The essential things you need to find intrinsic motivation
When you were a child, you often pretended to be someone else. Maybe you pretended to be a superhero or a famous movie actor. This ability to pretend is one of the most important abilities that we have as human beings. We can actually see a possible future before it happens. We imagine what we want to happen and then work towards it. All great buildings, major motion pictures, best selling books, or even small projects like a tree house began as someone's vision of what could be. What a world we live in because of this ability we have as humans.
What stops us from accomplishing our dreams as individuals? We all have and use the ability to visualize future possibilities, so what stops those dreams from becoming reality? Is it because we lack the intrinsic motivation? No, the ability to visualize and plan for the future is the most powerful motivator we have. There are several things that must happen in order for these visions to become reality.
|
|
1. We must believe. If we have the belief that we can't do something, then we will not try. When you look at the world of amazing accomplishments, you can see others had the courage to believe, so why not you? Of course there obstacles which must be overcome in order to achieve something. The vision must also be possible and realistic. For example, if you imagine yourself sprouting wings and flying to the sun, it might be fun to imagine, but it is physically impossible, but maybe you could think about becoming a helicopter pilot.
2. We need to learn. This is not an easy step. We need to learn two things: what needs to happen in order for the dream to be fulfilled, and we need to acquire the proper knowledge needed to accomplish the task. Let's say that you desire to become an oboe player for a major symphony orchestra. You need to learn the steps needed to accomplish the task. These steps include getting an instrument, finding someone to give you lessons or figuring out how you can learn on your own, getting good at the instrument, and spending years playing in less notable orchestras until you can land a gig with the orchestra of your dreams.
3. We need to consistently work towards our goal. A large goal such as starting our own business has a series of smaller goals that you can work towards. As you accomplish each goal on our list of tasks, and as you keep your vision alive, you will find more and more motivation to keep going. This does not mean that setbacks, failures, problems, and disappointments won't happen along the way, but if you allow these to defeat you, then you will never achieve your goal. Remember that nothing happens overnight. It takes time to achieve something important.
4. We must be persistent. It's not enough to pursue your goal for a week, lose steam and then quit. This is exactly what happens to most people. They realize that the hard work required is harder than they thought, and so they settle for not achieving their goal. In other cases, they procrastinate and put off the goal indefinitely. You can see any results in your life until you stick with something long enough to see results. When times get tough and setbacks occur, this is the time to remember your vision, and take great pleasure in every step that you achieve. For example, if you are learning a particularly difficult subject in school, take great pleasure with every success. Celebrate every successful exam.
