1,001 WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF & OTHERS

 1,001 WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOURSELF & OTHERS

The Roots of Motivation

Motivation is a force that creates behavior to fulfill a need.  It is not necessarily positive or negative, fulfilling or frustrating.  It can be all, some or none of these.  How often have you heard the phrase “Police are still searching for a motive”?  Yes, people can also be motivated to take negative actions.  Motivation is a powerful and complex force that causes us to act.  Motivation itself is not an observable phenomenon, but the force behind the resulting behavior.  One behavior can have many possible motives.

Basically there are two levels of motivation: survival and achievement.  Survival needs include safety, nourishment, shelter and procreation.  These fundamental physical needs must be fulfilled to satisfy our body’s daily requirements.  Once these basic needs are satisfied, we begin to look to other areas of need including achievement, emotional fulfillment, personal growth, and self worth.

The key to motivating a person into action lies in knowing which of these needs is most prominent in that person at a particular point in time.  Motivating forces are not universal.  They are subjective and can change at a moments notice as priorities change.  What motivates today may seem hollow and useless tomorrow.

WHAT MOTIVATES:

Below is a list of the emotions and needs that ignite people to action:-

Achievement	Acquisition	Advancement	Affiliation	Ambition
Balance	Belonging	Betrayal	Camaraderie	Challenge
Confidence	Consistency	Construction	Control	Co-operation
Defense	Desperation	Defense	Desperation	Education
Excitement	Fairness	Fear	Forgiveness	Freedom
Harmony	Hatred	Information	Involvement	Learning
Order	Peace	Politics	Power	Praise
Redemption	Respect	Responsibility	Resolution	Retention
Self worth	Sharing	Anger	Status	Stress Relief
Unity	Vanity	Change	Vision	Autonomy
Esteem	Happiness	Creation	Recognition	Self Improvement
Ego	Giving	Revenge	Love	Prestige

 

THEORIES OF MOTIVATION

There are several theories of motivation.  Here we will discuss only three types of motivational theories.

The Behavioral Theory, probably the most commonly known motivational theory, states that desired behaviors recur when reinforced and that people can be influenced to behave like others whom they see rewarded for such behavior.  According to the Behavioral Theory, one person can motivate another person simply by rewarding desirable behavior and punishing or ignoring undesirable behavior.

The Cognitive Theory suggests that people are most motivated by things that pique their curiosity and are interest or fun.  This theory relies heavily on intrinsic motivation and the desire of the individual to answer a question, fulfill a need or achieve competency in a subject.  It doesn’t however, account for the reasons that people endure intense or prolonged suffering (neither interesting nor fun) to achieve a goal.

The Humanistic View is based on idea that people have a fundamental drive to fulfill certain needs in a specific order.  The basic human needs, according to the theory, are physiological satiation, safety, belonging, esteem, self- actualization, understanding and aesthetic.    Somewhat similarly, the Achievement Theory states that people develop a need for achievement and seek to fulfill that need while avoiding the possibility of failure.

While each theory has merits and applies in many real-life cases, a blanket theory to motivate people in every situation is elusive.  Motivation depends upon having an understanding of people and their wants and needs.  Your ability to identify and fulfill these fundamental needs is the key to being a successful motivator.

KEY IDEAS

There are several key ideas that are essential to understand motivation.

Motivation is a force, positive or negative that causes us to act

Understanding the underlying motive behind the action is the key to motivating anyone, including you.

Every motive we have for action arises from a need and our desire to satisfy it.

Motives come in many forms and change throughout our lives.

Motivation is the act of encouraging someone to do something they need to do, but may not be able to initiate on their own.  Manipulation is the act of deceiving someone into doing something they might not otherwise do.

Motive can change during an activity.

To create a strong incentive, your reward for achieving a behavior must be directly tied to the motive for action

WAYS TO MOTIVE YOURSELF

“Knowing and doing are as different as night and day.”

The gap between knowing and doing is where great men and women are made or lost.  Most of us know what we have to do to achieve our dreams, but we have a hundred and one reasons not to act on our knowledge.  We don’t have enough money, we don’t have enough time, we don’t have the skills, we don’t have the materials, we don’t have the patience, we don’t have the courage, and on and on into eternity.

The reality is that with all of the energy we use to think up and justify those excuses, we could be half way to achieving our goals.  If only we had the motivation to get started on the “doing”.  Once we can motivate ourselves, we can motivate anyone.

