Motivation
The engine of human behavior
Motivation or motivation is the set of processes that arouse, direct, and maintain human behavior toward a specific goal
Written by Professor Nevin Al-Khalili / Lulu
Professor of Psychology – Dubai, UAE
“ A person’s luck is in his hand “
Francis Bacon
Do you agree with me that without motive, Why did we want to do anything?
Have you ever met someone who you thought had a great job and a decent salary but decided to quit their job because they did not have enough motivation to work?
When we have motivation and mental desire, We will have more willpower and more energy, Our perceptions of life and things will improve. And vice versa – when our willpower is low and we have no energy, Focusing mainly on the defects, The result will be our decline in disease.
But what exactly is motivation?
What is its source?
How can we generate motivation within ourselves? And most importantly – how do we ensure that it stays with us permanently?
The word “motive” comes from the Latin word “matiri,” which means “matter” or “substance.” Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “motivation” as something that prompts a person to initiate or continue a particular action or movement. We found that the word is actually made up of two words: motive + verb, Meaning an action that arises from a motive.
There are three types of motivating forces :
**1. Survival motivation: **Psychologist Abraham Maslow spoke of “the most important human driving force is the power of survival.” This force obliges a person to satisfy basic needs such as food, water, and air. When a person lacks one of these basic necessities, The brain’s innate alarm mechanism signals the specific deficiency, This causes the nerve cells to move quickly, Which prompts the body to do everything necessary to fill this deficiency. Upon success, the body returns to internal balance.
- Extrinsic motivations : These stem from our external lives, such as friends or family, Bosses at work, etc. The problem is that external motivation fades quickly.
- Intrinsic motivation : This is the most powerful and persistent type. It directs us, through our powers, to direct our essential self toward great achievements; The power behind human success… the differences that highlight the differences in people’s lives… the driving force for planting flowers in your soul instead of waiting for them to be delivered… the sleeping giant within us waiting to be awakened.
always remember :
“ Live every minute as if it were your last,”
Live by faith, hope and love,
Live hard,
And appreciate your life. ”
To explain it, We must remember the law of “cause and effect” that every cause has an effect. So that repeating the reason produces the same result every time. So, I will give an example of motivation in five steps:
Step 1: Breathe – inhale while counting to 4, Then exhale and count to 4 again. Breathe this way during the experiment.
Step 2: Posture – Sit/stand with shoulders wide and head up.
Step 3: Announcement – Mentally repeat the phrase 5 times: “I’m strong!” -Scream it loudly from your body. Then loudly declare “I am strong!” 5 times.
Step 4: Connect to Feelings – Practice your frequent ads, And connect your emotions through all your senses, Do not say weakly, “I am strong,” and do not say, “Sometimes, I am strong,” or, “Maybe I am strong.” You must say, “I am strong,” in connection with your feelings.
Step 5: Emotional Anchor – Is there a particular song that reminds you of someone?… These are emotional anchors. Airplane Note, Remember a vacation or some other experience?… These are also anchors.
Anchors connect neural connections between experiences and emotions. The scientist Pavlov discovered this by constantly feeding his dog when a bell rings – salivating when the bell rings even though there is no food present. I did a similar experience with my cat, By moving the reward box to give her a cookie. She quickly came running at the sound even though there was no reward. Likewise, Humans anchor sights, sounds, speech, and movements to recall past emotional experiences.
Now to pump up your enthusiasm:
When you touch an anchor such as a fist, You will automatically breathe hard, and feel strong, And you hear yourself declaring, “I am strong!” And you feel intense emotions. Let’s try:
Think about a past experience that really excited you. Take deep breaths, And separate your shoulders, And raise your head. When your emotions are at their peak, Touch the anchor and repeat 5 times, “I am strong.”
Now raise your hand and touch the anchor again… What do you feel now? What do you hear inside you? If done correctly, Without a doubt, your enthusiasm has increased even more. Practice with the anchor several times daily until it becomes a part of you and you become comfortable with it. and since then, All you have to do to reach this level of power is touch the specific anchor in each of the experiences that caused your level of enthusiasm to rise.
I would now like to suggest a power motivation strategy:
- Buy a keepsake book and write down in it at least once a day three successes that you experienced that day. There is no justification for thinking that you have not done anything successful. You are still breathing, healthy, and have useful ideas and relationships. Write on the book: “Friend of my success” and read it from time to time as it will quickly raise your enthusiasm.
- Make a list of things you want to buy and whenever you do something successful, Buy yourself one of the things on the list. Successful actions can be a rewarding transaction, a visit to a friend, or controlling your emotions when necessary. Your reward could be an invitation to eat or the purchase of a book, For example, Or watch a comedy movie etc.
- Do something for yourself once a week like listening to music you like, Or exercise, eat a healthy meal, or walk in a quiet place.
- Practice the anchor three times daily with sensitivity and sincerity, With guaranteed success every time until it becomes automatic. Take the training one step at a time – this is your life… own it now… and keep bringing excitement into it!
