5 Things to Know on How to Stay Motivated Everyday | Greatcrackers

Thousands of people wake up every morning feeling zero motivation because they’re yet to learn how to Stay Motivated every day. Every 24hours.

Motivation is one word that seems to be on the lips of everyone, both young and old. Yet, there have been some misconceptions about it as a subject for discourse. Perhaps, for its broad scope of meaning.

This post aims to cover the following:

• Meaning of motivation

• Type of motivation

• Cause for the lack of motivation

• How to Stay Motivated every day.

 

Meaning of motivation

Many scholars have defined “motivation” as anything that causes or drives a person to act in a certain way to satisfy a need. And they believe it’s more or less an internal process that results in an action. Simply put, motivation is the reason people act the way they do. 

• Motivation explains why a man would want to woo a woman (on a lighter note)

• It explains the extra hours of diligent work from an employee.

• Also, motivation explains why we cook and eat food. 

• It explains why those who make sweaters produce them.

• It explains why most of us save or invest our money 

• And essentially, motivation explains the reason for this post, just as much as it points out why you’re thumbing through it. 

There is a belief that no man acts without a cause. True. 

On this note, with no intent of exaggerating, motivation explains why we do all we do. 

That’s quite self-explanatory, right?

 

Why Do People to Stay Motivated all the time?

People get motivated for different reasons. And usually, the reasons are to satisfy one or two needs. In other words, the presence of a “need” makes motivation a requirement– to satisfy such a need.

Motive leads to the satisfaction of a need

Abraham Maslow (1943) categorized human need in a hierarchy, which follows the order below:

1. Physiological needs

They are the basic needs of humans, upon which their survival is hinged. They include food, clothing, quality rest, air, amongst others. 

The satisfaction of these needs is very primary to the existence of all humans. 

2. Safety needs

They are needs that come next in line once the basic needs of man have been adequately satisfied. This class of needs includes the desire to be safe and secure without living in their environment. 

And usually, people look up to their family, government, and other agents of social change in satisfying these needs. They can also be termed as security needs. Therefore, safety needs include justice, desire for good health, peace of mind, financial security, etc. 

3. Love and belongingness needs

These needs are next in line according to Maslow’s hierarchy. Simply put, they are the social and emotional needs of every human. Love and belongingness needs include the innate desire of every individual to build friendship, intimacy, and trust with people, as they give and receive love and affection from others in their sphere. The reason sociologists have universally come to opine that man is a social being. That is to say that no man can live at his best in isolation.

4. Esteem needs

These are the needs that reflect the desire of every human to establish great self-worth (mental image) about themselves, even as they earn respect from others or a reputation based on their accomplishments.

Very subtly, this explains some expensive and impulse purchases people make. For some adolescents and youths, you can see this in their wardrobes and when shopping for clothes. They crave for the feeling of importance by all means.

5. Self-actualization needs

These needs are at the peak of Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs. People at this stage consider purpose, growth, and maximum utilization of their time, potentials, talents, and experiences as foremost. The desire here is to do and be everything one can be without allowing constraints to restrain them.

Now, you will ask yourself: 

Since motivation seems so self-generated, why do many lack motivation and are barely enthusiastic about life and their goals, even though they are alive? 

What a question! Anyways, we will look into that in a couple of moments. But before then, let’s look at the kind of motivation we have.

 

Types of Motivation

According to psychologists, there are two kinds of motivation. They include intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. 

For simplicity, intrinsic motivation is the type that comes from within. Some scholars also call it internal motivation.

While on the other hand, extrinsic motivation is a kind of motivation that is dependent and subject to external factors and conditioning. It is also known as external motivation. In the corporate world, a typical example of external motivation is an employee encouraged to work more diligently by a raise in salary, bonus, or by earning a promotion.

 

Causes of Lack of Motivation 

No doubt there are different reasons why many people often experience a lack of motivation almost every hour a day. And sadly, a plethora of persons in this category feel restless by this reality, coupled with the fact that they seem unable to pinpoint a specific cause why they are feeling less inspired (or at worst zero motivation) to do whatever they have or had in mind to do.

Now, let me tell you a little story.

Many years ago, as a very young teenager, while I was having a hard time cranking out a mathematical problem, I approached my dad. On that day he made a statement after he had aided me in discovering the flaw in my working.

He said, “Every problem has a solution. But first, you must decide to identify the root of the problem if you ever want to solve it.”

Those words from my dad resonated with my young mind. And I believe it’s still very profound to this day. 

In this writeup, we shall consider a few causes of lack of motivation, even though they seem entangled in themselves. And I have categorized the things that cause lack of motivation in most people into the two categories below: 

Internal factor

1. Fear

Indeed, there are talks and opinions about fear as a negative emotion. But in reality, it is a subtle force that can induce motivation in humans. 

You will agree that the fear of failure is the underlying reason many strive for excellence. The fear of going broke is the motivation why people become deliberate about their finance, financial education, and seizing opportunities.

In other words, when properly managed and utilized, fear creates a sense of urgency in people, as far as the satisfaction of their needs is concerned. A typical example is the sense of urgency in an obese fellow to lose weight because he knows the health implication and how the idea of being overweight has a way of psychologically affecting his self-concept and then self-esteem.

2. Complacency and procrastination

This pair often go hand in hand. Complacency breeds procrastination. When you show me a complacent individual, you have successfully spotted someone out of millions who will barely be motivated to do or be more. 

