The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

My family and I have recently moved into a different house. For those of you who have done this before, you are quite aware that it is a daunting task.  If packing the boxes wasn’t overwhelming enough, unpacking seems like a nightmare. It is such an exciting time, but one that also requires effort, patience, and a lot of hard work. While amidst this process, I am learning that at times, I lack motivation, especially when faced with a time-consuming process that cannot be completed immediately.  While I was happy to be moving in, I envisioned in my mind how perfect and arranged I wanted every room to be, but found it difficult to prioritize and have the motivation to put thoughts into action. 

You can probably think of a time when you’ve felt this exact same way.  You may know in your mind the day’s to-do list, but none of the options seem enticing.  Or maybe, you have recently found some motivation and are just waiting to get started on the latest project or planning an activity.  Whatever the case may be, we all need to examine our own self-motivation in order to move forward with our goals.

Looking back to my college years studying psychology at Auburn, I remember a chapter on motivation—more specifically, how we can be motivated internally or externally.  There are some who are motivated to do things based on internal factors such as: gratitude, love, autonomy, learning, or curiosity. For example, someone who is motivated by learning may like to engage in a new class online with the result of experiencing newness and achieving a personal goal. Similarly, a wife may be motivated to cook for her spouse based on the feeling of love she has for him and enjoyment of mastering a new recipe. 

In contrast, there are some people who are motivated by external factors such as: a reward, money, competition, fear of failure, or fear of punishment.  An example is a student who is motivated to study for his/her test based on the fear of failure or the potential for making a good grade.  Another example of this type of motivation is someone who is competing in a 5K race based on the aspect of competition and a prize at the end. 

Sometimes we need to be motivated both externally and internally to complete a task.  We need to feel the emotional side of the activity/project, but also see some tangible results.  In order to achieve happiness and success, I would encourage you to become more self aware of your motivation and how these concepts are affecting you.  Here are some self-assessment questions to ask yourself regarding your motivation:

What motivates me?

When was a time when I felt 100% motivated to do something?

Are most areas of my life internally or externally motivated—or a little of both?