To clarify internal motivation, If a mother of five children is left by her husband for another woman – instead of crying about being abandoned, She decided to take on the big challenge and found a job as a cleaner in a small hotel. Within 5 years, Thanks to her perseverance and inner motivation, I became the owner of this hotel.
And also, Although history speaks volumes about the deaf and blind Helen Keller who became an influential teacher and writer, However, little is said about what enabled Anne Sullivan to succeed – she stayed by her side for years as a mentor, friend, inspiration, and believed in Keller’s abilities out of her inner beliefs rather than obligation – it was Anne’s inner drive that guided her.
Let me ask a question that I use a lot in therapy: If you wanted to train in a fitness club, and you agreed with one of your friends to take you to the training, and at the last minute, despite what you agreed, your friend canceled the appointment between you, would you go to the training alone or would you cancel the training as well? ?…. Your inner motivation will tell you that if you train, your body will become stronger, your health will be better, and your energy level will rise. Therefore, your inner motivation will lead you to go to training no matter what, whether alone or with other people.
Unfortunately, People rely heavily on external motivations such as praise from friends and family to boost self-esteem. We always need to please others and we always like people to appreciate us and we want them to look at us with respect to feel our self-worth. We may cling to things that do not necessarily come from ourselves.
American writer Benjamin Franklin said: “Other people’s view of us will destroy us… If everyone around me were blind except me, When I needed fancy clothes, a nice house, or fancy furniture.”
American psychologist William James said: “If you stand in awe of others’ appreciation of you, you will become the victim of a great deceiver.”
I read a lot of books and articles, I discovered that most insurance companies hold competitions every year among their sales agents. The agent who reaches the highest percentage of sales wins an all-expenses trip for a couple to one of the beautiful islands in the world. While agents whose total sales of insurance policies reached 7,000 shekels per week, Their total sales during the competition reach 14,000 shekels per week. in another meaning, He makes a great effort to win the prize promised by the contest and his sales rate increases by 50%. But one week after the competition ended, His sales drop again to 7,000 shekels per week!
What is the reason? Even though the agent is the same agent and works for the same company and sells the same service in the same market, However, his motives will change. Here the problem of external motivation appears. Because its effects fade quickly.
Another example: After completing my master’s degree at NLP, I expected to receive the highest amount of congratulations and I waited longer than I expected. My friend came and saw a beautiful bouquet of roses and asked me: “Which beautiful roses should I send you?” The greeting card on the bouquet read: “Dear Nevin… Sincere congratulations… I am so proud of your success!” The friend exclaimed in astonishment: “You sent yourself flowers?” I explained to her that after a long wait for the appreciation of others that did not come, I had fulfilled my need – where I had learned that for every personal achievement I celebrated with myself with a delicious meal in a restaurant, a pampering spa session, etc.
Mark Twain said: “You may expect to receive great satisfaction from others; But you have to provide your happiness by rewarding yourself.”
So detach yourself from arbitrary external impulses – let the inner essence guide you, Generating the inner giant to realize full potential through sustainable inner motivation.
The philosopher Socrates was the first to speak about the law of “causation.” What psychologists today call the principle of “cause and effect” – meaning that every cause has an effect. So that repeating the reason leads to the same result every time.
For example, The lion and the antelope in the forests had the common characteristic of starting to run quickly in the morning. The lion realizes that he must run faster than the gazelle or else he will starve. While the doe realizes that she must run faster than the fastest lion, Otherwise you will be his prey. Although they had no desire to run, However, they had no choice but to run fast to survive.
Likewise, After a tiring day at work, When you decide to rest in front of the TV, If you suddenly hear someone shouting “fire,” I would have left the place quickly despite my previous fatigue! Where did the energy that you lacked before come from? Because the threat of survival awakened latent energy.
So, Regardless of life’s path, If your existence is threatened, I would have remained vigilant out of self-preservation. Apply this drive to achieve a constant driving vitality that drives endeavors.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “What lies before us and what lies behind us are insignificant compared to what lies within us.” So, Tap into your inner wisdom, Not arbitrary external guidance.
An ancient Chinese sage told a young man asking about the secret of success: “The secret of success is the ability to be motivated.” When the young man asked him: “Where does this motivation come from?”, the sage answered him: “From your burning will.” When the young man asked him for further clarification: “How do we generate this burning will?” The sage dipped his head in the water despite his protests! After a persistent struggle, the exhausted young man learned the lesson:
“When you have a burning will to succeed, No one can stop you.”
So, Burning desire is the bedrock and seed root of success – its secret. to ignite it, We must remember three types of motivating forces:
- Survival motivation
- External motivations
- Intrinsic motivation – the strongest, Stemming from internal beliefs and values rather than fleeting external stimuli… the inner beacon that guides our potential… The inner giant worth awakening.
So, Listen to the timeless wisdom of the Sage – let your inner sparkle guide, inspire and complete you.
