Much has
been written about motivation, and experts agree that effective
motivation is ultimately self-motivation. We are motivated to
either avoid a pain or pursue a pleasure. Motivation can either be
negative in the short-term, the fear of losing a job, loss of income,
disappointment, etc., or positive in the long-term with the aim of
achieving a goal that's been set. Self-sustaining motivation has
to be internal and long-term which is exhibited in the goals and plans
you set for yourself.
People who perceive themselves in control of their own fate, are in fact
'self-motivated'. They are more likely to feel in control when stressors
affect them. Instead of blaming external sources, they use motivation to
look for a solution to deal with the problem. This positive behavior
helps in achieving goals and finding personal contentment and
professional success.
Motivation in its simplest form is the ability to imagine the future and
to plan the action required to achieve it. It allows you to put a
plan into action, helps prepare you to pay full price everyday and
tracks your progress towards the goal. In our Mastering
Business Development®
workshops, we discuss the Motivation Formula: Motivation = D
(Dissatisfaction in your present state ) + A (Awareness of the desired
result, expectation or vision you have for yourself ) + K (Knowledge of
a plan on how to get there). One of the key components in
mastering the business development process for yourself is successful Goal Setting and Planning. These critical
components provide self-motivation, which is necessary to sustain
ourselves through challenges and forces us to be decision makers.
The mistake often made is to look outside of ourselves for goal setting:
"What goal should I aim for?" This approach does not work. True
motivation cannot be faked nor found externally. When our goals come
from the core of our being, only then are we fully involved in achieving
them.
