Motivation is a spur to action. It’s what prevents us from lolling around on couches all day like large lazy house cats.
Some of us do that anyway or mope around because, we say, our motivation is low.
Motivation does wax and wane. You might be all fired up about a project one week only to find that you can barely go through the motions the next. But to perform, you need to keep your motivation at a certain level and to perform at your best, you need to keep your motivation up.
Nothing works as well for motivation as a jolt of adrenalin. We all have built-in instincts that “instantly” motivate us. For example, if you encounter a bear on a path, you are instantly motivated to run.
However, most of us are not dealing with threats to survival or other instant motivators on a daily basis and need to find other sources of motivation. The problem is that personal motivation is largely idiosyncratic. What motivates one person to perform extremely well will leave another cold.
And motivation can be internal or external. Deadlines are an example of external motivation. The fear of losing a contract or of not finishing a job you started is an example of internal motivation. Both internal and external motivation can be equally powerful.
The old advice about “knowing thyself” is the best advice when it comes to motivation. Over time you’ll learn what motivation works best for you. You might also try some of these suggestions for Maintaining Your Motivation from Kelley Robertson.
For ideas for motivating employees, the Human Resources section of this site includes articles on employee motivation.
