The reason is — Motivation!
It is one of the (primary) reasons why we do certain things or follow certain paths. Motivation plays a huge role in how our life path unfolds. When we don’t have enough motivation to pursue meaningful goals in our life, then we can’t expect much good from life either. But on the other hand, we see examples of people who achieve impossible dreams just because they have a fierce motivation to achieve that goal.
So, what is motivation really? And if it’s the reason behind the phenomenal success, then how can you master this game?
In this blog, we are about to explore the concept of motivation in-depth, and our aim will be to equip you with the best ideas to transform your life.
WHAT IS MOTIVATION?
Motivation is the willingness of a person to pursue a goal. It’s the big WHY behind why you do something!
If you are giving 2 hours at the gym every single day, then, of course, you must have a solid reason behind such a commitment.
Either you want to be healthy, get rid of some disease, get the body of your dreams or just want to impress your crush with your incredibly toned abs. I can give you a hundred reasons for going to the gym every day but what really matters is the reason that is meaningful to you and important for your life experience.
We (humans) love the idea of expansion. Whether it’s spiritually, financially or physically, we are wired to strive for better, to become better than we were yesterday. This is where the concept of motivation comes into play.
We will only strive towards those goals for which we have motivation. By the way, that brings us to the two types of motivation.
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Extrinsic motivation is when you do something in order to get an external reward or an incentive.
An easy-to-understand example of extrinsic motivation is the 9-5 you do to get a paycheck at the end of the month. The reward of “getting the paycheck” is the main driving factor behind your behavior (of showing up for work every day).
Fame and appreciation are some other external rewards that you might seek. So, not all the external rewards you seek are going to be “tangible.”
Here are a few examples of extrinsic motivation that will help you refine this concept in your head:
- Posting on Instagram to get followers
- Completing your job to earn a pay
- Competing in a race to be the winner
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION
Intrinsic motivation is when you engage in a particular action or behavior because it is personally rewarding to you. There is a certain satisfaction you get from doing something; that is intrinsic motivation.
A great example would be if you watch documentaries on the internet because you feel like watching them. It’s because you feel good when you learn about new things. There is no external reward that you are looking to achieve via watching those documentaries.
This is how intrinsic motivation works.
Here are a few more examples of intrinsic motivation:
- Reading books
- Listening to music
- Painting or drawing
- Taking a walk in nature
- Meditating or journaling
The reward of intrinsically motivated behaviors is the joy and surge of positive emotions you feel when you engage in those behaviors.
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR MOTIVATION?
Can you imagine a life without motivation? I can’t! A life where you just do think just for the sake of doing them without any real purpose or reason.
So, here are a few reasons why motivation is so important.
Life is full of choices. There are so many things to do, so many places to go, and so many adventures to indulge in but only a handful of time and energy. Then how does one decide which goals to pursue? Which adventures to give our precious energy to?
That’s where motivation helps us choose.
Secondly, whenever we start something new (whether it’s a new class, a relationship, a job or something else) — we feel a sense of excitement. But as the days go by, that initial spark dulls down, and at these times, you are most vulnerable to feeling frustrated and discouraged.
This is where you need the motivation to pull you through those bad days. It helps you focus on the bigger picture rather than getting lost in the nitty-gritty of things.
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TOWARD YOUR GOALS (THE SECRET FORMULA)
To stay motivated, you first have to have goals that are interesting to you and they should also involve a certain degree of challenge.
Scientists have researched that you can’t be motivated for goals that are too easy for you to achieve. Nor will you like working towards things that are impossible for you.
So, neither too easy + nor too difficult; that’s the trick to stay motivated towards your goal.
Another great strategy to stay motivated towards your goals is to give your brain a taste of the life you are going to live or the feelings you are going to experience once you achieve those goals.
When our mind is clear about what reward it is going to get out of an activity, that’s when it will be motivated to work towards achieving it.
Images and pictures work best in this regard because our brain understands best in terms of visuals.
So, I love setting up a physical vision board for myself. In fact, we have made one for you too. It combines pictures and affirmations to give you the taste of your future and help you in realizing your dreams.
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Here is how a vision board will help you stay on track with your goals and eventually change the trajectory of your life:
- It helps you get clear about what you want to achieve in life.
- It gives your mind the safe space to prepare for the future that you want for yourself.
- It serves as a reminder for where you are going, when life gets too overwhelming.
- Setting up a vision board with a vision board kit is a highly rewarding experience in itself.
- Looking at a vision board will keep you strongly motivated toward your life goals.
Remember! Motivation is an important ingredient of success so no matter what you want to do, motivation is going to have a major role in your journey. Therefore, it’s in your own best interest to master the game of motivation and use it to your advantage.