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
Failure is like driving down a dead end road and turning around to find a better route.	Make a habit of being enthusiastic.
Winners don’t have time to place blame; they’re too busy getting ready for the next challenge.	Ground yourself with solid principles so you don’t get distracted from your goal by trends or fads.
Sometimes how far you go is not as important as the direction you take.	Be prepared – your opportunity may come at any moment.
Intentions do not count, actions do.	Do your best at every stage of the game.
If you don‘t know where you want to go, no amount of planning will get you there.	Surround yourself with positive, enthusiastic people.
You are what you think you are.	Focus on becoming.
Problems are teachers not obstacles.	Don’t let yourself get trapped in other’s negativity.
Everyone is good at something.	Do what you love.
The first step determines the direction of the journey.	There is only one person you must answer to in the end – yourself.
Allow yourself to dream, it just may come true.	Tackle small problems before they grow into unmanageable situations.
Instead of saying “I can’t reach my goal because I don’t have X.” think about what you can do to get X or how you can achieve your goal without X.	Rather than viewing life an as endless sting of problems to be solved, view it as an unfolding mystery to be revealed.
INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
Nothing has control over your destiny but you.	There is someone, somewhere who can help you.  Find him or her.
Adversity is the wrapping paper of opportunity.	See your dreams as a preview of the future.
Practice doing small, unpleasant tasks so when the time comes for real sacrifice, you are well trained.	Never say No
The only thing stopping you is yourself.	Accept failure as part of success.
The future is where you will spend the rest of your life.	Ground yourself with solid principles so you don’t get distracted from your goal by trends or fads.
The joy of the journey is not so much in reaching the harbor as in anticipating wheat lies ahead	Find satisfaction in your daily life.  Don’t wait for your big break to come.
There is no guarantee that tomorrow will come.  Do it today.	Don’t let your weakness overshadow your strengths.
When your perception changes, the cloudy day turns sunny.	Define the reasons behind your goals.
Nothing is certain, so don’t bet on it.	Don’t get discouraged if it seems that nobody believes in you.  Start a trend by believing in yourself.
Appreciate what you have.	Meaningful goals produce meaningful results.
Experience, whether good or bad, is an asset.	Acknowledge that your destiny lies in your hands and you can make it or break it.
No matter how bad your situation is, you always have the freedom to discover something good about yourself.	It doesn’t matter how many times you fall; only how many times you get up.
What you are is more important than what you have been and what you aim to be is best of all.	Practice being motivated.  You may fail at first, but practice makes perfect.
Your goals must be clear but your guidelines must be flexible.	Choose quality over quantity.

 

 

WAYS TO MOTIVE YOUR CLIENTS & CUSTOMERS

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
In the long run, honesty really is the best policy	Prove your commitment to excellence through your daily actions.
Hospitality is a welcome change in our frenzied life.	Believe in your products & always keep your promises.  Clients like consistency.
Why you do things and the way you do them is more important than what you do.	Keep customers happy even after you’ve finished your business with them.
A smile is the universal language.	Make your client’s primary objective your primary objective.
People are more likely to buy from you if they feel you understand their needs, than if they understand the features of your product or service.	If your client is a busy person, get right to the point.  Busy people are used to making quick decisions and don’t like to be “sold”.
Know the difference between simply treating people well and making them feel important.	Take the opportunity to personalize interactions with clients whenever possible.
Favour relationships over transactions.	Clients like consistency.
People like to business with people they like.	Treat clients like lifetime partners in your business.
People like to have the newest and the best, but they don’t necessarily want to be the first to have it.	When a customer is undecided, present two options and the basis for choosing each to motivate him to make a decision.
Meeting customer expectations is more important than your objective level of quality.	Provide customers with the opportunity to feel they have made a good decision.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE CHANGE

“The best time to change is before you are forced to”.

Change is one of the most frequently recurring, yet one of the most frightening aspects of human life.  The every act of living subjects us to ongoing change, both within and around us.  Change is a reality that cannot be avoided or ignored – much as some of us might try.

The best way to motivate yourself to change is to enthusiastically meet the change head on before it is forced upon you.  Change is often unpleasant or uncertain.  Having to face the unpleasant or the uncertain is best done in a positive state of mind, rather than when you are anxious or ill.

MOTIVATE YOURSELF	MOTIVE OTHERS
Never fear change	Create an atmosphere that is open to regular change.
To initiate a change, start with a step that will bring noticeable results, no matter how small.	Avoid implementing too many changes at once.
Nothing in life leaves you where it finds you.	Allow sufficient time to adjust to change.
Life is ongoing.  You will never have it under control, so stop trying.	Change is easiest to face when you go through it with someone at your side.
Change is an inevitable part of life.	Once a change is made, encourage people to stick to it and avoid the temptation to revert to older, more comfortable ways.
If you invite change within yourself, rather than being affected by change, is easier to deal with,	Allow for mistakes and delays when a change is implemented.  People quickly get frustrated if they fee you expect perfection from the start.
Don’t’ turn away from a possibility of change until you are objectively sure it has nothing to offer.	Point out the habits and excuses that are preventing change from occurring.
Try something new every day to develop a tolerance for the new and different.	Outline some sample scenarios of the potential results of the change.
Celebrate change. Be positive.	Change is easiest to face when you go through it with someone at your side.
It is usually easier to go with change than to fight against it.	Change is accepted best when there is a logical reason behind it.
Treat change as an honored guest.	Change is more acceptable when it does not appear irrevocable.
Remember that change has brought you to where you are now and will continue to help you grow if you handle it deftly.	Present a change in the most positive light, but don’t hesitate to communicate potential negatives.
You cannot change your actions without first changing how you think about those actions.	People change when they are good and ready to.  You will never change someone who is not ready.
If you stop changing, you stop living.	Provide opportunities to talk about an impending change to give people the chance to identify their feelings toward it.
Life is one-way journey.  No matter how badly you might want to go back, you cannot.	Designate concrete areas that will not be affected by the change to create a psychological safety zone.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOUR BOSS

“Credentials are easily replaceable, commitment and integrity are not.”

