Motivation
Firstly, I want to wish you all a warm and Happy New Year. I hope the festive season was kind to all of you and that you had a much needed rest over the period. I understand that the this time can be quite provoking for some and thus I hope you can look back on it with joy and laughter. I also want to wish you all a happy and energy filled year ahead. I hope the year brings you everything you need it to.
On that note, I've decided to write today’s blog around motivation. You see, this is something that I have been struggling with starting this new year. I’m usually quite focused and energised to pursue my goals, but for some reason, getting myself started this year has been incredibly challenging. Even writing this blog has been troublesome as I wanted to post at least twice a month going forward, but as you can see, I'm quite late to the punch this January. This did pose the questions - Is something wrong? Why am I not more motivated? How do I push myself to start again? How do I get my focus back.
As with all my blogs, I turned to TED talks. I watched a few hours of how motivation works, how we can build motivation in others, how to motivate staff etc. What I didn’t find was how to help myelf in this slump unfortunately. So I turned to my supervisor. He, too, is an immigrant living far from home and family, just like me. I explained my feelings and where my mind has been for the last few weeks and he posed a very important question which I have been perseverating on for some time now. He asked “Have you given yourself time, Michelle?”
I went home for Christmas for the first time in 4 years. It was special. I saw everyone I wanted to and realised just how special this time is for me and my family. So you can imagine, when I had to leave them after having such a great time being home, it was hard to say goodbye. I think the goodbye hit me harder than I may have let on initially. Which leads me to my first point when trying to manage poor motivation:
Awareness and acknowledgement
Is there something underlying that you perhaps have not acknowledged or dealt with? In my case, leaving my family, yet again, hit me harder than it has in the past. Maybe because it was such a happy time, more happy than most, that when I left, the low was lower than most. Ask yourself if something is bothering you, if there is an underlying emotion you have not given thought to. This ties in with my supervisors question: no, I had not given myself the time to think about how the change and separation had affected me. I had not acknowledged that I was lower in mood than usual. Instead, I was hard on myself questioning why I was not returning to my routine and focus as normal. It seems almost silly now, expecting myself to continue on my path as normal, when I had not acknowledged that I had been knocked down onto the floor. We need time to acknowledge our feelings. Which brings me to my next point:
It’s okay to seek help
Having spoken to my supervisor, he was able to make me take a step back and question myself. However, now having acknowledged what has affected me, I think I need further time and professional help to process these emotions. I realised that I do need to talk to someone which I have now reached out to. I think I can acknowledge that speaking to someone doesn’t necessarily have to only be when we have these completely life altering moments, but can also be used to process an emotion in the short term. There are plenty of people out there to support you, all you have to do is look for it. Funnily enough, just by doing these two steps, I've already felt a change and have felt in a better space to refocus and start achieving my goals for the year.
I think it's important to also touch on some key concepts regarding motivation:
Intrinsic vs Extrinisic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation
Intrinsic motivation occurs when individuals are motivated by internal factors, such as personal enjoyment, curiosity, a sense of challenge, or the inherent satisfaction derived from the activity itself. For example, someone who loves painting because they find it personally fulfilling and enjoyable is intrinsically motivated.
Extrinsic motivation
On the other hand, is driven by external factors, such as rewards, punishments, recognition, or the desire to avoid negative outcomes. For example, a student who studies hard to earn good grades (external reward) or avoids procrastination to prevent a low score (external punishment) is extrinsically motivated.
Comparison
Source of Motivation: Intrinsic motivation arises from within the individual, driven by personal interests and the inherent satisfaction of the activity. Extrinsic motivation, in contrast, is influenced by external factors or consequences.
Sustainability: Intrinsic motivation tends to be more sustainable over the long term because it is tied to personal satisfaction and enjoyment. Extrinsic motivation, while effective in the short term, may lead to a decrease in motivation once the external reward or punishment is removed.
Autonomy: Intrinsic motivation often aligns with a sense of autonomy and choice, as individuals engage in activities because they want to. Extrinsic motivation may involve external control, as individuals may feel compelled to behave in a certain way due to external pressures.
Coexistence
In real-life scenarios, individuals often experience a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. For example, a person may enjoy playing a sport for the sheer pleasure of it (intrinsic), but also participate in organized competitions to win a trophy or recognition (extrinsic).Understanding the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation is crucial in real life contexts including work, school and higher education. Effective motivation strategies often involve recognizing and nurturing both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to promote sustained engagement and satisfaction.
In summation, give yourself the time - the time to question your feelings and emotions, the time to seek help if you need this and speak through or process what you are feeling, give yourself the time to heal and the time to stand up when you're thrown down. Give yourself permission to slow down if you need to, in the know that you will continue on your path when you're ready. Lastly, find what motivated you both intrinsically and extrinsically. If you find both, you’ll set yourself on the right path at a running pace, ready to take on the year ahead!
