Motivation

What motivates people? External rewards like trophies, bonuses, and new toys tend to lose their glow eventually. Motivational speakers pump up their audiences with pep-talks, but after the conference is over, most people go back to their default settings.

I regularly make resolutions to live better. What motivates me to follow through on some of these and not others? Small successes are always en-couraging. If I start running and I’m able reach a goal that I’ve set for myself, it gives me a certain feeling of accomplishment. If my husband compliments me on how I look because of all the running, that further motivates me. If I hear of someone else my age who is training for a marathon, that inspires me. However, if my knees hurt, or the weather turns unfavorable, that dis-courages me (all my courage leaks out). So I've learned to set small, reachable goals with time parameters. Most of what motivates me are intrinsic factors--a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. External recognition and peer pressure goad me to a lesser extent.

The first lawn mower we bought was a push mower. Someone had to stand behind it and use a lot of force to make it go forward. Then we got a self-propelled mower which was a lot easier to operate. We just had to walk behind it and mostly guide it. I used to wonder when my son would be more self-propelled like that mower. I notice that if he cares enough about something, he is willing to put aside everything else, until he accomplishes his goal.

I think that this is one of the keys to motivation--to really care about something enough to make it a priority--to be willing to give up everything else that is below that thing on your priority list. So when I’m not motivated to continue running toward my goal, it’s really because I don’t care enough about this goal to put up with the discomfort that comes along with it. I don’t care enough about it to give up my time for it.

Now, if only I could figure out how to make myself and others CARE enough…