serving your community or making a difference in the world.
Create a narrative arc. This is often the hardest part of a paper to write, but for this paper think about it this way: why does this serve as a source of personal motivation to you? Again, start the process by simply writing down your ideas as quickly as you can think of them. After brainstorming, choose the most promising ideas to develop for your essay. Never assume that the reader will take your sources of motivation for granted. One activity can motivate different people in different ways.
Maintain the connection to yourself. A paper about personal motivation will be incomplete if you do not consistently reflect on what the activities, quotes, words, celebrities, or whatever sources of motivation you have selected mean to you. Within each paragraph of your essay, try to tie in your reasons for having that motivation to a quality that you either possess or aspire to possess. Use examples from your personal life to show how the ideas you discuss in your essay relate to you. Think and write in terms of values such as perseverance, innovation, ingenuity and courage.
Revise. Just like any other paper, you will need to revise your paper several times. If possible, share your paper with a reader who will tell you what parts of your paper are excellent and what parts of your paper need more work. This step is important because what you may have written may not be what you are intending to convey.