One defintion of motivation is, “A reason(s) for acting/behaving in a particular way.”[1]
That is what we would expect from a defintion – it is correct and covers a lot of ground. If you’re reading this then you have most likely, at least once in your life, googled how to get your motivation back. Which, isn’t a bad thing! This entire series is all about how I’m getting my motivation back and wanting to share that with you. But, I have found that paying attention to what motivation means for you can impact your success rate.
Have you thought about what motivation means to you?
As I mentioned in my first Millie’s Motivational March post, motivation is like a skill. The more you practice, the easier it gets. However, not everyone learns that skill in the same way. Some people are visual learners and some learn from listening. If you don’t pay attention to where you are on that spectrum then you may find it harder to learn the skill. This idea can be applied to motivation!
And so, I thought that before I posted anymore content for Millie’s Motivational March, I would make us stop and question what motivation means to us right now. I then hope that you can use what you learn about yourself, and the tips from upcoming content, to absolutely SMASH your March goal!
What does motivation mean to me?
For me, motivation definitely means different things to me in different environments. I find that motivation is an important part of my life (I mean, at this point is has basically become associated with my name and brand – even outside of my blog!). However, that means that when it is absent, I feel like I’ve lost a bit of myself. Sounds deep but it is true! Motivation allows me to do tasks or make progress towards my goals with less of a requirement for conscious effort and even sometimes with enjoyment (haha)!
As I mentioned, the type of motivation I have varies. My motivation to turn up at work in the morning, especially on a gloomy day, is sometimes extrinisc – ya girl wants the dolla bills. Even my motivation for working out can be extrinsic at times. Sure, I LOVE the way working out makes you feel but I can still be motivated to lift weights because I want to see and feel my body get stronger.
So yes, the type of motivation you have is important (you can read more about this in my ‘Science Behind Motivation‘ series). BUT, being AWARE of what type of motivation is even more important! And that brings us to…
What is YOUR motivation?
Are you aware? Think of the goal that you set yourself from last week’s #MMM blog post. WHY do you want to achieve that goal? WHAT is driving you to do this activity?
Now that you have that awareness, what are you going to do about it? Well, I’ve got you covered there too! I’ve put together two little lists of some tips to get you started and help you utilise this knowledge.