Motivation is the driving force that keeps pushing us to reach a certain goal through our actions. When you do a work without motivation, you fail to do it with full dedication and efficiency. Motivation helps to increase work productivity and brings out the best of a person’s true potential. For example, when you do a job where you get paid low and never appreciated for good works and accomplishments, you get no motivation to work every day with the same enthusiasm you started on the first day. Soon, the job turns boring, and if you stretch it further, you get tired and if you still continue, you are going to get stressed and quitting will be the only way out.
Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation –
There are basically two types of motivation – intrinsic and extrinsic. For example, James and Peter are students. James loves to study and studies hard to secure a top rank in the class. Peter, on the other hand, does not like to study and is satisfied with whatever marks he gets. But his father has told him that he would give him a high-end smartphone if he can secure a top rank in the class. Therefore, he has started studying as hard as James now. So, in the case of James, it is intrinsic motivate where interest and passion are the driving forces, and it is also called self-motivation. On the other hand, Peter’s case is extrinsic motivation where the driving force is something external like reward and better recognition.
Which Is Better And What’s The Reality?
Nothing could be better when you are motivated by your own motives. It is found that a person continues to do something eternally when motivation is intrinsic, and he has no hesitation investing most of his time in a task that is dedicated to achieving his motives and goals. As a matter of fact, a person is likely to be successful when he can motivate himself internally. Therefore, it is safe to say that intrinsic motivation is always better than extrinsic motivation.
But, in reality, some of the essential driving forces in a person’s life are extrinsic. Without extrinsic motivation, most of the people would not ever do any good work in life. For example, when you are working for a company, if the pay is low, your work quality and productivity would be low, and you would not feel like doing anything for the company. But when the manager announces a huge bonus for the top performers of the month, everyone including you would put the best effort and work productivity and output would be at its peak.
How Can On Motivate Himself?
As intrinsic motivation is always a better option due to its unending and continuous flow, you should find out ways to self-motivation. Motivation comes from passion and goals. Always do jobs where you have a genuine interest, and motivation will be a natural companion in your journey. For example, if you like computer programming from your school days, you should choose computer science for graduation even though some other streams might have higher salary jobs. When you get a job in an IT company, and the reward and appreciation are not at par, you would still be motivated to do your work because you love what you do and you will do your job as if nothing matters. You know that eventually you will switch the company and get in a better company that will value your talent. So, the absence of extrinsic motivation will never bother you, unlike others who would be stressed, curse the company and feel like quitting.
Secondly, set short-term and long-term goals in life. You goals are your motivation. You should set achievable goals so that motivation does not die down after some time. As a matter of fact, you should be clear about how you should achieve your goals. You can know it by interacting with people who have already achieved it. Once you know the way to reach your dream destination, even if the surrounding extrinsic factors are degrading, you will be able to keep walking the way without any hesitation. To stay motivated, you have to surround yourself with people who are also highly motivated themselves. Sometimes, watching motivation videos, speech and movies renews the positive energy in you and gives you positive vibes to keep up the good work.
Working without motivation is like living a life without goals. You should accept the fact that motivation is a part of your journey both in your personal and professional life. You have to find out the best way to keep yourself motivated all the time, and you will find that work will be your only pleasure. Once you have motivation backing you up, there is no stopping you from achieving anything that you can with your talent, skill, and willpower.
Author Bio –
Harrish Sairaman is one of the top Corporate Trainer in India. He is one of the co-founders of The Next Dimension, a company which has been established with the intent of empowering individuals. Harrish believes in a high energy, insightful learning experience driven by impactful activities to bring in a transformational shift among his participants. Having conducted over 900+ workshops, Harrish has touched lives of over 2,000,000 participants.
