9 Ideas to Enhance Your Motivation Experience

Summary

Motivation is one of the most used and (often) misused terms when describing a person, group, team, or organization’s behaviour. In a sense it has become a bit of a catch-all statement that summarizes or justifies a particular course of action.

At one point or another, we all have felt incredibly motivated by something. Whether it was to work harder, smarter, or faster to gain some form of recognition or reward, or to be in service of another because it aligns with our intrinsic beliefs, we have behaved in an inspired manner to progress to accomplishment.

By the same token, we will have experienced key moments when what we are doing or are planning to do just doesn’t give us any form of inspiration and can lead to a change in mood, energy, effort, and feelings of dread.

Have you ever wondered why that is? Further, do you have enough of a grasp on the art and science of motivation to know when it is truly at play, the factors surrounding it, and how you can tailor your reaction to it so that it serves you rather than breaking your will?

In this blog, we’ll discuss the topic of motivation; why it is important to understand what it is and is not, and the implications of motivation used for good or evil.

What Motivation Is

To explain what motivation is, we should take a couple of steps back and review the origin word, which is motive. Dictionary.com describes motive as:

• Something that causes a person to act in a certain way, do a certain thing, etc., incentive
• The goal or objective of a person’s actions

They then explain motivate:

• To provide with a motive, or a cause or reason to act; incite; impel

Using these descriptions, we know that we need certain criteria for motivation to be present. Firstly, we need a clear motive which will drive or compel (i.e. motivate) someone to act, react, pursue a goal, or behave in a particular way.  Motivation is described as:

• the state or condition of being motivated or having a strong reason to act or accomplish something

Ok, before we go any further, I want to be clear about one major factor when it comes to motivation: you cannot engage in the ‘act’ of motivation. What I mean by that is you won’t be able to say to your loved one as you leave for work, “Got a busy afternoon planned today. I’ll be motivating the team from 1-3pm. Wish me luck!” You can work towards creating conditions where motivation would be the likely (and desired) outcome, but the singular act of ‘performing or providing motivation’ isn’t a thing.

Consider the last time you felt truly motivated for something. Was that motivation provided to you solely by the actions of another, or were other conditional factors at play that contributed to your motivation?

What Motivation Is Not

A popular misconception about motivation is that it is about feeling compelled or inspired to act or accomplish something. Active motivation involves applying the time, energy, effort, endeavour, and determination towards whatever it is your motivation is driving you to.

Feeling motivated is not action. Having good intentions is not action. Establishing good ideas is not action. Any of these with no follow-through to creation and implementation of action steps is, at best, day dreaming, and at worst a literal waste of your time.

Consider a time when you attended a class, webinar, seminar, or conference, and you felt a real sense of excitement and motivation to absorb the learnings and take steps to change your life for the better. Then, on reflection 3, 6, or 12-months later you acknowledge that despite your genuine enthusiasm for change that you didn’t actually take any action on the learnings gained. This is not uncommon.

Types of Motivation

There are two main types of motivation that you will experience. It is important to be able to clearly distinguish which motivation is primarily driving your actions and behaviours as this is valuable data you can use to further enhance the motivational experience. The two types are:

• Intrinsic: Driven by internal factors and influences that are personal and meaningful to you. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to personal satisfaction, and what will bring you joy and fulfillment can be wholly different to others. Think satisfying your core values, pursuing a passion, or doing something for the complete joy of it
• Extrinsic: Driven by external rewards, outcomes, or consequences. You will work towards an outcome that will in some way benefit you externally. Think external validation, praise, recognition, or monetary benefits

Knowing the predominant motivational influencer will give you an opportunity to absorb and acknowledge the factors at play, communicate your motives to those around you, and move forward with greater clarity.

Benefits of Motivation Used for Good

Like almost everything in life, if it is understood, used with good intentions, and executed well, benefits can be gained. This is certainly the case when it comes to motivation. Below are some common benefits you can expect if you recognize your motivation type, and use it in a way that serves you and others:

• Increased productivity: When you are motivated you are typically more dedicated, focused, and efficient in your task progression
• Goal achievement: Motivation helps you stay committed and increases your ability to overcome any obstacles that are present
• Improved focus and concentration: When in a motivated state, you are better able to concentrate on the tasks at hand, reduced distractions, and experience deeper levels of concentration
• Enhanced creativity and innovation: When you are open to it, inspiration can come from anywhere giving you the opportunity to think outside the box, explore new ideas, and generate innovative solutions
• Increased resilience and persistence: When you are motivated, you will find a way to navigate setbacks and obstacles
• Boosted confidence and self-esteem: People are motivated by progress. Achieving your goals can and does have a materially positive impact on your confidence and self-esteem, thus setting you up for future successes
• Positivity and well-being: Similar to increased confidence and self-esteem, using motivation in a fashion that serves you and others provides a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction, and overall well-being, leading to a more positive outlook on your life and circumstances
• Stronger relationships: Reaping the benefits of positive motivation can inspire and uplift those around you, fostering positive relationships. Who doesn’t want to be inspired?
• Personal growth and development: A common theme for all of my blogs, using motivation for good provides you the opportunity to continuously learn, grow, and improve yourself and your circumstances

