“Driven” is a word we use to describe people who have experienced a great deal of success in life. Did you ever wonder why we use that word? Why not, “Pushed” or “Moved” or some other word to describe getting from point A to point B? The word “Driven” is derived from the term, “Drive Strength,” and it is used to describe the skill of learning, understanding, and using your desire to reach your goals. In other words, it’s what motivates you to do your best in school, at work, and in life. Motivation is what makes us do the things we do.
What Motivates You?
First of all, everyone is motivated, but not always by the same reasons. It’s important to recognize and understand differences in motivators so that we don’t automatically assume that just because a person doesn’t seem motivated by one thing, that they aren’t motivated by anything. Different people have different things that motivate them.
Everybody is motivated at some point or time in his or her life. The problem is that many people are not motivated often enough and long enough. As a result, instead of contributing to life, they take from life. The difference between givers and takers is how often they become motivated to do something.
There are two basic motivators:
- Desire to obtain or get something
- Fear of losing something
It’s that simple. Everyone has these two things working deep down inside of them, moving them to do something. These motivators cause people to act in certain ways to either get something or to avoid losing something. Want to increase your motivation?
Tips to Increase Motivation
1. Hang Around with Positive, Motivating People
You become the like the people you surround yourself with. Perhaps the first and most important step in learning how to become motivated is to take a look at other people. Watch them carefully and look for positive or upbeat people. The effect that they will have on you is important. You will begin to see how these positive people motivate themselves. As a result you will learn how to motivate yourself as well.
2. Communicate in a Positive Way
Communication skills are the key to understanding both yourself and others. A simple rule is to use positive communication to help the motivational forces within you. Choose to smile. Say positive things. When asked to write something down, make it a positive rather than a negative statement. By choosing to move to the positive side, you will improve motivation for yourself as well as for others.
3. Use Positive Affirmations to Motivate Yourself
Positive affirmations are statements about yourself such as “I set good goals,” “I achieve my goals,” and “I want to learn and succeed.” These types of statements will help you move from the negative to the positive and help provide the motivation that you
need to succeed.
4. Learn to Understand What Motivates You
Every person is different. Some people are motivated by money, while others are motivated by helping others. Whatever it is, learn what truly motivates you.
5. Learn to Set and Reach Goals
Research has shown that one of the best ways to create motivation is to learn how to set goals and then reach them.
How often do you blame your lack of success on a lack of motivation? “If only I was more motivated I could have been promoted.” Or, “If I was motivated enough I could get an A.” You now know that “lack of motivation” is not a valid excuse, because there are steps we can take to find what it is that motivates us.
