Control Your Own Level of Motivation

Motivation is one of those things that can either make you or break you. It doesn't help that it's one of those things we feel, but don't really understand. Motivation comes in many forms and shapes, and the key is to find what works for you and your unique situation. Here are 3 tips to help you find your optimal level of motivation:

1) Create a list of your core values.

This one is the most important and most difficult. The problem with creating a list of our core values is that we tend to make them so broad that they don't serve any real purpose. There a two reasons for this – we're too scared to put down the things that really matter, or we just get lazy and don't put in the effort from the start. The key to creating an effective list is to spend time doing the research. Don't just make up values that sound good - dig up some studies and find more tested, proven values to base your goals around. We put together this list of 25 core values for you:

2) Make your goal specific.

Your goals should be as specific as possible, down to the smallest detail. You might want to set a goal which is much higher than you could ever achieve, but it's certainly helpful if your goal is concrete enough that you know what steps are needed on how to get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be).

3) Hold yourself accountable for your goals.

The journey to success might be long and difficult, but it's nothing compared to the pain of not knowing if you're going to make it. It's very important to have an accountability partner who will keep you on track and help you hold yourself accountable for your goals.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT

Motivation is essentially a form of self-discipline, although they are two different things completely. Self-discipline is a trait that some people are born with, while others must learn it slowly over time. There's a scientific reason for the different types of self-discipline. In the following video, Dr Anders Ericsson – a world-famous expert in intelligence and one of the brain's most productive researchers – discusses how different types of self-discipline are born:

The good news is that we can all learn to be more effective at self-discipline, and it doesn't involve any mysterious talent or rare ability. This crucial skill can be developed and practiced long term, and has been extensively researched by psychologists and academics over the past 100 years. There are six basic strategies for increasing your motivation.

1) Self-efficacy – The idea of being able to do a challenging task at least half as well as someone else.

2) Expectancy – The idea of completing and performing a task towards its real goal, even the slightest amount is enough to create the desired effect.

3) Intrinsic motivation – The quality of motivation that comes from within your own self, regardless of external factors such as money, materialistic goods and appearances.

4) Starvation motivation/extinction – When an individual habitually fails in performing tasks, eventually their motivation diminishes and they become ineffective

5) Control theory – You can have direct control over your actions by controlling whether or not you are motivated to perform them. You can use this control to motivate yourself in the future even though you were not motivated at the time.

6) Attribution theory – The idea of how we explain our actions and how others attribute them to us. No matter what the circumstances are, regardless of whether or not it's intentional, we always attribute our actions as a persona.

7) Social comparison theory – This is one of the most effective ways you can increase your motivation and achieve a better understanding of where you stand amongst your peers: ask yourself, "What percentage of my competitors do I think I am better than?" This will allow you to determine if you need to work harder and focus less on others than on your own long term goals.

8) Goal orientation – This relates to our main goal of wanting to win. When we have an effective goal, it allows us to stay focused on the task at hand. And when we're able to rely on goals and nothing more, then the amount of motivation one needs is significantly less than that of someone who has external rewards and lacks determination.

9) Autonomy – Self-determination is a major contributor to motivation. It's what makes you want to be the best in your field or pursue a degree in any particular line of work – it keeps you motivated through adversity and hardship.

10) Mastery – If a job is easy and requires little effort, then there's less of a reason to stay motivated. You can apply this to any given work in life and it will have great influence on the level of motivation you have. For example, if you're consistently getting high scores in your job and never achieve mastery or achievement over your projects, then it's better not to continue.

11) Commitment – When you have a commitment that could be kept at anytime (i.e., an external reward), then you're going to be more likely to perform poorly than when you have no such commitments (i.e., internal reward). If you have no external incentive to perform a job or task, then it's easier to be motivated, because there's no reason to fail.

12) Incentives – This is the idea of using internal rewards rather than external rewards to keep you motivated. This can be for anything in life that requires a lot of work or effort (i.e., finishing a degree). People who use internal rewards tend to be more successful and experience less burnout. One thing I've noticed from my own experience is that if you constantly rely on external rewards for everything in your life, then it creates an imbalance in the brain which makes it harder for you to stay positive, focused and happy on your path towards success.

Conclusion

Motivation is all about perspective. It's the idea of wanting to achieve a task and being able to do it. But what separates those who are motivated from those who lose motivation? They were able to turn their passion into possibility, into action, and into positive results which helped them become capable of achieving much more than they originally thought possible. No matter how far away your goals are, you can always bring them closer if you understand the importance of setting specific goals.

This article first appeared on www.selfimprovement junkie.com , where you'll find a lot more content covering topics like self-help, personal development, success, productivity and anything else related to living a better life.