Motivation is key in all life's endeavours. The employee requires appropriate motivation in the workplace to function well. So also do students in institutions of learning require motivation to excel. Motivation is a propeller of success. It gives the needed energy to attain a certain goal. In the quest for academic excellence and getting that eye-popping CGPA , you'll need a lot of it.Without motivation, your interest and focus drop.The academic environment gets frustrating and boring intermittently. The temptation to lower the bar will come. However, a well-motivated student forges ahead irrespective of those clogs.motivation could be intrinsic in which case it comes from within. Here, you develop an interest in a particular task, desire to get more knowledge and know the mechanism behind a certain process. Being rewarded in this instance is not a motivator. The benefits of intrinsic motivation are that it's long-lasting and self-sustaining. Intrinsic motivation increases your capability and capacity for learning.There's also extrinsic motivation in which you are motivated to perform in order to get the desired reward. Think of extrinsic motivation as the money/prize you get for coming top in your class at the end of the semester. It could also be that 5.0 CGPA you achieve.There'll be occasions where you're short on intrinsic motivation. In such a situation, you fall back on extrinsic motivation. At other times you fall back to intrinsic motivation when there seems to be no material reward for success. However, a combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is desirable for academic excellence.Before I got into the university (college), I got loads of extrinsic motivation from family (both nuclear and extended). There was the constant promise of getting presents if I performed well at the end of the term. This type of motivation alongside others worked. However, when I got into the university (college), there was less of motivation from the family in terms of reward (extrinsic). To succeed, I had to appreciate the fact that I was in school to get knowledge and a good understanding of my course of study. This realisation helped me stay focused on my studies. There were also other motivations such as the desire to come top of the class, the desire to perform better than my peers (competition) and the opportunities that a high CGPA will provide. All these forms of motivation ensured I pursued and achieved excellence in my course of study.It is important that you find that thing that motivates you and gives it a free reign to propel you. Embrace wholeheartedly any legitimate step that ensures your goals of studentship are achieved.You can also create motivation for yourself. I also remember there was a time in my undergraduate days I was lacking in motivation to study. The semester examination was already at the door. I tried to study but I wasn't getting the results I desired. Studying for as short as 30 minutes was practically impossible. Failure to study would bring failure to my door steps. I knew I was Lacking in motivation and so in the evenings, I would go into the classrooms where my colleagues and other students were seriously preparing for the exams. Merely seeing them study kindled the fire in me always.I then go back home and spend quality time in study. That strategy worked for me because I excelled.The point here is that there are a thousand and one things that can motivate you to study and by extension, achieve success. Discover them and apply them to your academics to get that eye-catching CGPA.