What do you do to motivate yourself when you are about to give up?

For me, it works all the time:

If I am tired, I have a look at this:

If I am just sad, I look at this:

And finally, if I need an extra boost, I look at this one:

Instant relief.

Now look again at the first one...

Why does it work for me?

The first image evokes a sense of duty. A duty not only to others but to myself, to keep moving forward, keep pushing a little more, fiercely, to never quit or settle and to avoid wasting my time and energy with unnecessary complains or excuses, from myself or from others.

The second image resonates deeply in my mind because it helped me overcome a depression episode. I made a promise to myself that whenever I felt like getting unecessarily sad, unmotivated or with a weak self esteem I would jump right out of this negative cycle, cold turkey, bluntly, no matter what. I even dress a little sharper sometimes, or do some power posing in the toilet, or reward myself with something nice, when possible.

The third one is paramount to me because it reminds me that no one has the power to make me feel like I don't deserve what I honestly think I do. It's not a matter of stubbornness or trying to prove some personal point. Nothing like that, but instead it's a commitment to myself that I will keep pursuing the achievement of my goals despite any external negativity towards myself. It's something like: "They said he is going to quit, he doesn't have what it takes, he is not strong enough.... But boy they were wrong!"