Different Types of Motivation

There are two main types of motivation:Intrinsic (internal) motivation & extrinsic (external) motivation

There are also many different sources of motivation including:

• Incentive
• Fear
• Achievement
• Growth
• Power
• Social 

All types and sources can lead to positive or negative actions.

Different sources of motivation inspire different people; one type of motivation will not inspire all people.

Set Goals That Interest You

People need to learn what makes them “tick” when it comes to what interests them.

What inspires you to really raise your game and increase your performance, focus, and effort to attain your goals?

Really evaluate yourself and see what inspires and motivates you to push yourself harder and reach for your goals.

Once you can answer what form(s) of motivation inspire(s) you to reach farther and work harder, you will have an easier time knowing what goals will interest you and inspire you to work harder and do more.

Find Inspiration In What Surrounds You

Inspiration is defined by Dictionary.com as “a thing or person that inspires.”

We all will experience periods of lower motivation, especially if we are experiencing less success than we anticipated or moving more slowly toward our goals than we anticipated.

• The key is to keep the motivation high, as it’s really our “fuel” to attain the goals we want to achieve.

We need to look around at our environment and see who or what can inspire to keep our motivation and enthusiasm up to attain our goals.

There are often many examples that can help us improve our performance.

If, by chance, there aren’t any forms of inspiration in your environment, or if these examples aren’t helping enough, that may indicate you need to change your environment (i.e. change your job, move to a new location, etc.).

Establish A Successful Mindset

It’s virtually impossible for anyone to do their best work and achieve the goals they want when they have a negative outlook.

It is vital you have a positive, successful mindset in order to give you the best chance to achieve the goals you wish to accomplish.

Look back upon your life and think about your recent successes to help boost your outlook and mindset.

Talk to family/friends/psychologist/counselor to help boost your outlook and mindset if you need external help. Listen to inspirational music and CDs/DVDs to help improve your outlook and mindset.

Align Your Values With Your Work

We need to know what motivates us to strive harder for our goals and achieve them. We also need to know what we truly value so that we can be driven by it.

• We all have an innate tendency to not work as hard or not do as much for a company if their values run contrary to ours.

To work hard for achievement, incentive, and even out of fear for a company whose values run contrary to ours would cause us to not be true to ourselves, which hurts our motivation.

When you work for a company or run a business that appreciates the same values that you do, you feel more inspired and motivated to do more for that company or business, to strive more for them to succeed.

This leads to you wanting to achieve more and grow more, as you are being true to yourself and advancing the causes and values you believe in.

When you work for a company or run a business whose values align with yours, it’s likely you will meet people who have similar values, which can magnify your power and influence to affect your power in a way that brings your values and ideals to the world at large more easily.

Surround Yourself With Successful People

When we are surrounded by successful people, their positive “can-do” attitude, inspiration, and habits can rub off on us and improve our ability to perform the tasks we need to complete in order to achieve our goals.

Their positive attitude will enable us to remain motivated and focused on the task at hand and complete it to the best of our ability. 

When we are surrounded by negative people and people who are no more experienced than we are, it’s hard to remain motivated and positive.

Being around positive, successful people can help us to increase our motivation and strive harder to achieve our goals.

Successful people can give us advice and information to help improve our skills and our outlook, giving us a greater chance to succeed at reaching our goals.

Find A Mentor That Keeps You Motivated

In virtually any line of work, there is usually always someone who has been there and done that, knowing the pitfalls and challenges that lie ahead.

• Having a mentor can keep you from feeling alone.

• Having a mentor can help you to avoid or minimize potential pitfalls and challenges that lie ahead.

A mentor is someone you can go to for advice, guidance, and even inspiration when you are unsure what to do next or need reassurance in the event you are hesitant to take an action because you’re afraid it will backfire and harm your business and reputation.

Not everyone who is experienced is willing to be a mentor or is even made to be a mentor.

It’s likely you will have to “pay” the mentor in some way- money, part of profits you make from his/her advice, provide a testimonial/support of his/her guidance, prestige/recognition- but this “payment” can be well-worth it with the right mentor and guidance.

Photo by Xan Griffin on Unsplash