Motivation – we’ve all been there.
It’s cold outside. The work is monotonous and can be put off until tomorrow. If you just show your face that’ll be good enough. You can catch up next week…..
Self-motivation can be a bitch.
Of course, there are numerous articles online that will give you inane advice and platitudes by the hundred. It’s hard to spend 5 minutes on Facebook nowadays without coming across motivational advice – normally accompanied by someone extremely attractive silhouetted against a mountain (or somewhere else similarly ‘inspiring’).
See what I mean?
What is missed in this rather putrid mound of trite advice is the simple fact that people are not all motivated by the same thing. Telling someone to ‘listen to an inspirational podcast’ might be helpful for a lot of people, maybe even most, but for others, it’s a ‘chocolate teapot’ – useless. How can you give advice on self-motivation without understanding what self-motivation is? Or even if it’s the problem in the first place?
According to Colin Yeow, Deputy CEO of Emergenetics International “If we are able to answer what motivates ourselves and gain insights, we would probably better grasp the concept of motivation and start applying it not just to ourselves, but to others as well.”
The same source also suggests that there are two prime focuses of motivation – internal and external, with the former being far more significant. If that’s the case then ‘internal motivation’ (and it’s understanding) is the way forward.
But…(and there’s always a but), perhaps ‘motivation’ isn’t the real problem here? Peter Bregman in the Harvard Business Review believes that for many people it’s ‘following through’ that’s the problem, not a lack of self-motivation. Most successful business people are very motivated, or they wouldn’t be successful in the first place – they simply find it difficult to take action. His advice? “Stop thinking. Shut down the conversation that goes on in your head before it starts. Don’t take the bait. Stop arguing with yourself. Make a very specific decision about something you want to do and don’t question it.”
Understanding is key. Is our problem a lack of motivation or a lack of action? Can we learn and improve by creating motivational lists and targets, or simply getting active and “doing”? The answer, of course, depends on the Self, the individual. Personally, I respond very negatively to anything remotely ‘inspirational’ (you may have guessed) and I’m firmly in the ‘stop thinking/take action camp.’ But I may well be in the minority.
Before discussing self-motivation in the context of business (or life in general) it’s crucially important to determine whether it’s motivation that’s the actual issue, and not the inability to act.
Just thoughts.
Blake
I’m the CEO of Optimus Learning Services an outsourced Learning & Development team, Providing organisations with lnd capability and resources they need to achieve their goals.
You can contact me via blake.henegan@optimuslearningservices.com or call 0845 519 7408
