[SJ] How do you find motivation?

[Cimarron]

How do you find motivation? How do you know where to look? How do you know when you've found it?

General thoughts, tips, and techniques on motivation, please. Sorry I'm being vague...I'll try to be more clear if anything comes to me. Beat wrote something about this, I think. I should probably go look for that.

*How do you find motivation for long-range goals?
*How do you find motivation for staying persistent?

I remember TheChosenOne once said competition helps (though that was kind of a topic about inspiration). Competition often does help.

 

[d@v3]

Yes, competition helps a little. But I often find motivation in just GETTING IT DONE and OVER WITH! You know, fulfilling the obligation of achieving the goal and moving on to the next thing. Although I will admit, it's not easy to do and sometimes it is difficult to see the benefits of achieving that goal.

 

[raz]

I'm still working on this. Usually having someone else with me helps a crapload.

 

[d@v3]

Yes, I agree with Raz, It is almost always better when another person is helping!

 

[Cimarron]

Yes, competition helps a little. But I often find motivation in just GETTING IT DONE and OVER WITH!

No, because motivation must come before--not after--the thing you want to do.

Yeah, and I was just thinking last night that it is easier with someone else there. Maybe that's something. Though it also can slow me down (not concentrating on one thing).

 

[raz]

No, because motivation must come before--not after--the thing you want to do.

Yeah, and I was just thinking last night that it is easier with someone else there. Maybe that's something. Though it also can slow me down (not concentrating on one thing).

It might tie to that Te getting revved up thing I was referring to in vent. I can get like half of Te alone, but if I'm around other people, I become this black and white control freak. It's weird.

 

[Condor]

How do you find motivation? How do you know where to look? How do you know when you've found it?

General thoughts, tips, and techniques on motivation, please. Sorry I'm being vague...I'll try to be more clear if anything comes to me. Beat wrote something about this, I think. I should probably go look for that.

*How do you find motivation for long-range goals?
*How do you find motivation for staying persistent?

I remember TheChosenOne once said competition helps (though that was kind of a topic about inspiration). Competition often does help.

Hello again,

I think I responded to the original thread referenced, but not sure; so I'll post again.

Motivation for me is from me. I have a list of things to do, there is a reason they're on the list, that reason was important enough for me to put them on the list, and that's my motivation for doing them.

I think the persistence question can be addressed as follows - first, was the original motivation honest? Was it what the individual really wanted to do or was it something that was decided to please others? Second, if the conditions change with regard to the need, then the motivation will probably change as well, and persisting may well be the wrong thing to do.

 

[NewEra]

I remember TheChosenOne once said competition helps (though that was kind of a topic about inspiration). Competition often does help.

Yeah, thanks for remembering Cimarron. Yeah, competition helps big time for me. If I look at something like a game and I have to win, then I go after it harder, and it actually makes it more fun. I also somewhat like the position of having my back against the wall (tough position), because then it would be all the more great if I could recover from this bad position to succeed.

Ultimately the prospect of victory and success despite hardship is what fuels me.

 

[raz]

Hello again,

I think I responded to the original thread referenced, but not sure; so I'll post again.

Motivation for me is from me. I have a list of things to do, there is a reason they're on the list, that reason was important enough for me to put them on the list, and that's my motivation for doing them.

I think the persistence question can be addressed as follows - first, was the original motivation honest? Was it what the individual really wanted to do or was it something that was decided to please others? Second, if the conditions change with regard to the need, then the motivation will probably change as well, and persisting may well be the wrong thing to do.

I think that touches on the closure aspect too. I need to finish things I started not only because leaving something unfinished gives me an uncomfortable feeling, but at the same time, unless there's a pretty damn good reason I can't do it, to me, it's an attack on my competence that it's not finished. I view myself as not good enough to finish what I started, and it makes me work to finish it.

 

[FallaciaSonata]

I'm told I'm self-motivated. I set my own goals and strive to accomplish them. I agree with Raz on this one, though. Regardless of my motivation, leaving something unfinished leaves this....this awful feeling. At this point, I finish it just for the sake of finishing it. I dislike people who leave tasks unfinished, (when they could finish them), and if I see it in myself, I feel as if I'm becoming "one of them". I don't want that. ; )

In terms of motivation itself, I always look to the greater goal. I break down large tasks into bite-sized pieces and put them on a check list, then complete them one by one. Once all of the "minor tasks" are complete, than I have the joy of knowing that one "major task" is complete.

When it comes to particularly large tasks, I can sometimes feel overwhelmed, and that puts a damper on both my motivation and my persistence. This is why I do the "break it down into manageable pieces" thing.

 

[coldbluewaves]

I think i'm relatively self-motivated now. I find motivation (to do things) in just wanting to have a better life in general.

Yeah, competition helps big time for me. If I look at something like a game and I have to win, then I go after it harder, and it actually makes it more fun. I also somewhat like the position of having my back against the wall (tough position), because then it would be all the more great if I could recover from this bad position to succeed.

Ultimately the prospect of victory and success despite hardship is what fuels me.

Yeah, I agree with this a lot. When I view things as a competition it helps a lot with motivation.

Also, proving someone wrong (about whatever it may be in regards to me). I don't care if i accept that they're free to feel that way. I don't resent them for it, but I want to prove them wrong, to make them regret it. I don't really have many people in my life that doubt me that heavily though. =/ Excluding myself, I guess. I often doubt myself and like to prove myself wrong, so, y'know. Self-motivation?

 

[Saslou]

I am very motivated .. if i want it then i will go and get it .. but i am aware of my limitations (i cant become a nurse as i will have to go uni for 2 years) ..

