“I know for sure, the impossible is possible!”: How to motivate yourself

If not with the concept, then with the action of motivation, probably everyone is familiar from childhood. A trivial example from life, when a parent says to a child: "If you get an A at school, I will buy you the toy that you asked me for." This is the most that neither is the motivation to do something. But all the same motivation can have a different side, for example, “If you don’t put your toys away, you will get a belt” - why not motivation? Only not as pleasant as from the first option. Today we will take a closer look at what “motivation” is, what types it can be and how to start it.

The essence of motivation

Translated from Latin, the word "motivation" means "motivation to action." This is a process of a psychophysiological nature that controls a person's behavior, forcing him to confidently and unshakably move towards his goals, satisfying his needs.

Based on this, it becomes obvious that before embarking on the study and implementation of motivational skills, you need to initially determine for yourself a goal to strive for. These goals can be very different both in "form" and in terms of their achievement. Many experts agree that it is much more practical to set a global goal, which usually takes many years to achieve, and then "break" it into small subgoals, like steps, along which you can come to an end. Then the process of building motivation will be much easier, and the person himself receives a lot of positive emotions from micro-victories.

So, step number 1 - think carefully about what you would like to achieve in life? Answer yourself to the question: “I will be happy / happy if in 10/20/30… years I will be….”. Imagine that time has passed, you turn back and realize that you do not regret anything. What should your life be like to have a sense of satisfaction inside?

Choosing the right goal at this stage is very important. This is already 50% of the whole process. Since the inner "light" that will light up in the form of a desire for achievement is the very motivation that needs to be cared for and cherished, constantly nourished so that it does not cool down. Otherwise, if ten years pass, and you realize that you are going in the wrong direction, then from the feeling of wasted time may come depression.

When choosing, it is also important to understand whether YOU really want it. Is the goal imposed by relatives, society, friends, or someone else or something? Try to live your life, live your destiny, and not realize someone's unfulfilled dreams and plans. Now that the "motivational base" is in full order, let's start looking at the rest.

Types of motivation

In short, motivation is divided into the following categories:

• External - characterized by external factors and circumstances. For example, a colleague bought an expensive car and you also wanted a similar luxury item.
• Internal - in no way intersects with external factors, but comes from within the personality itself. It can be clearly seen when a person sets himself a goal that he has long dreamed of and moves towards it.
• Positive - Based solely on favorable incentives. For example: if i will run in the morning, then I will become healthy and slim.
• Negative - based on negative thought processes. For example: if I eat this bun, I will become fat and ugly.
• Sustainable - this motivation is due to the trivial needs of the individual and does not need additional reinforcement. This is cooking when you feel hungry, going to the store when you need to buy something.
• Unstable - requires increased attention to itself, since without additional reinforcement it will simply fade away.

By the way, speaking of the types of motivation, let's get back to the introductory part of the article. If you want your children to achieve a lot in life, then watch how you communicate with them and what you say. For clarity, consider an example.

The parent's goal is for the child to learn the lessons. The first has two main options, put it this way:

“If you don’t learn your homework, you’ll sit at home on weekends and you don’t see any computer!”

or like this:

- If you learn your lessons, then on the weekend we will go to the rides and buy you a new construction set!

There is no doubt that the "physical" result in the form of the lessons learned will be achieved in both cases, but the means to achieve it are fundamentally different. In the first variant, the child will be moved by fear (especially if, instead of prohibiting the computer, the parents threaten them with a belt), which can lead to the child making mistakes, since the head will be clogged by another. In the second option, its stimulation will be positive and will lead to corresponding results. This will significantly affect the adult life of the current crumbs, and how exactly depends only on you.

But even you can apply similar rules. For high efficiency, you need to motivate yourself only from the positive side, and not: If I do not achieve what I want, then I am a failure.

Motivation stimulation

Motivation and stimulation - what is the difference between these two, at first glance, very similar concepts? To begin with, motivation is the realization of the personality itself that it is necessary to move and strive for the intended goal. The motivation is always based on the need for something: material benefits, public recognition of one's own successes, etc. Once the goal is reached, the momentum begins to subside.

Stimulation is practically an analogue of motivation, one might even say in some way its component, however, it is based rather in the external environment. Those. something from the outside encourages a person to take action in order to speed up the receipt of the result. For example, incentive promotions encourage the consumer to buy more products that the seller wants to sell as soon as possible; at work there is an incentive system for rewarding outstanding employees, etc.

However, in both cases, it is an impact on the personality, in order to achieve specific fruits. Let's take a look at five main points that make the difference between the two great.

1. Motivation is an internal interest of a person, stimulation is a factor of external influence that prompts a person to do something that, perhaps, is completely unnecessary for him.
2. Motivation is mostly positive, stimulation can be both positive and negative.
3. Stimulation works until the creators turn it off, motivation will not fade away until the goal is achieved.
4. Stimulation is a method of influencing a person, motivation is the satisfaction of personal desires and needs.
5. Stimulation, as a rule, extends to a group of persons / collective / crowd, while motivation is inherent in a particular person, it is a "individual".

