Motivation: Summing up what we've learned

It’s time for a smorgasbord in our discussion of motivation.

To wrap things up, let’s look at a variety of factors which, with some analysis, would lead us back to where we started, with needs and drives.

But this time we’ll just quickly examine several tools that you can use to help yourself or others get motivated toward those goals you want to achieve.

Momentum

A major factor I see in my own motivation is momentum. In science, I remember studying inertia: an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and an object at rest tends to stay at rest. I’ve got to be honest, when I’m on the couch, inertia seems to be at work. I need a little boost to get me started; then I can be productive.

I’ve seen the same phenomenon in the classroom, especially at the beginning of the day and after lunch. Many teachers use energizers to get the class moving. These are usually simple, fun activities that get the brain and body in motion.

Parents can do the same thing. Before asking your children to start a big project like cleaning their bedrooms, give them something quick and easy. If they’re watching TV, the first step is to turn it off; it seems to act as a general anesthetic, making that initial action almost impossible.It

Level of Difficulty

You might be thinking that simple things are more motivating, and that seems to be true in getting started. But over the long haul, it’s hard to stay energized with things that are too easy. Activities with a bit of a challenge tie in with our need to feel competent and productive, so things that are either too easy or too hard can reduce motivation. As we work through problems, often with help, we gain confidence and pride, resulting in more motivation to keep going.

I believe that much of what we do is greatly affected by what we think of ourselves. For example, the frustrated adult who describes a child as lazy or inept has just added an extra obstacle in the path toward motivation. Even when adults say derogatory things where the child can’t hear them, the message often comes through in other words and actions.

Modeling

Some children are very different from their parents, but more often they pick up both our good and not-so-good traits. If we procrastinate or avoid responsibility, we shouldn’t be too surprised if our children have trouble completing homework.

Of course, adults also follow the example of others around them, especially those in leadership positions. It is essential for leaders of all kinds, from parents to CEO’s, to help build a culture of enthusiasm and dedication to the tasks at hand. They can start by setting a good example.

Success and Failure

We generally think of success as more motivating than failure, but there are exceptions. There are scores of examples of athletes, performers, inventors, and politicians who tried even harder to reach their goals after initial failures. The key is to see failure as a learning opportunity that helps us move down the road toward success.

However, success is usually a great asset. Think about kids in school who experience failure day after day because of reading problems, attention deficits, or just different ways of thinking. If we want these students to keep trying, we have to let them apply their strengths and feel success on a regular basis.

I’ve known of some great coaches who kept track of their athletes’ times, distances, or scores on skills tests throughout a season. They shared the statistics with the individual players so they could see their progress. Personal records were celebrated. Of course, this is easiest in individual sports like track or swimming where outside factors (like teammates and opponents) are less likely to affect performance. However, coaches in most sports use statistics as a basis for goal setting and motivation.

It isn’t just athletes who benefit from knowledge of results. Tracking your weight loss, productivity at work, or test scores can also give a boost to your motivation.

Interest and Relevance

These elements are most recognizable at school. When teachers find ways to connect their curriculum to students’ lives, they’re more likely to spur student achievement. Some teachers don’t take time to get to know their students because of the pressure to cover curricular requirements. Others see knowing their students personally as a necessary first step. With this knowledge they can build lessons that students can relate to. By connecting elements of sports, recreation and modern life to school subjects, from English and social studies to math and science, teachers improve their chances of keeping kids on track.

Many school projects allow students to do something that has an impact in their world outside of school. For example, writing a letter to a real person for a real reason is often much more motivating than just writing a pretend letter for the teacher to grade.

Emotions

If we want to motivate ourselves or others, we need to recognize that motivation is based on emotion much more than on logic and reasoning. How many smokers don’t know the logical reasons to quit? If you are overweight, will a list of reasons bring about a change? Have you ever explained to your children why it’s important to get an education? My guess is that without an emotional connection, the logic doesn’t matter very much.

When you want to make a change in motivation, you might start by listing some of the emotions involved. Your list might include things like excitement, curiosity, fun, loyalty, anger, hope or fear. If we look at advertising, we can see that the professionals use emotions all the time in an attempt to motivate us toward buying a product, voting for a candidate or changing a behavior.

Undoubtedly, advertisers are not always successful. For example, I’ve read for years that scare tactics are pretty ineffective at preventing smoking or drug use. Those commercials on TV are pretty scary, but I’ve never known anyone who changed because of one. Why not?

To answer that, we need to go back to where we began — needs and drives. Those ads just don’t have the power to overcome the needs to be accepted by peers or to feel grown-up (i.e., in control). In fact, teenagers often resent adults’ attempts to guide their choices, so they may see our cautions as exaggerated and controlling.

Back to Basics

After five articles on the topic of motivation, let’s see if we can boil all of this down to a few basic steps.

1. Take a look at physical health factors. Are lack of sleep or poor health putting a damper on motivation?

2. Examine what needs could be harnessed in building motivation to achieve a goal. Also, be sure to address any counter-motivation which exists as a result of personal needs and drives.

3. Consider using rewards or punishment, but use these extrinsic motivators carefully and sparingly. They carry undesirable side effects and can interfere with intrinsic motivation, the most desirable kind. Especially limit your use of tangible rewards like candy and money with children. Instead, use praise or other rewards that have intrinsic value like personal time and attention. Don’t forget to celebrate success.

4. Look for other miscellaneous factors like the ones above. Decide which ones are appropriate for your situation and put them to work for you.

Motivation is a complex and vital part of our lives. By understanding it better, we can help ourselves and those around us to be more productive and successful in reaching our goals.