UNDERSTANDING MOTIVATION IN ORDER TO BECOME MOTIVATED
People often say that they lack the motivation to do something, but they are unaware of what motivation is. We tend to label feelings and give them such names as; love, anger, or enthusiasm. Feeling motivated is one such thing. But think of it like this, you can label a jar filled with salt as sugar but it will not stop being salt. Likewise, human error leads us to give wrong labels to emotions at times. If you are studying for an exam, whatever feeling that comes your way you will be quick to label it as ‘lack of motivation’. When we give a label to a difficult emotion, it allows our logical brain to help regulate the emotional part of our brain. The following steps which are backed by research will help to label your feelings correctly and change your life for the better.
Recognize
An oncologist would say to their patient 'good thing we caught it before it was too late'. Just like cancer can spread if it’s left unrecognized and untreated so can negative emotions. The first step of being resilient is identifying that you have a problem.
Manage
M. Ephimia Morphew, a psychologist and founder of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments has found in her research that sometimes when SCUBA divers drown they still have air in their oxygen tank. So what went wrong? when they panic underwater, their instinct is to pull the regulator out of their mouths. This is a problem that a brief second of clear thinking can solve. Anyone can face a similar circumstance when they panic, they can’t think clearly. To make the right decision, one must keep calm and evaluate things before they act.
You can do anything — when you stop trying to do everything.
What is the key to success? Is it persistence or knowing when to quit? Understanding that nobody can do everything is important when trying to stay motivated. According to Wrosch people who quit their unattainable goals saw many physical and psychological benefits. He claims that “They also have lower cortisol levels, and they have lower levels of systemic inflammation, which is a marker of immune functioning. And they develop fewer physical health problems over time.”
What if you have no choice?
If you are not in a position to quit what's bothering you then resolve to the following techniques in order to experience higher levels of motivation.
Be prepared
The best way to survive and keep your emotions in check is to work. In order to face a difficult situation, one must be prepared. Instead of getting sad or scared in the face of difficulty stay busy. With less time for worry, you will get closer to your goal.
Love what you do
Make your everyday tasks fun by challenging and rewarding yourself. The structure within the basal ganglia of your brain is activated when you are feeling great. Drugs like cocaine can set the striatum off and so can the performance of organized and patterned activities or learning a new skill. According to the book Surviving Survival: The Art and Science of Resilience: "Survivors take great joy from even their smallest successes. That is an important step in creating an ongoing feeling of motivation and preventing the descent into hopelessness".
Help
People who faced life-threatening challenges survive not because of their resourcefulness or will to live but because they feel that they have to help others. Not feeling motivated enough to take notes? Take notes because others need them. Don't feel like studying? Study because you have to teach others and help save their grades. Giving help can help you and increase the meaning of your life.
To overcome lack of motivation one must recognize and manage their feelings by giving them correct labels. Persistence is a great quality to have but knowing when to quit will save you from trouble and unnecessary stress. The greatest secret to staying motivated is to love what you do and help others while you're doing it.
"Knowing when to quit and when to persist" caught my attention here and honestly it is the initiation that we aught to take in order to collect t ourself together and move with the flow. If we get confused between whether to stay or let go we will never be moving forward in life. Good point.
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ReplyDeleteYes, it is true that “YOU CAN DO ANYTHING — WHEN YOU STOP TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING”. It is all in our brains to control our behavior and thoughts. The energy you give to the outside world reshapes your thoughts as well. You can do anything if you set your mind to it. Motivation comes from this mindset. The brain works amazingly. If you think you can not do something, the brain thinks it is true and the remaining motivation will go away.
For instance, if you are in the bed and want to get up but you are lazy to do that, the brain gives you 5 seconds to change that decision. After that, the brain takes action and decides that you should not get up. This 5-second rule applies to almost everything in life. It is in your hands to decide what you want to do with your life. Do not let your negative thoughts ruin your day when you can perfectly make everything perfect.
It's truly essential that loving what you do.Always remember to feel happy and grateful even for a great achievement you accomplish.Some people have achieved so many things in their life but don't feel happy as they cannot bear up someone else's achievement which may be higher than him.At such instances, you lack motivation and descent into hopelessness. So,be happy even with your tiniest achievement without degrading it.
ReplyDeleteIt's really helpful to boost up your motivation through helping others.You can do things because of others as a help and make them happy. It you not motivate enough to study,think about your parents.They want you to be in a good place in the society and even they are telling it for your own life without a little hope of anything. So,you begin feel motivated when you think like that.
Having self confidence itself helps people to be motivated. Not only that having positive thoughts also a way of motivating. According to me "Love what you do" is combined with "do what you love". We use to love what we do only when we have a great feeling towards what we are doing. If we the thing we are doing grabs our interest we love to do it automatically. Self confidence also goes with that because we will be confident only when we are doing what we love and what we are talented for. Motivation comes from our own mindset and having a positive and confident will is the way to motivation.
ReplyDeleteI love the way of proving your argument of understanding the real meaning of motivation. Using the logical brain to overcome negative constraints is he best option that we can choose.Also it is the key to identify the strengths and o manage the things.
ReplyDeleteUnderstanding and correctly labeling what motivation is can make the difference between success and failure. Sometimes we are expecting the outer world to motivate us, but as you have pointed out, it's we who are responsible to build up our own motivation. The points you have brought above, demonstrate how we can built up motivation within us to reach our goals. So, you find it within, the only thing needed here is to understand and know yourself and your goal in life while preparing your mind always to stay positive. Pavani's above example mentioned in her comment proves how our mindset helps in controlling our motivation. Moreover, I really love the way you have ended the article.
ReplyDelete"The greatest secret to staying motivated is to love what you do"
yes, I totally agree upon this. Considering what you do as a trouble will make it harder for you to complete the task, but keep loving what you are doing in every single moment will keep you motivated through out the entire process of reaching the ultimate goal.