Motivation Matters

CassidyNixonFit
Nov 20, 2017
3 min read

Motivation Matters

Lacking motivation? Ugh, me too. We all know motivation is important for beginning a new task and sticking to it until our task is complete, but where does all that motivation come from, and if I lose it, how can I get it back?

Psychologists from several universities who have asked these same questions have found three basic components to developing and maintaining motivation.*

AUTONOMY — the energized feeling that comes to us when we are in charge of our own destiny: independence. The more in control of a situation or task we feel we are, the more energy we will pursue those projects with.

If we feel pressured into any activity or we weren’t given a choice in the matter, more than likely we are not going to see it through to the project’s end: we will run out of steam, become unmotivated (if there was any motivation there to begin with!), and we will quit before we see any results.

On the other hand, when given the choice to pursue a direction based on our own opinions, we tend to begin with enthusiasm while more readily persevering through the challenges of our task.

VALUE — what sort of value have we assigned to our project? Does it align with our moral/belief system? On a scale of 1-10, how important is this task?

Naturally, we will invest in activities we find most relevant and meaningful to our lives. But after we’ve spent some time investing, our motivation can begin to wane. When this happens, generally it just means the value of our task has simply been displaced. Which is good news! This means we can get our motivation back! Spending some time reflecting on how our project became important in the first place can re-energize us to push through toward the results we desired at the beginning.

COMPETENCE — practice makes perfect: the more often we do an activity, the better we become at it, and the better we become at said activity, the more likely we are to continue pursuing it.

If we are not born with natural talent for a certain task, does this mean we will never master that task? Not at all, in fact, studies have shown naturally gifted people tend to quit more readily when faced with a challenge, easily believing their abilities have been exceeded. Whereas those of us who are not innately talented will more readily continue to devote time and effort to improving skillsets, even when difficulties become present. “Effort fosters excellence.”*

When we come to a cross-roads of motivation, we shouldn’t immediately think of ourselves as being in a position of weakness or incompetence. Being in this situation is not necessarily negative; think of it as merely a scheduled pit-stop, a place to re-fuel. The more often we are able to overcome our own roadblocks, the more strengthened our resolve becomes — which is not only positive for the moment, but exponentially so in the future!

So, the next time we are faced with a lack of motivation, let’s take a deep breath, give ourselves a few relevant options so we can make a choice based on what’s most important, take time to remind ourselves why we began our task in the first place, and then keep on, friends & neighbors, knowing we’re more than capable and we’re not alone in this.

References & Credits:

*Scientific American: Three Critical Elements Sustain Motivation https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/three-critical-elements-sustain-motivation/

Three Easy Pieces: The Mechanics of Motivation

https://www.witseducation.com/fit/blog/2017/03/three-easy-pieces-the-mechanics-of-motivation/