If I lose motivation in my life - what it could be

Motivation

Most people are good people, but can do better, and most people already know what to do, so why aren't they doing it? What is missing - is the spark. What is lacking is motivation. The greatest motivation comes from a person's belief system. That means he needs to believe in what he does and accept responsibility. That is where motivation becomes important. They become more productive, personally and professionally. Their relationships improve both at home and at work. Life becomes more meaningful and fulfilled.

After a person's basic physical needs are meet, emotional needs become a bigger motivator. Every behavior comes out of the "pain and gain" principle. If the gain is greater than the pain, that is the motivator. If the pain is greater than the gain, then that is a deterrent. 

Gain can be tangible, such as; monetary rewards, vacations, and gifts. They can be intangible, such as; recognition, appreciation, sense of achievement, promotion, growth, responsibility, sense of fulfillment, self-worth, accomplishment, and belief. 

The difference between inspiration and motivation

"Can I motivate others?" or "Can I inspire them to motivate themselves?" We can create a conducive environment which can be motivating. In order to inspire people to motivate themselves, we need to understand their needs and wants. There is a direct correlation between motivation and productivity. Inspiration is changing thinking; motivation is changing action. 

Motivation is like fire - unless you keep adding fuel to it, it dies. Just like exercise and food don't last long, neither does motivation. However, if the source of motivation is belief in inner values, it becomes long-lasting.

What is the greatest motivator? Is it money? Recognition? Improvement in our quality of life? Acceptance by those we love? All these can be motivating force.

Experience has shown that people will do a lot for money, more for a good leader, and do most for a belief. We can see all over the world, people will die for a belief. 

Redefine Motivation

What is motivation? Motivation is something  that encourages action or feeling. To motivate means to encourage and inspire. Motivation can also mean turn on or ignite the feeling or action. Motivation is powerful. It can persuade, convince ad propel you into action. In other words, motivation can be defined as motive for action. It is a force that can literally change your life.

Why do we need to get motivated? Motivation is the driving force in our lives. It comes from the desire to succeed. Without success there is a little pride in life; no enjoyment or excitement at work and at home. The greatest enemy of motivation is complacence. Complacence leads to frustration, and when people are frustrated they give up because they cannot identify what is important.

How does "motivation" work

Once you understand the principle that motivates the motivator, you can proceed to achieve your goal and can motivate others too. 

Your internal motivation is your drive and attitude. It is contagious. Attitude is the key to getting the response you want from others. How does a person stay motivated and focused? One important tool that has been used by athletes for a long time is called auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestions are positive statements made in the present tense and repeated regularly.

External Motivation

External motivation comes from outside, such as money, societal approval, fame or fear. Example of external motivation are fear of getting spanked by parents and fear of getting fired at work.

1. Fear motivation:

 The advantages of fear motivation are:

• It gets the job done quickly.
• It is instantaneous.
• It prevents loss, by meeting deadline.
• In the short run the person's performance may improve.

The disadvantages of fear motivation: As we learn from history that the pyramids were built by slaves. They had to be constantly watched and reprimanded for nonperformance.

• It is external, which means the motivation is there while the motivator is there. When the motivator goes, the motivation also goes.
• It cause stress.
• Performance is limited to compliance.
• In the long run, performance goes down.
• It destroys creativity.
• They get used to the stick and then need a bigger stick.

2. Incentive motivation:
External motivation can also take the form of incentives, bonuses, commissions, recognition, etc. What are the advantage of incentive motivation? It can work very well as long as the incentive is strong enough.

• Think of a donkey with a carrot dangling in front and with a cart behind. Incentive motivation will only work if the donkey is hungry enough, the carrot is sweet enough and the load is light enough. From time to time, you have to let the donkey take a bite of the carrot; otherwise it is going to get discouraged. After the donkey take a bite, its stomach is full, and you need to wait for the donkey to get hungry again before it pull the cart. 
• This typically seen in our business environment. The moment salespeople meet their quota, they stop working. This is because their motivation is limited to meeting their quota. That is external, not internal.

My intention not to be a perfect person, better is enough.
A Little Black Pen