Motivation: 4 simple factors to watch out for when planning professional or private goals
Strong motivation is a key element to one’s success and happiness. It is a good habit to develop because it lets you change your behavior, improve your creativity, develop competencies, and enhance your skills and talents. Motivation is an essential aspect of your happiness because it will drive you towards achieving the kind of success that will surely give you fulfillment.
It is also good for your career as your motivation will let you achieve your career goals. Aside from that, motivation can benefit your emotional and mental health. It can lift your mood and energy and help you survive whatever life throws at you.
If you want to be more motivated to do whatever it is you intend to do, then here are some tips to develop and improve this vital element for your success:
Choose a motivating mantra
Look for an inspiring quote that you can use as your daily mantra. You can also make your own mantra. Develop the habit of saying your chosen mantra loudly at certain times of the day, like upon waking up or before sleeping at night.
Posting your chosen mantra is also helpful. In that case, you can use art prints or post-it notes. Post the mantra in a place you can readily and easily see daily, like your fridge or wall in your home or office.
Practice positive self-talk
Another habit you should practice that can help boost your motivation is talking positively to yourself. Note that you have your own internal voice, but there are instances when it talks to you negatively, crushing your motivation and confidence.
It helps to turn that negative voice into positive. Make it a point to catch yourself every time you think negatively about yourself. Reframe your negative thoughts positively. It also helps to constantly and consciously remind yourself about some positive things regarding your goals, life, and yourself.
Set small and measurable goals
If you feel like your ultimate goal is too big for you to accomplish quickly, then you can shrink it by dividing it into small and measurable goals.
By doing that, you can easily accomplish your small goals and bring yourself closer to your ultimate goal. Just make sure to identify the criteria that you should use in measuring your progress and success once you have broken down your big goal into smaller ones.
Avoid overthinking
Note that overthinking things can hamper your motivation. It can complicate even those easy tasks because you will most likely anticipate unlikely problems. Overthinking on a project assigned to you can even cause a lot of stress and pressure, thereby obstructing your motivation. To avoid overthinking, go back to making your tasks and goals small and simple. They should be divided into manageable chunks that you can easily accomplish.
You can also further enhance your motivation by beating procrastination. Learn time management skills and have a to-do list, so you will not end up getting too stressed out with all the things you need to do. Learn to say no, too. Commit only to doing things that you can handle responsibly. That way, you will always feel motivated since you know that the things you intend to do are within your capacity.
Motivation FAQ
What is Motivation?
Motivation can be defined as the process, which initiates, maintains, and guides all your goal-oriented actions and behaviors. With a high level of motivation, you will have that strong drive to act. It could be as simple as motivating yourself to read a book or exercise regularly.
Motivation also encompasses the social, cognitive, emotional, and biological forces capable of activating your behaviors. This term is often used in describing the specific reason why you do something. It is, therefore, the main driving force for your actions.
What are the Different Types of Motivation?
Motivation can either be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation refers to driving forces arising within you. One example is reading a book mainly to enjoy the personal satisfaction provided by acquiring new knowledge.
There is also what we call extrinsic motivation, which comes from the outside. You can consider your motivation as extrinsic if certain rewards, like money, praise, trophy, or social recognition, are involved.
What are the Major Components of Motivation?
When trying to learn what motivation is exactly, you should know that it actually has three main components – activation, intensity, and persistence. Activation happens when you decide to initiate a certain behavior. For instance, it could be when you decide to start exercising.
The next component is persistence, which refers to the continuous effort you are taking to reach a goal. This means you continue to pursue your goal even if you encounter difficulties, like the need to spend energy and time for your exercise.
The last component is intensity, which can be perceived as the vigor and concentration that you show as you pursue your goal. It could be that you continue pushing through your fitness goals by ensuring that you stick to your scheduled exercises even if you are also extremely busy.
Is it Necessary to Build Motivation?
Yes, it is extremely important to learn how to motivate yourself. A high level of motivation is necessary as it lets you make some changes in your behavior so you can further improve yourself. It is your motivation that will help you develop your competencies, improve your creativity, develop your talents, and set your goals.
Building motivation is also important in living your life. This is especially true as you constantly respond to the changes in your environment. You need it as a means of taking corrective actions while dealing with fluctuating situations and circumstances. It is also good for your overall health as a depleting motivation may cause your well-being and overall functioning to suffer.
As for its societal importance, you can expect your increased motivation to help in building flourishing relationships, improving job satisfaction, and boosting student engagement.
How to Handle Fluctuations in Motivation?
No matter how hard you try to stay motivated, there are still times when it will fluctuate along with your willpower. There are instances when your drive to reach your goal is too high. However, you may also experience those moments when you are unsure of what your goals are and how you intend to achieve them.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do to increase your motivation if you feel like it is suddenly dipping. One tip is to make some adjustments to your goal, so you can focus more on things that are important to you. You may also want to break up overwhelming and huge tasks into smaller chunks. It also helps to make some improvements in areas you feel insecure about. That way, you can improve your skills, thereby boosting your confidence and motivation.
