The Secret of Motivation

by Neil I. Clark

Motivation can come from without, but the best motivation comes from within. Are you motivated for the job you are performing? Do you get up in the morning with a real buzz of excitement about going to work? No? Well, read on.

People who have found their "calling" in life are totally dedicated and make a lifetime career out of their job. This is rare, of course. People such as Mother Theresa or Fred Hollows fall into this category. We are not suggesting you can necessarily achieve this lofty level, but there are some simple things you can do to improve the excitement you have for your job.

Consider this: if you set out to do something and you ultimately achieve it, how do you feel? You feel pretty good, right? Your motivation for that activity is high. If, on the other hand, you are running into continual barriers and not achieving what you want, you feel frustrated and far less motivated about it all.

Success is simply achieving what you set out to achieve. Imagine how you would feel if every time you embarked on a project, you achieved the results with flying colours. Would you have any back off about doing it all again? No — you’d welcome the opportunity. Your motivation would be high.

And this is the key — this is the link. Results and motivation go hand in glove.

There are several components to achieving results. You firstly have to know what the results are that you are supposed to be achieving (see the earlier Job Success Tips article: "Focus on Results"). Secondly, you need to identify the barriers that are preventing you from getting there. There are other factors, of course, but let’s look at barriers.

Barriers could be procedural or administrative blocks, or other people who are stopping you, or lack of knowledge, or several other things. Take some time to identify what’s stopping you from performing. Note them down. If any of them are within your own direct control (like lack of knowledge, for instance) work on those yourself. Barriers that are outside your control should be discussed with your manager. If you begin that discussion on the basis that you want some help in removing barriers to production, you are sure to get a sympathetic hearing.

If you can remove some of the barriers that are stopping you from doing your job (and thus achieving the results that you are supposed to), you will begin to succeed more often. And, if you succeed more often, your job will be more rewarding and your motivation will definitely be higher.