People generally don’t care about what is self-motivation and its sources. Although nothing under the sun could be performed well without self-motivation.
Whoever does the job well done; does with inner passion. This inner passion is actually the driving force which compels us to move.
This driving force is called self-motivation.
It is the potential energy working behind our acts and deeds.
Self-motivation is directly linked to our conscience and our basic needs.
In this regard, we can divide self-motivation into two major types.
- Intrinsic motivation
- Extrinsic motivation
We will discuss both types of motivation and their sources.
Intrinsic motivation:
Intrinsic motivation is actually the voice of our heart. It is our inner urge to do something.
In this kind of motivation, we don’t require external resources to do something.
We love to do things on our own. We feel so much energetic without external pushes.
There are some factors which create this energy in our deep inside.
The basic factors for our intrinsic motivation are as follows:
Factor #1. Divine love and religious beliefs:
Our divine love and religious beliefs provide the basic reasons for most of our deeds.
A number of tasks performed by us are just the result of our divine love and religious beliefs.
For example, did you ever observed the Muslims eating or drinking during fast?
Perhaps never!
It is the religious passion that stops them doing so even in loneliness when no one is there to watch them.
Similarly, Hindus are ready to burn their living woman with her dead husband just for religious belief.
Wives themselves feel motivated to sacrifice their precious lives.
Do you think it would be easy for them?
Certainly, it’s not easy.
But they do so just for their religion require them to do so.
Right or wrong they may be, yet these beliefs are a great source of motivation for their believers.
However, the intensity of this divine love varies from person to person.
There could be some people who least move by their religious belief. And there may be some who even can’t bear a single word against their religion.
Even you may observe many extremists among you. They are always motivated to do anything for their beliefs, not only religious but any kind of beliefs.
Hence we can say that divine love and religious beliefs dominate most of our life.
As Tony Robbins, who is a life coach, has said that its emotions that drive our lives.
Its a great source of motivation.
Factor #2. The sense of accountability:
This is the second major source of motivation. In other words, it may be called consciences.
It is the power that arouses the sense of responsibility and honesty to our task.
If we lack this force, nothing on the earth could stop us being selfish, disloyal or Unfaithful to our purpose.
You can find this kind of people around you. There are too many of them living everywhere.
So, if you’re not checked by your own conscience you can’t be checked by any outward force.
You will just follow rules by force, not by your will. As you’re not willing on your own. You will always strive to find a way to get rid of boundaries. And You will disobey the rules whenever you get a chance.
But if you are checked by your own inner; you will never go astray.
Something inside you will make the specific rules appealing and attractive for you. You will feel fascinated by following the rules and living in the boundaries.
It’s not a theory but many motivational speakers and successful people love to follow their consciences.
The sense of right and wrong naturally exists in a human being. This sense differentiates human being and other animals.
All other animals are not gifted with this sense. Only human beings are superior just because they carry an inner filter of good and bad, right and wrong.
So this sense leads us always towards the right path.
For example, you have a commitment with your partner and your partner certainly isn’t with you where ever you go.
This is your conscience that keeps you loyal despite the available chances.
Similarly, on the road, when there is no traffic police, you’ll obey the rule by the force of your inner check.
And if your conscience does not condemn you for your wrong actions, you could never be a man of rules.
So our conscience is great motivation for us to do the right in the right way.
Factor #3. Personal interest and inner satisfaction:
It’s a third factor that creates self-motivation.
Few things are always there, which are the source of pleasure for you. Every person has to find out these things.
It will give them inner satisfaction.
The things that satisfy your inner self, are always performed smoothly, without force and frustration.
These inner joys compel you to adopt some acts as your hobbies.
You will do them with your keen interest. You will feel completed. You feel a permanent pleasure in doing what your heart says you to do.
For example, some people love to help others. They become social workers and volunteers.
Some people find inner peace in art like painting, music, poetry, literature.
Some people like tourism and spend their whole lives as vagrants.
Whatever the point of view of other people, we never regret when we do the things which give us inner satisfaction.
We never feel ashamed of the job which gives us mental satisfaction. We never feel tired. We never get bored.
Like chain smokers, we feel a new world of joy even repeating our same effort again and again.
This inner satisfaction, inner peace is also a great source of intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation:
Now we discuss the outward factors that act as a pushing force for us. These outward factors are called Extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivations are actually external resources that drive us to do something.
Let us discuss the Basic factors for our extrinsic motivation.
Factor #1. Wealth:
Money is the most effective source of motivation.
Every person depends upon money for the supplement of basic needs of life. Human life is inseparable of money. You can buy nothing without money.
That’s why people are ready to do everything to earn money.
You may see that the incentive of money can make people agree for suicidal attacks even.
Just for the sake of money, people indulge in different crimes.
People go unfaithful to their homelands, their religions and their nations.
Here I would clarify one thing. For poor people, money acts as motivation because they need it to fulfil their basic needs. It is their livelihood.
It is necessary for their survival.
So you may see poor people mostly becoming the prey of many social evils and crimes. The force behind is the struggle for survival.
So this motivation works very strongly in poverty.
On the other hand, for rich people, it is motivation because of their unquenchable thirst for a luxurious life.
They do not need money for their survival. They need it to show off. They need it to display their pelf and position.
They need it to rule and suppress others. It’s necessary to fulfil their lust.
Here is the struggle for superiority.
In either case, high wages, handsome salaries, heavy allowances prove to be a great source of extrinsic motivation.
Factor #2. Praise:
It’s very humane to be praised and appreciated. All of us want to be encouraged for our acts.
This appreciation serves as useful energy to improve more and more.
If someone is not appreciated; a time comes when he is no more interested to do the job.
Appreciation is necessary for you everywhere.
From house to school, college to the office, every place where you are performing some task, you need to be appreciated.
Even if you start appreciating your spouse, in routine life, you will feel a bigger change in your life.
Without this motivation, you are never going to give your best.
So it always proves to be an important source of extrinsic motivation.
Factor #3. Popularity and good name:
It is also a source of motivation. Everyone wants to be famous. And everyone strives for it.
We want to be famous among our kith and kins, our friends, our colleagues.
Nowadays social media has been a great source of fame.
People try their level best to expose their abilities to get fame.
We too learn a number of social media stars.
A number of apps are being launched. People use these apps. And with their creativity, soon get popular on social media.
So we may say that feeling like a star is a kind of pleasure. And this feeling becomes a source of motivation for us.
Final thoughts:
From the above discussion, we can easily sort out the definition of self-motivation.
It’s the energy to initiate, to undertake or continue a task or activity without another’s prodding or supervision.
It involves all the factors discussed above.
We can be self-motivated inwardly or outwardly.
and when we are self-motivated, we least need the advisors and guides.
Our conscience and our outward necessities are enough for us to remain stick to our goals.
Let me know which one of the above factors is your driving force and source of motivation?