Motivation management

Motivation management involves creating, maintaining and keeping it at an optimal level. In this matter, it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of the personality. Ideally, it should create a supportive environment, not burn from the inside. After all, many emotions, including positive ones, can simply exhaust and take away strength, which is simply not enough for movement.

So what creates motivation?

First of all, these are, of course, motives. What a person lives for and what he strives for. This is the very goal that we talked about at the very beginning. This can also include desires arising in consciousness and all types of needs.

As an integral part of motivation, there are incentives that are of a different nature. For example, money, recognition, punishment, inner satisfaction, etc.

Motivators are often not recognized. For example, a husband decided to help his wife in the kitchen: the desire to help is his motive; the feeling of hunger is his stimulus; a happy, smiling and grateful wife is his motivator.

To keep motivation from slowing down and staying at a comfortable level, you need to set the optimal load, find motivators whenever possible and control your vision of the situation. No matter how well you tune in at the very beginning, incorrect load distribution and an inadequate assessment of your own capabilities can ruin everything.

For example, you have made a decision to go in for sports, your goal is a slender, toned relief body. The next day you set up for a 6 km run, but before that you only watched sports on TV.

You don't need to be a visionary to understand that it is impossible to run so much without preliminary preparation. But you may get the impression that the movement towards the goal is very difficult, and its achievement is doubtful. This will induce the desire to abandon her and continue to live in the same way.

And if you start moving with a light morning exercise, gradually increasing the load, then everything will come gradually, without painful psychological breakdowns.

And now the fun begins. People are divided into "processors" and "resultants". Depending on which group the individual belongs to, you need to work to maintain motivation. Processors have the hardest time, since they rarely can set a clear goal for themselves, and if they do, they can quickly forget about it. They enjoy the process itself. Such people are perfectly described by the situation: "Why are you digging?" "They said to dig, so I'm digging." The very creation of a goal does not motivate them, and its achievement can frighten and slow down. They need passion for the process, ease of life. Achieving a goal by taking small steps can somehow inspire such people.

Outcomers are people who passionately strive for a goal, regardless of obstacles. Among them there are those who are difficult to maneuver between obstacles and those who live according to the principle "the end justifies the means." Outcomers need to learn to think about the consequences that can occur after making specific decisions. You should learn to relax and enjoy the process of achieving the goal. Since, usually, heavy and long-term goals lead to the fact that the results are burned out.

The issue of outcomes and processors is a separate topic that can be discussed for a very long time. But this shows that the process of maintaining motivation for each person should be different. After all, what inspires one person will be indifferent to another.

Motivation methods

The world famous American company Nike has released a wonderful video and has chosen an excellent slogan “Just do it”, which means “Just do it”. After watching this commercial, most probably recognize themselves in it.

And indeed, it's a mystery: people who are deprived of such elementary and familiar things as arms and legs achieve success, take gold medals at the Olympiads and enjoy life, while others who have a clear "base" and visible opportunities constantly complain unhappy fate. The explanation for this can be expressed in a short sentence, quoting the 16th US President Abraham Lincoln: who wants - seeks opportunities, who does not want - seeks reasons.

Of all the types of motivation, let's look at the most demanded one - self-motivation. So here are some tips that can help you tune in.

1. Stop putting up with things that don't suit you. Realize that life goes on as usual, everything is moving forward and nothing, and no one will wait for you. Suffering, for whatever reason, is a waste of time. Nobody will change anything for you. Until you take action and decisions, everything will remain as it is. Life will end sooner or later, and you will regret that you were once afraid and did not dare to do something that you really wanted.
2. Don't be afraid to make mistakes! Mistakes are a new experience, a hardening of character and an opportunity to improve their own skills and abilities. Wisdom says correctly - the one who does nothing is not mistaken.
3. Use visualization. When the goal is clear and you are clearly sure that you want to go exactly towards it, visualization will be an excellent help. Just be careful, use it wisely, otherwise this "drug" can play a bad role. Constantly mentally experiencing the experiences and feelings that will take place in the implementation of plans, you can get fed up. The subconscious mind will stop striving for the goal, since it will satisfy its needs through fantasies.
4. Consider your victories and reward yourself for them. Do something every day that will bring you one millimeter closer to your goal. A small step may even be that you did not do something that alienated you from your plans, that you did not succumb to some kind of weakness. Develop a reward system for yourself and implement it.
5. Never, under any circumstances, compare yourself to anyone! You are an individual and what no one else can do and vice versa. Why strive for "castles in the air", and then understand that this path will lead nowhere? Compare yourself to yourself, strive to be better than you were yesterday / month ago / year ago. This is the best measurement scale.
6. Do not be afraid to start something new and go where no one has gone before. Think about it, because once there were no mobile phones or computers, and a millennium ago, those who would have started talking about airplanes would have been considered idiots, nevertheless, now all this is there. And if the creators of this technique and machines were once afraid and would not believe in themselves? We would still sit in caves and grill mushrooms over a fire.
7. Go in for sports. This is useful from all sides. First, you will strengthen your health, and, as you know, in a healthy body - a healthy mind. Secondly, sport increases psychological stamina, which is very useful in achieving goals.

