Motivation
/ˌməʊtɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n/
a feeling of enthusiasm or interest that makes you determined to do something
You can do anything if you’ve got the motivation.
What influences motivation? What motivates us to keep doing something? Motivation is the result of many factors, being they internal or external. Motivation is the value that allows us to keep the interest and enthusiasm high when doing something: at school, at work, at home, with family or friends, in every life situation.
To stay motivated is not easy, but before reaching this point, we need to first get motivated, and usually, getting started with something new is even harder than going on with it. How can we do it? There must be some factors that stimulate our interest, of course. Many times we think it is sufficient to watch motivational videos or listen to motivational speeches, or begin our days by reading motivational quotes. However, generally speaking, this passive inspiration is not enough: there must be also the active inspiration, some creative activity in order to have new ideas and new aims to which to stick. The worst is getting started, once this is done, go on and keep rolling becomes easier, as we know what we are striving for.
When we want to reach a goal, for instance, we tend to put more efforts in what we are doing, we are more committed to that particular task, because we are motivated by some interest. This interest can be due to personal factors (if that aim has a particular meaning to you), but also to external ones, like the judgement of people around us, or a reward of some kind that would be given us if we accomplish a particular result.
When something inspires us, we are brought to face that specific situation in a more cheerful way, and with far more enthusiasm than when performing actions we don’t care much about, or we are not much into. The energy we produce stimulates us to perform better, it motivates us and definitely increases the possibilities to do well.
And if we’d like others to be engaged in something we care? Or if we want someone to see our commitment? How can we understand if someone is motivated? What are the elements that show interest? Curiosity, asking questions, being eager to know more about a topic. Happiness, that joy that gives us perseverance and therefore prevents us from giving up in front of difficulties. That feeling that helps us keep our moral high during the whole path. Personal gratification, that light in the eyes, that feeling that makes clear the person is doing something that makes him/her grateful, thankful, and happy. Genuineness and authenticity, characteristics that make us act with spontaneity, that make us do what we think is right, that make us make mistakes, because we want to learn and from mistakes we learn as well.
Motivation can be found in every action, it doesn’t necessarily have to do with a big deal, it is present every time we don’t give up. Keeping it high is not easy task, it needs to be nurtured continuously, but in the end, it gives the best results.