I D Soni
I believe in two premises: (i) Most people are good, but they can do better; and (ii) Most people already know what to do to improve their lives. But the question is – why are not they doing it?
What is missing is the spark – motivation. Why don’t we do it? What is lacking in us is motivation. The most powerful motivation comes from within our belief system. To move into action, We need to believe in what we do and accept responsibility for our life. When we accept responsibility for our behaviour and actions, our attitudes toward life become positive. We become more productive, both personally and professionally. Our relationships improve both at home and at work. Life becomes more meaningful and fulfilling.
The next logical question is: What is motivation?
Motivation is a drive that encourages action and feeling. To motivate means to encourage and inspire. Motivation can also mean igniting the spark for action. Motivation is powerful. It can persuade, convince and propel us into action. In other words, motivation can be defined as motive for action. It is force that can literally change our life.
WHY DO WE NEED TO GET MOTIVATED?
Motivation is the driving force in our lives. It comes from a desire to succeed. Without success, there is little pride in life; no enjoyment or excitement at work and at home. Life becomes like a lopsided wheel giving a bumpy ride.
The greatest enemy of motivation is complacency. Complacency leads to lack of effort. And when people are complacent, they do not grow because they cannot identify what is needed in their lives.
MOTIVATION – HOW DOES IT WORK?
Once we understand what causes motivation, we can motivate ourselves and achieve our goals – and we can motivate others too. Our internal motivation is our drive and attitude. It is contagious. Our attitudes are the key to getting the response we want from others.
How does a person stay motivated and focused? One important tool that has been used by athletes for a long time is auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestions are positive statements made in the present tense and repeated regularly. In other words, each day, we might say:
“I feel more and more confident every day.” It is a positive self-talk.
INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION?
We cannot motivate others. People motivate themselves. What we can do, however, is that we can inspire them to motivate themselves. We can create an atmosphere that is motivating.
Inspiration is thought; motivation is action. When thinking changes, it reflects in behaviour. In order to inspire people to motivate themselves, we need to understand their needs and wants.
INTERNAL MOTIVATION
Internal motivation comes from within, such as pride, a sense of achievement, responsibility, and belief. Internal motivation is the inner gratification, not for success or recognition, but for the fulfillment that comes from having done it. It is a feeling of accomplishment, rather than just achieving a goal.
Reaching an unworthy goal does not produce that gratifying feeling. Internal motivation is lasting because it comes from within and translates into self-motivation.
Motivation needs to be identified and constantly strengthened to succeed. The two most important internal motivators are recognition and responsibility. Recognition means being appreciated, being treated with respect and dignity, and a feeling of belonging.
A satisfied person is not necessarily a motivated person. Some people are satisfied with very little. In this case, satisfaction may lead to complacence. Motivation comes from excitement and excitement does not come unless there is full commitment.
New methods of motivation will not work till the demotivating factors are removed. Many times, just removing the demotivating factors can spark motivation.
MOTIVATORS :-
What we really want to accomplish is self-motivation. When people do things for their own reasons and not others’, that is lasting motivation. Remember the greatest motivator is belief. We have to inculcate in ourselves the belief that we are responsible for our actions and behaviours. When people accept responsibility, everything improves: quality, productivity, relationships, and teamwork.
People do things for their own reasons, not ours. This is illustrated by a story about Ralph Waldo Emerson. He and his son once were struggling to get a calf into the barn. Both father and son were exhausted, pulling and pushing. A little girl was passing by. She put her little finger into the calf’s mouth, allowing it to suck, and the calf lovingly followed her to the barn.
MOTIVATION IS GREATER THAN FAVOUR
According to a survey, out of the world’s hundred richest people today, 27 are heirs and 73 are self-made. Of these self-made, 18 have no college degree and 36 are children of poor parents, but some billionaires had neither a degree nor wealthy parents.
In other words, super-achievers are not born, they are self-made people. It is not an external favour that makes one a super-achiever, but one’s own struggle. Super-achievement is not achieved through inheritance, but is a self-acquired success.
The so-called deprived persons are privileged persons. Their state of deprivation serves as their inner motivation. When they see others are progressing, it creates a strong incentive in their minds. It is this incentive that makes a man a superman.
It inculcates in him a strong urge to be successful.
There is a saying that “a person was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This kind of birth creates a kind of contentment in the concerned person, and contentment is the killer of motivation. While one who was born in a poor family, without a silver or golden spoon, develops a kind of discontent. And it is a psychological fact that discontent activates one’s mind and triggers a fire within one to do hard work.
There are numerous examples of people rising to a high position through their own struggle, while their children turned out to be dull.
The reason is very simple. The father started his life with the spirit of discontent, while his children started their lives with the spirit of contentment.
It was this reason that was responsible for the difference between father and sons.
A person who is born into a poor family, and achieves success by way of struggle, achieves an additional thing which is more important than wealth – that is, intellectual development. His circumstances automatically develop an intellectual struggle in his mind. This struggle doubles his inner capacity, and consequently, he emerges as an intellectually developed person.
One who is born in a state of affluence might become intellectually dwarfed, while one who is born in poor circumstances might emerge as an intellectual giant.
John Milton, the great British poet, says:
“Oftentimes nothing profits more
than self-esteem
grounded on just and right well
managed.”
With faith in God and faith in myself, things impossible to me become possible.
In his book, The Art of Learning to Love Yourself, Cecil G. Osborne says something that merits attention, “People who easily lose their temper in playing games – or in an argument for that matter – reveal something important about themselves. They do not like themselves. Aggressive self-haters will fight, argue, contend, or even cheat to win. More passive self-haters tend more often to go into depression, or at least become moody – a manifestation of mild depression.”
We must consider these matters positively and realistically so that with powerful motivation we may be able to discover our real self. Powerful motivation will help us to grow a self-loving person. A self-loving person is not a self-centred person. Self-motivation will go a long way to make us tolerant of others, good listeners, forgiving and calm, committed persons, and hardworking persons, Charactered and positive believers and above all, humblest and noblest servants of the nation. Accepting compliments with a simple “Thank you,” would show our better self-possession. Motivation is truly greater than any favour.
(The author is President Home for the Aged & Infirm, Ambphalla, Jammu.)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
