Motivation:
Definions

Motivation is the desire to act in service of a goal. It's the crucial element in setting and attaining one's objectives—and research shows that people can influence their own levels of motivation and self-control.

Motivation can have many sources, and often people have multiple motives for engaging in any one behavior. Motivation might be extrinsic, whereby a person is inspired by outside forces—other people or events that transpire. Motivation can also be intrinsic, whereby the inspiration comes from within a person—the desire to improve at a certain activity. Intrinsic motivation tends to push people more forcefully, and the accomplishments are more fulfilling.One framework used for understanding motivation is the hierarchy of needs proposed by American psychologist Abraham Maslow in 1943.

According to Maslow, humans are inherently motivated to better themselves and move toward expressing their full potential—self-actualization—by progressively encountering and satisfying several levels of need from the most fundamental, such as for food and safety, to higher-order needs for love, belonging, and self-esteem.Eventually, Maslow extended the theory to include a need for self-transcendance: People reach the pinnacle of growth and find the highest meaning in life by attending to things beyond the self. Although the universality of Maslow's theory has been challenged, many believe it captures fundamental truths about human motivation.

“ Sometimes later becomes never. Do it now.”
-Anonymous writer

I. Motivation: What It Is and How It Works

1. What is Motivation?

2. Common Misconceptions About Motivation

II. How to Get Motivated and Take Action

1. Schedule Your Motivation

2. How to Get Motivated (Even When You Don't Feel Like It)

3. How to Make Motivation a Habit

III. How to Stay Motivated for the Long-Run

1. How to Stay Motivated by Using the Goldilocks Rule

2. How to Reach Peak Motivation

3. What to Do When Motivation Fades

I. Motivation: What It Is and How It Works

Scientists define motivation as your general willingness to do something. It is the set of psychological forces that compel you to take action. That's nice and all, but I think we can come up with a more useful definition of motivation.

1. What is Motivation?

So what is motivation, exactly? The author Steven Pressfield has a great line in his book, The War of Art, which I think gets at the core of motivation. To paraphrase Pressfield, “At some point, the pain of not doing it becomes greater than the pain of doing it.”In other words, at some point, it is easier to change than to stay the same. It is easier to take action and feel insecure at the gym than to sit still and experience self-loathing on the couch. It is easier to feel awkward while making the sales call than to feel disappointed about your dwindling bank account.This, I think, is the essence of motivation. Every choice has a price, but when we are motivated, it is easier to bear the inconvenience of action than the pain of remaining the same. Somehow we cross a mental threshold—usually after weeks of procrastination and in the face of an impending deadline—and it becomes more painful to not do the work than to actually do it.Now for the important question: What can we do to make it more likely that we cross this mental threshold and feel motivated on a consistent basis? (1)



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References:
(1) Clear, J. (2020). Motivation: The Scientific Guide on How to Get and Stay Motivated. Retrieved from https://jamesclear.com/motivation

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