It’s a compelling list, isn’t it? I’d encourage you to take some time to reflect on a recent time when you were motivated. How many of the items listed above did you experience during or after the experience? This is a good reflective exercise to help you boost your ability to be more present in the moment the next time you are in a motivated state.

Consequences of Motivation Used Poorly

This is where I need to discuss items that are a bit of a downer. Now, the lazy thing to do would be to flip the list from the section above from positive to negative. Since I’m not lazy and am truly motivated (see what I did there?) to give you a valuable reading experience, I will provide a list to supplement the negative associations from the above list. Think of each of these in the context of “If I were experiencing a lack of motivation around a particular subject”:

• Procrastination: It is difficult to dedicate yourself to something that doesn’t inspire you to expend effort on it, leading to delays and potential missed deadlines
• Burnout: Overwhelming pressure to complete a task without appropriate motivation can result in expending greater physical and mental effort which can potentially lead to exhaustion
• Disengagement: If you have little desire to work on something, the chances are you will experience some form of disengagement leading to decreased enthusiasm and commitment
• Increased stress and anxiety: Unwanted pressure and unrealistic expectations will contribute to heightened stress levels and anxiety. While some people can work well under stress, this is typically short-term and can have longer-term negative consequences
• Mental health impacts: A continuous lack of / misplaced motivation can foster negative feelings such as inadequacy, dejection, despair, dissatisfaction, or other feelings that can have a detrimental impact to your mental health
• Employment challenges: If you are an employer or employee and experience motivation challenges, this can lead to decreased job satisfaction, lower morale, and higher staffing turnover rates, thus affecting the organization’s ability to thrive or even survive
• Poor decision-making: Making hasty, irrational, or destructive decisions is a real possibility if you are experiencing motivation challenges. These decisions can be driven by pressures that don’t serve you rather than via thoughtful consideration

Consider a recent occasion where you experienced a lack of motivation. Reviewing the list above and the inverse consequences of the list in the previous section, what was your experience? How many of these items were present for you?

9 Ideas to Enhance Your Motivation Experience

The more readily you can harness and apply your intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the greater chance of a better experience and success you will enjoy. Success, of course, is never guaranteed and being motivated by something does not necessarily mean it is the right thing to do and / or will reach a favourable outcome. With all of that said, the list below will help enhance your motivation experience:

1. Set clear goals: Defining specific, achievable goals helps provide direction and overall purpose
2. Provide support: Offer encouragement and feedback to yourself and others. Create a supportive environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and encouraged. Please don’t ever miss an opportunity to provide support
3. Celebrate: Acknowledge and celebrate all progress, milestones, and any size of wins throughout your journey
4. Self-reflection: Build in reflection time to help encourage deep thinking on your progress, learnings, and challenges. Use this information for any required course correction
5. Growth mindset: Emphasizing the desire to continuously be in a state of growth will allow you to use all experiences for growth rather than as barriers to your life
6. Promote autonomy: Creating opportunities to provide a sense of autonomy and control over your decisions, processes, tasks, and timelines provides empowerment and ownership
7. Determine the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’: The ability to connect your actions to a deeper purpose or meaning, reinforces intrinsic motivation. We all want to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing
8. Cultivate a positive mindset: Planning for and encouraging positive attitudes, thinking, optimism, and resilience can help foster a higher level of belief in what you’re trying to accomplish
9. Feedback and encouragement: Supplementary to providing support, it is important to provide constructive feedback that focuses positively on strengths and areas for improvement

You can choose to do 1 or all 9 of these items and know that they are not exclusive to promoting positive motivational practices – they can be applied to many other areas of your life.

Coach Gaz Challenge: In supplement to the questions I’ve posed throughout this blog, think of a time when you were the most motivated you’ve ever been. Was it intrinsic or extrinsic? What traits did you demonstrate to drive towards your goals? Is there anything additional to what is included in this blog that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear from you whether this blog aligns with your experiences or if you’ve had a wholly different approach to identifying and enhancing your motivational experiences.

I’m always open to a conversation on your thoughts, opinions, and experiences on this or any topic in the library. Get in touch by subscribing below, or by using the form on the Book Gary of the site.