Complacency is a “devil” and makes its victims get so comfortable with their status quo. It will make them resort to procrastination and living with almost zero zeal or determination to push forward beyond their current predicament or achievement.

3. Not being goal-oriented

Setting goals can be somewhat easy. But following them through can be very demanding– as it requires grit and discipline to make them happen. 

Sadly, most of us get stuck in busyness, and we think that we are productive. There is a big difference between being busy and being productive. And being goal-oriented can cut down distractions in our lives that come with being busy; not having a goal in focus. 

4. Complex

Complex in this context is talking about the poor self-esteem of an individual. Unfortunately, many disqualify themselves before others do because of poor self-esteem. 

They see themselves as not too good at living their dream lives. Anyone who has defeated the feeling of inferiority complex can affirm that it is very deadly. It can make people handicapped in fear: thereby making them not motivated to push for more in life.

The famous Henry Ford once quoted: 

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right”

5. Boredom

A wise man once said that he would never allow his mind to be idle for a second because he understands the result of idleness. Idleness always leads to boredom. 

Yes, different factors cause boredom. But not being focused on a meaningful task(s) at hand is the particular reason many are ensnared in boredom. (Note, the “tasks” here refer to purposeful engagement geared towards the attainment of a predetermined goal(s).)

Thus, boredom kills the motivation in any person until being addressed.

6. Health condition

Over the years, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has been able to impress in the minds of millions this powerful truth:  

“Health is wealth”

WHO

On this ground, it is safe to say that only healthy individuals think well of what is next to achieve and how to make it a reality. But persons on the other end of life battling terrible health challenges will lack the drive or push that people with good health possess. 

External (Environment) factors

These constitute all the factors in a person’s environment that cause discouragement and make him unmotivated to take action. It might be the influence from peer groups, family members, or/and conditioning from the government or other agents of social change.

 

How to stay motivated all the time

So far, we have looked at the meaning of motivation, type of motivation, why people need motivation, and now we are about considering how your well of motivation can never run dry. 

 

5 Things to Know to Help You Stay Motivated Everyday

#1. Embrace purposefulness

Purposefulness is simply the state of being purposeful or intentional in one’s dealings. But to be a purposeful person, one will have to answer some very salient questions about oneself. Some of these questions are:

• Who am I?
• Do I see myself as unique from others?
• Do I try so hard to join the crowd by all means?
• What is my purpose? Have I been able to identify it?
• Do I healthily compare myself with others?
• What do I want out of life?
• (Amongst others)

Providing sincere answers to questions of this nature will enable you to embrace purposefulness as you take notes of things such as purpose, value, and belief system. And not only that, it will make one establish clarity as to what one wants out of life.

#2. Set goals and commit yourself to them

Motivation is not an end in itself.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, motivation is needed when one or two needs arise. And quite frankly, while motivation is a requirement for the satisfaction of these needs (as we have learned from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs), one still needs a STRATEGY to stay motivated and committed to the best life has to offer.

The strategy here is GOAL. 

The importance of goals cannot be over-discussed as touching the pursuit of greatness and excellence. And essentially, motivation dwindles fast when there are no predetermined and stated goals. For this reason, we can say it is the willpower or enhancer that enforces actions on the set goals. 

Steven Sampson wrote a book with a powerful title, I would love to quote:

Those who expect nothing never get disappointed.

Thus, always outline your goal in clear and specific terms on what media you want to adopt, and then your grit allows your well if the motivation to flow in the “rhyme” of your goal (s). Choose not to do yourself a great disservice by not clearly stating your goals in writing.

#3. Maximize your time

After penning down your goals, the next is learning how to maximize your time– by doing just that.

Indeed, time is a currency. And everyone trades it in the “market” called life. But, interestingly, we cannot control it as most national fiat currencies of countries are controlled by a central authority. 

That said, time waits for nobody. That is why we must set specific, clear, achievable, and time-bound goals for ourselves. 

There is usually a sweet feeling arising from setting goals and maximizing your time to follow them through. But it is even sweeter if the set goals come true, as it helps you reinforce your motivation in no small way. 

Yes, it boosts one’s self-worth and inspiration to press forward for bigger things. On this, the ground also learns to appreciate your progress and celebrate your wins. 

#4. Commit yourself to learning and personal growth

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. 

Henry Ford

It’s unfortunate that many of us are not deliberate about learning and developing our capacity for excellence. We only want relaxation and enjoyment, especially from entertainment.

But your personal growth should be taken seriously, as it doesn’t only have a positive influence on your self-esteem and mental capacity, it prepares you as an agent who would cause a positive impact in your world. And ultimately, it boosts your motivation consistently.

#5. Invest in your relationships

Everybody wants to love and be loved. Even Maslow took cognizance of this in his hierarchy of human needs.  

On average, each individual interacts with over a hundred persons a week. And some of these people are colleagues, family members, peers, business associates, to mention a few.

Therefore, relationships hold a crucial stake in our existence. Association and relationships can make or mar a person. If you connect with the right persons that push you forward, you’ll be motivated to want to become more– the best version of yourself you can.

 

Conclusion

Summarily, as humans our needs are usually not the same at a specific point in time. But we all need the motivation to live to our full potential while achieving our life goals bit by bit. That’s to say, we need to learn how to stay motivated everyday. Just as a law student preparing for his bar exams needs the motivation to study to pass his examination, an employee or a business manager needs to stay motivated at his workplace to achieve optimum productivity and efficiency.