What is Motivation? The Working Force behind Our Actions

Why Motivation?

Why do some people pass one CCIE after the other and others never make it to one? The answer is motivation. They know what they want and more importantly they know what they need to do to achieve it.

More motivational quotes here

Have you ever wondered what makes you decide to do the things you do or the actions you take? Can you figure out why you failed and someone else succeeded? Motivation is the reason behind it. If you’re not motivated, chances are, you may not succeed. You have to want to succeed in order to do it. The driving force behind us doing or not doing things comes down to the motivation factor.

There are two categories of motivation and they are called intrinsic and extrinsic.

Intrinsic – Intrinsic refers to doing something or wanting to do something to stop a punishment or get some type of reward. An example of intrinsic motivation would be like offering a child a new toy for not fighting or arguing with a sibling. Parents might also ground someone for not doing homework. If you have kids, you know they’ll jump up and start running to do what you told them to do just to get a reward or to avoid punishment.
Extrinsic – Extrinsic motivation involves outside factors. Sometimes this type is beneficial but when rewards are given excessively, it can lead to a lower level of intrinsic motivation. What qualifies as extrinsic motivation? Learning a new skill to advance in life is a good example. Doing something that you already have an interest in is rewarding to a person. In the workplace, everyone wants to be noticed and advance.

When you were in school, you either wanted to learn or you didn’t and this is a behavior that many people have. As you get older, you understand more and know what will motivate you and what will not when it comes to being successful.

What are the Different Types of Motivation?

Everyone is different and behaves differently so the type of motivation you have or need will vary from one person to another. The reason for this is that we are all unique with our personalities. People take actions based on different reasons.

Incentive Motivation – This type of motivation is to get an incentive that is given to you such as money or a gift for completing a task. Incentive motivation can push a person to do something or achieve something and get a reward in return. This works well in the workplace too, like getting a raise, promotion or even a bonus a job well done.
Achievement Motivation – Achievement motivation is used to make someone feel like they can perform well enough to achieve a goal. It can make a person feel like they are competent to do anything and reach any goal they wish. You can prove this to yourself as well as to others. This is an example of intrinsic motivation. Some people may need this type to get recognition from others and for praise or positive feedback. There are some who need to be recognized or get a pat on the back.
Fear Motivation – When you were in school, you’ll recall your parents telling you that if you don’t do well in school, you’ll be punished. This method pushes someone to do what they should do or reach a particular goal. You can say that failing is against the rules or breaking them to get someone to listen or perform better at something.
Self-Improvement Motivation – If you know someone who isn’t motivated, you can try to get them to work on things to improve themselves and their image. You can learn and grow with this type and promote a welcome change that can bring about success. It’s all in your way of thinking no matter what beliefs you were brought up with. Don’t be at a standstill and keep the negative. Turn things around to be positive and improve yourself to become a positive person. It’s a growth factor.
Power Over Others – Sometimes people want to dominate over others and they will turn to negative ways to reach their goals. They want control over everything and sometimes walk on others just to get it. This isn’t the proper method to use. Other times, it’s just a matter of getting control over how others behave and trying to get them to do what you want against their will.
Social Motivation – You know how teenagers struggle. They want to do things that will help them fit in with the “in” crowd. Everyone wants to be accepted and everyone wants to make a difference for someone else. People also want someone to make a difference for them too. Wanting to contribute to society and the world is a sign that you have social motivation.

Why Motivation is Important

The true blessing that motivation can bring is the ability to motivate others to do something constructive and wonderful with their lives. It will make you feel good to help others build confidence in themselves so you can reach your goals and those around you can reach their goals too at the same time. If you don’t have motivation yourself, you can’t help others with it.

When you’re trying to help others, you need to first understand where they’re coming from. Take the time to understand their needs and the type of motivation they need since everyone has a different driving force and as mentioned before, it will depend on their personality type. Be creative and use odd methods if you have to in order to help yourself and others near you. Everyone can be more efficient in their personal lives as well as their work lives when you work constructively together. In business, this can increase productivity and also decrease expenses from having to do things repeatedly instead of getting it right the first time.

Now that you know the types, you now need to know that none of them are right or wrong. You need to determine which one is right for you to reach your goal and get the desired effect.

The results you get will depend on how you use them in your favour.

Also remember that motivation goes hand in hand with focus – check out another post I did about The most important skill to learn for 2015.