“Do you need to be motivated for motivation, or do you need motivation to get motivated?” This is like a catch 22 question, no matter how you tackle it, the question remains a mystery. People may argue that in order to have a strong desire to achieve something, you must be motivated. On the other hand, some argue that for you to be motivated, you may need to have some motivation first.
This again is like a catch 22 situation or like a chicken and egg puzzle, right? There is no definite answer. Concerning motivation vs. motivated, the best course of action, rather than focusing on which answer is right, is to discover how people get motivated, what are the things that motivates them?
So, how do
people get Motivated?
Some people
actually need some kind of inspiration to help them keep motivated, and some
need some kind of aspiration to stay motivated to become an achiever.
This brings us
to the question of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation? Intrinsic motivation is
actually the inspiration, it comes from within, it arises from inside the
person, whereas extrinsic motivation is from outside, it comes from the
external environment.
Intrinsic
motivators are hunger, shelter, safety, security, self-esteem,
self-actualization, love, affection, values, morals, ethics etc. It is due to
intrinsic motivation that we get inspired and go out for work, provide our
family with food, shelter, safety and security. It is the intrinsic motivators
that give us the inspiration to love our family, our values and morals.
The extrinsic
motivators come from outside, they are similar but they aspire us to do
something in response to some external event. It might be due to a feeling of
frustration by seeing something bad and then getting motivated to do something
about it. It could be looking at a highly successful person and getting
motivated to become like him or her, or may be better. It can be money or some
intangible offer that could motivate us to indulge in a certain kind of action.
It may be an external threat, a rule of law or a simple piece of advice from
someone. It could be watching a movie or reading a book and so on.
The important
thing is how people react to these motivators, a strong desire can trigger
people to get inspired and/or aspired for actions they take, the question is
whether those actions are positive or negative. For example, if someone wants
to get rich, whether they go out and rob a bank or work hard to become rich? If
someone wants self-respect, do they earn it or they demand it? If someone
desires popularity, do they set their sights higher and aim to be recognized
and respected morally or ethically or do they adopt immoral unethical ways.
Well, many
sources of inspiration or aspirations can help us to get motivated in achieving
success in life. It doesn’t matter whether we need to be motivated for
motivation, or we need motivation to be motivated. The important thing is to
find our true source of inspiration and/or aspiration to remain focused in the
achievement of our goals and objectives.