 

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
If you cost your boss more than you earn for her, you won’t be around very long.	If you want your boss to back up your new ideas, be willing to share the credit.
It is not enough to get things done; you should be seen doing them.	Make your boss’ weaknesses your strengths and offer assistance.  You will become indispensable.
Knowledge is power.  Share it with your boss and your influence will increase measurably.	Your boss is not responsible for your personal problems-leave them at home where they belong.
A win-win situation is the ideal motivator.	Never steal your boss’s spotlight or beat her at her game.
Everyone wants something in life.  Do you know what makes your boss tick?	Be prepared to show that you have exhausted your resources before asking your boss for help.
Positive expectations usually lead to positive outcomes.	Give more than you have to.  Don’t be on time, be early.  Don’t meet requirements, exceed them.

 

WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOUR EMPLOYEES

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
When you don’t care, they don’t care.	Treat others, as you want to be treated.
Successful motivation consists not of doing it to people but doing it with them.	Praise employees most frequently in areas of their work that they take most seriously.
The best way to develop respect and responsibility in employees is to give it to them.	Create a work place that is free of prejudice.
Those who play well together work well together.	Give each of your workers a special, personal mission.
When the work and the worker fit, there is no need for further motivation.	Apologize honestly for your mistakes.
Making request is generally preferable to giving orders.	Treat employees like responsible adults.
Always give credit where credit is due.	Make sure all employees take regular vacations to renew their spirit.
Too many rules impede morale.	Never assign two people to do the job of one; it promotes boredom, frustration and apathy.
Employees are most highly motivated when they feel they are appropriately compensated for what they produce.	Let talented employees feel they have the power to make a difference.
Employees feel secure, and therefore work best, when they trust their boss.	Give your employees a vision to strive for.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM

“Don’t tread on the process to reach the goal.”

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
Competition is only motivating if there is a prospect of winning.	Don’t make promises or threats you don’t intend to keep.
Teams are made of team players not superstars.	Create an atmosphere in which individual team members are willing to make personal sacrifices for good of the team.
People respond best when they can make the best use of their talents.	Never stop teaching your team new and better winning skills.
As a team leader, your approach is a stronger motivator than your methods.	Push team members top their full potential but never forget to respect their dignity.
The reward of success must be shared equally among all team members whatever their level of contribution.	Use humor to dissolve interpersonal tension among team members.
Discipline allows people to act in concert based on common principles.	Point out errors without placing blame.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE DECISION MAKING

“Avoiding a decision is equal to deciding to do nothing.”

Accept the fact that nothing is certain and that no decision is perfect

Face your decision honestly.

You will never have enough information to decide flawlessly.

Leave your emotions and personal biases at the door when making critical decisions.

Every decision must include a plan of action to carry out the decision.

Once you decide, announce it.  This will spur you to action.

The more successful you become the more difficult decisions you will have to make.  Readily accept every opportunity to practice along the way.

Accept that decisions are made in reality and may require constraints, compromises or sacrifices.

Once you decide, set a specific start date within the next few days.

Make a habit of the act of making decisions.

WAYS TO MOTIVATE PRODUCTIVITY

“Motivation is the key to productivity.  Given two people of similar ability, the motivated person will always outperform the unmotivated person.”

INSPIRATION	APPLICATION
Seek problems because you need opportunities.	Every “emergency” that comes along distracts Don’g.
Being productive is one of the greatest intrinsic rewards.	Don’t allow people to waste your time with unsolicited sales calls, unwanted social visits, etc.
Life goes on whether you fail or succeed at any single task.	Stop waiting for the ideal time – it will never come.
You can do a lot with a little if that little is totally committed.	Identify and challenge negative thoughts that are blocking your ability to get your job done.
Working smart is always more productive than working hard.	Set priorities & if you aren’t blessed with self-discipline, pretend you are.
Once you get going, the going gets easier.	Don’t spend inordinate amounts of time on low priority tasks.
Doing without thing is as bad as thing without doing.	Reserve your work area for work only – not coffee breaks, reading or socializing.
A positive attitude is a poor substitute for actual preparation.	Learn to say no to task you don’t have time for or interest in.
Organization invites work.	When it’s done, forget it and move on.
Remember to say “thank you” to yourself.	Avoid announcing your plans in advance; it brings out the opposition in droves.
Effort alone is not enough; it must eventually produce measurable result.	Do it right the first time, even if it takes longer.
Well begun is half done?	Know the limits of your job.  Don’t waste time duplicating other people’s work.
Just because it doesn’t have to be done now, doesn’t mean you can’t do it now.	Do one thing at a time.
Activity is not the only necessity for productivity thinking can be immensely productive.	Delegate work that can be done by others, starting with the jobs you dislike most.