I used to work for a bank before i was made redundant .. i went for a promotion a few years back and hated my new job (there was no variety in the job). Every 2 months i just told myself, see how you feel in 2 months time and that's what i did for 6 months and by then .. i had just settled in and got on with it.

I also find my motivation when the chips are down. I am very competitive and i have no problem pushing myself. I used to hate change, now i just roll with the punches .. The way i see it is .. nothing comes to you in life, you want it, you go and get it.

 

[WickedQueen]

Competition, read inspiring books, make a list of things I wanna do and how to achieve it, and hang out with people that I considered as successful people.

 

[Space Socks]

Motivation is my fuel, unfortunately though, it burns quickly. I need encouragement and someone else's criticism to get me excited about continuing a task or project. I need to see some practical use, even if it's far from any use soon.

Where do I find it? I generally aim for something as broad as a social event just to get me in the mood first. How I feel effects what I'll be doing, and for how long.

Just to get something done these days almost isn't enough. I consider the welfare of my contentment, health and creative inventory just as important as making sure I've got enough money in the bank to pay for any medical bills because I've decided to take up rock climbing recently. That said, its a perpetual cycle of doing stuff that promote doing more stuff, just better.

 

[highlander]

Yeah, thanks for remembering Cimarron. Yeah, competition helps big time for me. If I look at something like a game and I have to win, then I go after it harder, and it actually makes it more fun. I also somewhat like the position of having my back against the wall (tough position), because then it would be all the more great if I could recover from this bad position to succeed.

Ultimately the prospect of victory and success despite hardship is what fuels me.

In general, I have a pretty high level of motivation. It's mostly driven by a constant need for achievement. I like competition but it's not really what drives me. It's a desire to accomplish something important that you have to work hard for. If things are too easy, I get bored. So the part about having your back to the wall - yeah, I love that. As far as persistence goes, I'm pretty focused and have this quality - single mindedness and persistent to a fault. It's had a lot to do with my success in life but also probably some situations where I've been banging my head against the wall because I don't give up.

I'm told I'm self-motivated. I set my own goals and strive to accomplish them. I agree with Raz on this one, though. Regardless of my motivation, leaving something unfinished leaves this....this awful feeling. At this point, I finish it just for the sake of finishing it. I dislike people who leave tasks unfinished, (when they could finish them), and if I see it in myself, I feel as if I'm becoming "one of them". I don't want that. ; )

In terms of motivation itself, I always look to the greater goal. I break down large tasks into bite-sized pieces and put them on a check list, then complete them one by one. Once all of the "minor tasks" are complete, than I have the joy of knowing that one "major task" is complete.

When it comes to particularly large tasks, I can sometimes feel overwhelmed, and that puts a damper on both my motivation and my persistence. This is why I do the "break it down into manageable pieces" thing.

It drives me nuts to not have things finished.

This is much more organized than I am though. If it's a project then sure, I can do it that way. Otherwise, I'm not about lists. It's setting an overall direction and focusing on tactical incremental steps that drive towards the achievement of this overall goal, with measurements along the way to help prove to myself that I'm making progress. I tend to look pretty long term - much longer than most people (generally several years out) and may seem to have less of a "task oriented" sense of urgency at times than others but there is always this constant and relentless focus on achieving the goal.

 

[Space Socks]

In general, I have a pretty high level of motivation. It's mostly driven by a constant need for achievement. I like competition but it's not really what drives me. It's a desire to accomplish something important that you have to work hard for. If things are too easy, I get bored. So the part about having your back to the wall - yeah, I love that. As far as persistence goes, I'm pretty focused and have this quality - single mindedness and persistent to a fault. It's had a lot to do with my success in life but also probably some situations where I've been banging my head against the wall because I don't give up.

I enjoy competition because it sets the stage and initiates a purpose. Generally though, I'll follow through having set a different process and changing the perspective of achieving that goal. I can turn any task into something important, but the difficulty comes with how important is it in the list of other important things. So unfortunately, I do have a small list of unfinished things...

and so...

It drives me nuts to not have things finished.

ah, here we go.

This is much more organized than I am though. If it's a project then sure, I can do it that way. Otherwise, I'm not about lists. It's setting an overall direction and focusing on tactical incremental steps that drive towards the achievement of this overall goal, with measurements along the way to help prove to myself that I'm making progress. I tend to look pretty long term - much longer than most people (generally several years out) and may seem to have less of a "task oriented" sense of urgency at times than others but there is always this constant and relentless focus on achieving the goal.

I've thought about this. How to go about changing my tactics so that I can get through a project without overwhelming myself at the exaggerated enormity of it. Ideally, I would love to tackle a large project in bite sized portions, but just like my food, if I don't eat it all at once, it gets cold and I lose my appetite. And like so, if I remind myself that it's good for me, and in this case, an experience that adds to my understanding and skills then I'll go on.

to the last part in bold...
I have to in some way, delude myself from the idea that I am working on some great big thing. I have to push it far back in my mind so as to not disturb my focus on some small portion of it first, otherwise I get too ambitious and frustrated in the process.


ahh, too tired to continue...

 

[Jstrazz]

I find that motivational music helps too, mostly if the task is trivial or not too difficult. When the task gets more difficult, I remind myself who I am. Every MBTI type can be responsible and desire to be responsible, but I take pride in being an ISTJ, someone who perseveres and gets things done. When under stress, and I may just be speaking for myself, ISTJ's tend to think of worse case scenarios and enter into a go-down-with-a-fight zone where you become impulsive and depressed. But remembering that whatever you are doing is going to benefit you and those around you helps rekindle some of the flame that drives us to be who we are. I hope this helps. I struggle with motivation a lot myself, we just need to remember that if we give it all we've got, no matter the outcome, we have won.