Read thematic literature that will help raise self-esteem and look at the world with different eyes. One such book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Intangible motivation

The type of non-financial motivation is very often used in companies, because in addition to the cash equivalent, employees receive something else that makes their activities more enjoyable. This includes:

• presentation of corporate awards to the "best employees"; publication of messages and letters of gratitude in the internal newspaper; expression of gratitude to the entire team for their productive activities for the benefit of the company;
• providing employees with additional vacation days and time off at the expense of the company;
• granting the right to choose when working on projects (what a person wants to work on is what he is given);
• promotion of the best of the best along the career ladder, etc.

Many are of the opinion that the use of non-material motivation, without material, practically does not bring any results. Of course, this is very beneficial for employers, who thus have the opportunity to save on bonuses. This technique may work for a while, but not for long. But as an auxiliary way to maintain a favorable psychological climate in the team - the most wonderful.

Non-material motivation can be applied to yourself. It consists in the realization that achieving goals will benefit not only you, but also someone else. For example, if it is a business, then for sure it will be aimed at serving people. Think about who you can make happy. Perhaps, by starting to make a profit, you will be able to help orphanages or seriously ill people? And their happy eyes and sincere words of gratitude will be your reward.

Motivation for training

In recent years, sports and a healthy lifestyle have come into vogue, but not everyone had time to reorganize. When you live one way of life for several decades, in which there is no place for exercise and proper nutrition, it is difficult to radically change the approach in one day. And this is not necessary. First of all, you really need to motivate yourself well. Think about why you need sports and do you really need it? Only by confidently answering positively and clearly explaining to yourself can you be truly inspired.

You can motivate yourself for sports in different ways. Someone needs a simple realization that they need a healthy image physically, while others need constant reading of mantras. Which method is right for you - only you know. You can try rendering effect. Lie down, close your eyes and imagine yourself at the moment when you got an excellent result from sports, your figure is toned and slim, you feel lightness throughout your body and flutter like a butterfly. You admire yourself in the mirror, men turn around after you, you catch the glances of envious women who just want to start, but cannot get together. Feel all this with every cell of your body - do you like it? Then forward - towards the dream!

Don't try to change everything overnight. Start working on yourself gradually. The kaizen technique will come in handy here. The latter implies going to the big from the small. If until now you have not been involved in sports, so as not to overdo it, start with the smallest thing: daily squats (!). What could be easier? A week or two will pass and you will feel how your body will voluntarily demand more and you will not need to force and force it. In the beginning, there should be a goal - to accustom your body to a new lifestyle, and not to obtain results. And there, everything will come by itself.

Surround yourself with posters depicting people leading a healthy lifestyle, register on the thematic forum and website. Communicate where there are your like-minded people, then a common egregor will not let you go astray!

Motivation for success

Often, even if in the first days and weeks a person firmly believes in success, after a while everyone goes through a stage of doubt. And don't believe if someone says otherwise! Doubt is a natural and, unfortunately, inevitable phenomenon. In general, the word "success" is very popular, but what is meant by it? There is no general criterion, but if you describe it in the words of sages, then success is the realization of your true inner potential. It is individual for each person. It follows from this that initially you must determine what exactly you mean in this word, only then will there be a yardstick by which you will determine that you have achieved success or are going to it.

He will not come to you from nowhere, it is the fruit of your hard work and efforts, the development of your potential and aspirations. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, as already mentioned earlier - this is normal and simply necessary to gain skills and experience. Remember the proverb: think about the good, the bad will come by itself? So, this is just the case. And in the subject, there is another inspiring quote: if a person does, he has two options - it will work or not, and if he does not, then only one. Draw conclusions, act or "wait for the weather by the sea."

Effectiveness of motivation

Good motivation can do a lot. At the same time, one should not forget that it can be both constructive and destructive. You can motivate yourself for a positive outcome, as well as a negative one, without even realizing it. The first time will not be familiar, since a lot in life will begin to change and here the main thing is not to be frightened and not to retreat. Listen to your inner voice, do not try to force yourself to change. If you feel that you are not ready for something now, give yourself a break, this will allow you to smoothly move to a new stage of development. Change your social circle if there is a feeling that the current one is pulling to the bottom. Do not be afraid to change and adjust something, plan your life, breaking it into stages. Don't be overly critical of yourself. As the same Abraham Lincoln said: "People who do not have flaws, as a rule, have few merits." Words of wisdom.

Read the success stories of great people, find out what difficulties they had to go through. Watch inspirational films based on true events, such as The Pursuit of Happyness (2006). Catching to the soul, a very strong and life-affirming film about a man who, despite his harsh fate, did not give up on his goal and reached the end. The motion picture, again, is based on real history. The prototype of the protagonist personally took part in the filming, controlling the accuracy of the facts being filmed.