Motivation – Take Control

Interesting word, motivation. It’s something we all have inside of us, and pretty much drives everything we do and the way in which we behave. Yet everyone’s motivation is different. It comes from a place deep inside of us that we use to path our next move towards our goal. It is literally the desire to do stuff that will take us from A to B.

There are two types of motivation; internal and instrumental, which I believe are best imagined by how we feel when we wake up for work in the morning. The internal motivation to work gets us up and out of bed, excited about the day ahead and what we can learn and achieve. The instrumental motivation gets us up because well, we have to work right? We have bills to pay at the end of the month and if we don’t get our lazy backsides out of bed right now, we’ll be fired and out on the streets begging for loose change outside a train station – (okay maybe a bit extreme). On the flips-side of that, our instrumental motivation could get us going because we want to get to work early to show our bosses how motivated we are by going the extra mile, with the aspiration of getting that pay rise or promotion, along with the recognition we deserve for our hard work.

Of course, this is just something that happens on a daily basis without even thinking about it. However, if we understand our own motivation on a deeper level, we can really harness it to achieve great things. We all have our goals, our dreams, yet for many of us this is just what they will remain. The only way to obtain the levels we aspire to is to channel our motivation to take us there, always keeping or goals out in front of us and allowing our motivation to do the rest.

The place to start is with an ultimate goal. If anything, the more out of reach this seems, the better. Even if you don’t get there, you’ll already be way ahead of everyone else just by taking on the journey. Your motivation really comes into play when you reach the first hurdle. At this point you can either give up, believing that you will never reach this goal and that you are a fraud for ever thinking it was achievable in the first place, or; you can summon your internal motivation to push past this hurdle, allowing yourself to plough relentlessly onward towards your objective. The first hurdle is the hardest and the most rewarding once you have overcome it. Embrace the obstacles that get in the way of your goals, take each one as a challenge and a learning opportunity and the challenges that follow will be ever easier to get past.

Another great method for motivation is to – wait for it – get motivated! Seek out those who have themselves achieved exactly the thing you are aspiring to, and allow them to motivate and inspire you. If it’s someone you know, ask them to mentor you – if you’re aspiring to achieve what they have achieved, the likelihood is they’ll be more than happy to work with you and provide help along the way. If it’s someone you don’t know, get motivated by their content. Follow their twitter feed, read their articles, blogs or books, listen to their podcasts and audiobooks and watch their videos. Look for anything that relates to your objective and let it fuel your desire to get there. Your motivation needs fuel in order to continue it’s momentum, and you’ll need to keep it topped up in order to push past the inevitable hurdles that will get in your way.

Your motivation is the most important factor in whether you are going to achieve anything and everything that you set out to do, and how well you do it. Don’t just have a goal, make it your goal to achieve it in the best way imaginable! Remember, aim as high as you can and always aspire for the best possible result – likelihood is you’ll end up achieving great things along the way, even if you never get there. Focus on your objective, keep it out in front of you and harness your motivation to lead you all the way!