What motivates others, and how can you use that to get motivated?
Do you need some motivation to get things done? Sometimes looking at ways that other people are motivated can give us ideas on how we can also motivate ourselves! Here is a list of motivations for other people, as well as an examination on how we can use these same ideas to get motivated too!
Reward - A lot of people, especially in today's society, feel like a reward is the best way to get motivated. After accomplishing a task or getting something done, these people will reward themselves. Many people decide on the reward even before they begin to work on the task which has required motivation! These rewards can come in a lot of different forms. Some people reward themselves by going out to eat or buying themselves something that they have wanted. Other people reward themselves by taking the time to watch a movie or take a break from their normal activities. In some cases, money is even a reward that is used to motivate people - they will pay themselves in order to accomplish a task or duty.
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Goal - Other people prefer to set goals in order to motivate themselves. In many cases, these goals are usually written down so that people can mark their progress and keep track of their goals. These written goals can act as a constant reminder, helping people to stay motivated and on task. For some people, a goal list or chart is a further type of motivation, because some people look forward to crossing items off of their "To-Do" list, or these people enjoy watching their progress on a chart. For these people, visually seeing progress is another type of reward, similar to the rewards that are listed above.
Avoidance of embarrassment - Nobody likes to be embarrassed, and many people will go out of their way to avoid embarrassment. Some people will purposefully place themselves in potentially embarrassing situations in order to get motivated. For example, people will sometimes invite company over to their house, in order to get an added motivation to clean their living room. They would prefer to get their house clean in order to avoid the potentially embarrassing situation of hosting a party in a messy home. Other people will schedule work meetings by a certain date, so that they will be motivated to get the work done by then. These types of people want to avoid the embarrassment of being unprepared at their meeting, which gives them the motivation to work hard and get the task completed on time.
Avoidance of damage - Sometimes, when push comes to shove, people get motivated to do things in order to avoid potential damage. For example, someone might not feel motivated to water their house plants regularly, but when threatened with the possibility of having all their plants die, they suddenly will find the motivation to get the work done. In addition, lazy people who are threatened with getting fired will often find the motivation to work after such a threat is made manifest.
Having a background on these different types of motivations can help you to get motivated too! Look over this list and think about your personality type. What type of motivation do you think you would respond to best and use? Maybe a reward would work? Or perhaps a goal would be a good motivator? Obviously, it's probably best to not place yourself in a situation where you could potentially have something damaged! Choose a motivation that you think will be helpful for you, and try to avoid the risk of hurting yourself or others in the process. Every person responds to motivators differently, so experiment around and use what motivates you!
