Do you really think that a person needs motivation to start working on something?

I try to come up with something as a reward for getting what I need to get done finished. If I finish this project, then I can do x for a while. X could be anything I enjoy.

Is there something specific you need to be motivated to do? Knowing that might make it easier for us to answer your question.

If it is a mundane thing, like taking out the trash, no…you just do it!
If you’re talking about trying to find motivation for something like a career path that you are not really interested in but doing simply to pay the bills or please others, then, yes…without inner motivation you are going against your true self and that is always a bad thing.
Sadly, this is the way of the world for most of us, having to force our square pegs into round holes for survival purposes. From someone who enjoyed years of being aligned with my true self and talents, nothing is worse than having to force yourself to do something your heart is not invested in.

To really thrive in life it is very important to try and find your natural source of motivation minus any contrived effort.

Tell yourself you’re a fat, lazy loser if you don’t get up and work out, or whatever you’re wanting to do? Works for me.

I think people tend to work hard when they feel motivated. When we see something happening we are motivated and we try to move by it. When we succeed in our acts and see the results we are excited and more motivated to achieve. We can be successful only when we take an action and action is possible only when we stay motivated. Only when we get the right amount of motivation we tend to achieve more in life.

Yes I do. The question really should be, what is the “motivation” or motivating factor behind doing the thing. In other words, you may not be excited / inspired about doing a thing, to be motivated to do it. I know plenty of people & situations where the “motivation” behind doing a thing was just that they didn’t want to experience the effect of not doing the given thing. For example, you may not be excited about doing a particular job or task, but you’re motivated to do it because you don’t want to be fired :-)