Inspiration not Motivation: Warrior Mind Podcast #441
Description
Over four years and going
strong! With over 800,000 downloads from
over 9 countries and 5 continents’…. this is the Warrior Mind Podcast.
In this episode of the
Warrior Mind Podcast I’m going to discuss the difference between inspiration
and motivation, why it’s important and how it will help you achieve peak
performance.
Inspiration is, in its simplest form, the force that
drives you to do things.
Inspiration is far from being a simple topic; there are
many books, webpages and articles that attempt to explain inspiration and some
top academics have dedicated their life’s work to trying to understand, model
and develop motivation theory.
Inspiration is a key life skill and something that
everybody interested in personal development should think carefully about. It
is also a key part of emotional intelligence, one of the three areas of
personal skills that are integral to the concept.
What
is Motivation?
Motivation is what pushes us to achieve our goals, feel
more fulfilled and improve overall quality of life.
Daniel Goleman, the author of several seminal books on
Emotional Intelligence, identified four elements that make up motivation:
- Personal drive to achieve, the desire to
improve or to meet certain standards; - Commitment to personal or organizational
goals; - Initiative, which he defined as ‘readiness to
act on opportunities’; and - Optimism, the ability to keep going and
pursue goals in the face of setbacks.
There are many advantages to inspiration. People who are
self-motivated, for example, tend to be more organized, have good time
management skills and more self-esteem and confidence.
Understanding and developing your inspiration can help
you to take control of many other aspects of your life.
Enjoy
this podcast on the inspiration vs. motivation
What
is Your Motive?
Fundamental to inspiration is understanding what
motivates you to do things.
This may sound straightforward but sometimes your
motivation is hidden from your consciousness – your own personal hidden
agenda. Your motivation may well change
from hour-to-hour, day-to-day and through life.
As this happens your needs, wants and goals change and evolve.
There are two main types of motivation: ‘intrinsic’ and
‘extrinsic’ motivation.
In their simplest form you can think about these two
types of motivation as:
- Intrinsic = love, because we want to.
- Extrinsic = money, because we have to.
A more detailed definition is:
Intrinsic: To
perform an action or task based on the expected or perceived satisfaction of
performing the action or task. Intrinsic
motivators include having fun, being interested and personal challenge.
Extrinsic: To
perform an action or task in order to attain some sort of reward, including
money, power and good marks or grades.
Different people are motivated by different things and at
different times in their lives. The same
task may have more intrinsic motivators at certain times and more extrinsic motivators
at others, most tasks have a combination of the two types of motivation.
Example:
John works because he has to pay his mortgage and feed
himself and his family. He gets no satisfaction from his job and there is no
chance of promotion. John’s motivators are purely extrinsic.
Sally works because she loves what she does, she gets
enormous satisfaction and self-fulfillment from her work. Sally has enough money put away that she does
not need to work, she owns her house outright and can afford to buy what she
wants when she wants it. Sally’s
motivators are purely intrinsic.
Clearly Sally and John are at different ends of the
spectrum when it comes to inspiration. Most people, however, fall somewhere in
the middle.
Most people do have to work in order to earn money, but
at the same time they also find their day-to-day work life rewarding or
satisfying in other intrinsic ways – job satisfaction and the chance to
socialize with colleagues, for example.
We all have a tendency to work better when we love what
we are doing.
It’s easier to get out of bed in the morning, we are
happier in our work, and happier in general.
Research shows that this is particularly important when
we’re under stress. It’s much easier to cope with stress and long hours if we
generally enjoy the work.
When thinking about what motivates you to perform a
certain task, think about both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators – if you have
trouble getting motivated to perform specific tasks it may be useful to write
them down and list the motivators for each.
The
Importance of Obligation
What about if a task has neither intrinsic nor extrinsic
motivators?
The obvious conclusion is that we are unlikely to do it,
because it will be pointless.
We all know it doesn’t always work like that. There is a
further issue: feelings of obligation.
Obligation motivators are not necessarily strictly
intrinsic or extrinsic but can still be very powerful. Obligation comes from
our personal ethics and sense of duty, what is right and what is wrong.
You may feel obliged to go to a party because you were
invited by somebody you know – there will be no obvious extrinsic or intrinsic
benefit to you attending but you may worry if you don’t go. You are more likely to enjoy the party you
feel obliged to attend if you go with a positive and open attitude – this way
you have also added an intrinsic motivator, fun and enjoyment.
Skills
Involved in Inspiration
There are a number of skills involved in inspiration.
These include:
- Setting high but realistic goals.
- Taking the right level of risk.
- Seeking constant feedback to work out how to
improve. - Being committed to personal or organizational
goals and going the ‘extra mile’ to achieve them. - Actively seeking out opportunities and
seizing them when they occur. - Being able to deal with setbacks and continue
to pursue goals despite obstacles.
Those who are motivated also find it much easier to
motivate others. This can be particularly important in leadership roles.
Keep
Motivated
Finally, it is important to keep track of what you want
to achieve and stay motivated to do so.
To keep your motivation levels up try to:
Learn
and Acquire Knowledge
Read, study and talk to people – knowledge and
information are key for feeding your mind and keeping you curious and
motivated.
Keep
the Company of Enthusiastic People
Try to avoid negative people and seek out positive,
well-motivated people. It is a lot easier to be motivated if the people around
you are.
Keep
Positive
Keep a positive attitude, see problems and set backs as
learning opportunities.
Know
Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Work on ironing out your weaknesses and building on your
strengths.
Do
It
Try not to procrastinate, assess the risks but keep
working towards your goals.
Get
Help and Help Others
Don’t be afraid to ask other for help and don’t hold back
if you can help them. Seeing other people succeed will help to motivate you to
do the same.
For
a more in-depth discussion about this topic request your Introductory
Consultation.
Subscribe
to the Warrior Mind Podcast HERE.
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